The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-01-16
CUMBERLAND MILLS.
A Sketch of the Largest Paper Mills
in the World.

In the year 1852 small mill occupied a
prominent position on the Presumpscot
river, one mile below Saccarappa village. 1t
was then owned by Messrs. Day and Lyon,
and employed in manufacturing a very
ordinary quality Of news paper.
During that year Grant, Daniels & Co.
purchased the property. S. d. Warren of
Boston was the largest owner in the COM
pany. The original mills lacked capacity,
but as soon as Mr.. Warren took hold of the
enterprise there was grand improvement in
the modus operandi. Large additions were
made to the buildings and powerful machin-
cry introduced.
At the present time the buildings occu-
pied in the manufacture of paper cover a
tract of seven acres of ground, and to the
buildings additions are constantly being
made. A force of $50 hands, male and fe-
male, is employed. The monthly pay roll
amounts to some $4,000. Thirty to forty
tons of finished paper is placed on the mar
ket daily.
The order for the first volume of Gen.
Grants book has just been completed, which
was an average Of twenty-five to thirty tons
of paper daily. Work on orders for the sec
ond volume of the book is being
rapidly done, besides large orders weekly
for the Youths Companion Publishing Com
pany, Boston
The process of converting rags and wood
min stock into news and book paper is after
the following order: The rags are varied in
color and quantity and obtained from all
parts of the world. Many lots are sent di-
rect from Japan. They are put up in large
bales weighing from 800 to 800 pounds, and
strongly bound with iron hoop. When re-
ceived at the mills they are placed IN the
dusting rooms and cleansed from dust; after
that they are carried on broad aprons
into bins and weighed into small
lots, for parceling out to the .girls, in the as
sorting rooms. Each girl is paid stipulated
amount per basket, according to the quality
of the rags. Great care is taken to keep each
lot separate, as they are taken to the bin
room. where they are handled by men, and
cut into small pieces, on the rag cutter They
are next conveyed to the bleach room, and
placed in large rotary boilers, containing a
mixture of lime and water, and allowed to
cook from ten to twelve hours, after which
they are emptied on the floor in the room be-
low, the lime-water having previously been
''blown OUT into the river. Each quality is
rag engines, where they are washed; then let
down into large drainers and the water passes
off. The next process is passing them
through the beater engines, and ground to a
fine pulp previous to- being placed in the
ssstuff chest from which they are pumped
up and pass through a Jordan engine" and
carried through the machine chest" into the
paper machine, which is composed of large
iron rollers, heated by steam, by which the
drying process is completed.
Some qualities OF paper are calendered by
passing it between rollers subjected to a
great pressure, giving it smooth and glossy
finish. Another quality is colored and enam-
elled. The paper passes from the rollers
through the cutter and cut into the required
lengths, then assorted and counted by girls.
thousand sheets in one hour. There are ten
girls employed in this department, and sixty
eight in the cutting room.
The paper is packed in boxes, frames and
bundles, averaging six hundred pounds to
the box, and one hundred and fifty to two
per from the rag room passes through four
teen hands before it is put on board the cars
for shipment. There is, in connection with
the paper mills, machine and carpenter
shop, planning mills, jig saws, a pulp mill and
box mandatory, each employing a large
number of hands. The box manufactory
employs eleven hands. Some forty boxes Of
various sizes are manufactured daily, besides
two hundred and fifty frames.
John E. Warren, Esq has the general su-
perintendence Of the business, and under his
excellent and careful management every
thing connected with these extensive opera
tionS has been made grand success. Not
only are the residents of Cumberland Mills
and Saccarappa directly benefited by this
great enterprise, but the financial prosperity
of many business men in other towns, and
in the city of Portland, is more OF less af-
feeted thereby.