The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-13
4 PULp MILL IN the uILDERNESS
A Great Maine Factory for Turning Forest
Trees into Material for Paper.

Great Maine Factory for Turning Forest
Trees into Material Tor Paper.
BANGOR, May 12.-Since the discovery, by
q German scientist, OF the fact that certain
kinds OF wood, when boiled with water and BIZ
sulphate Of lime, lose all their nbrous charac-
ter, and become soft almost to pulpness, there
have been wonderful advances toward civili-
2ntion in various parts OF Maine which before
we're but spots In the wilderness. or, Mt tho
best, decaying villages. Maine Is full Of Just
such woods as are needed for tho manufacture
OF pulp. and there is an abundance Of water
power ut every turn for tho operation OF grent
mills. such as have boon erected during the
past few years at various points on the An
droscoggin, kennobec, and Penobscot.
Although the process of converting wood
into pulp by chemical treatment was iii st dis
covered by a German, and the first mills erect
ell in the dominion of the Kaiser tho Amer
leans have mado SO many changes and such
great improvements upon tho original method
that this country easily leads the world in the
quality, as also in the quantity. of its pulp
product. Not all of tho pulp produced in this
country is made by the chemical process. how
ever. there being many large mills which turn
out pulp by the grinding process. which l.
worry simple Ono OF the most extensive ylunts
OF this latter Sind is located ut Eullell In PlS-
cAtuuuls county where the Pcnobscot Nlyer
affords lpcient water power to run all the
cotton factories In New England. Two years
ago that part of Enfield whore the big mill now
stands was don-e Wilderness: but the mate
ria!s for pulp masking We're there In abundance
with water POWER Unlimited running to
wuste, and those resources havo been SO well
developed that to-day a busy manufacturing
village occupies the territory which SO short u
timo since was given over to the moose and
bear. A dam 800 feOt long, aud anording at
different periods from II to 70 ieet head, has
been built. with canal l.2OO feet long 100 teet
wide. aud IL feet deep, and a mill lojSsU feet
WAS used 2.5UOOUU feet OF hcmlock timber
many thousands Of tous of stone and 80 tons
OF bolt iron. Tho mill has "a water wheels
which yield 9,jsU horse power and II grind
daily. requiring 10000 cords Of wood u ear.
he grndstOnes are 80 inches in diameter
with G-inch lace against which tho wood Is
forced by n hydraulic pressure OF 80 pounds to
stones through coarse screens beneath, which
retain all unground fragments OF wood, thence
through large pipes INTO cement wells. From
the wells the pulp is pumped into line ScreeuS
moved, after which ii flows into stock chests
and thence to the =" wet machines" on tho floor
above. where it is subjected to n PRESSURE of
800 to 500 pounds To the square inch. coming
from the presses In sheets. Notwithstanding
this enormous pressure the ground pulp as 1t
Is shipped TO paper mills contains more than
30 per cent water. AMI the great expense OF
transportation thus made necessary has in
duced many manufacturers to erect PAPER mills
alongside their pulp works.
The works at Montague. as that part OF En-
field where the great ground pulp stands has
been named, have cost nearly S5OU.uUO, and
about them q pretty village has grown up
with stores. schools hotel. neat dwellings. and
The big mill is Two years old, but the village
was built in u few months.