The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-10-17
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HARTFORD COUNTY.


HARTFORD COUNTY.
It's Rural Beauty-Fertile Farms-Commo-
dfous Farm Houses-And Varied Industries.
Westminster Democratic Advocate.
Hartford and Carroll counties are twin sis
tiers in topography, geology, mineralogy and
other natural productions, and as like as two
peas. The surface of both counties is undu
lating, green hills and valleys alternating at
every step of the travellers progress, until,
in Hartford, you approach the bay, when you
leave the hill country behind and debouch
upon level plateau that slopes very gradual
ly to the shores of the Chesapeake, which
laves its southern border. On the eastern
boundary you descend preciptitately from its
densely wooded heights to the shores of the
turbulent Susquehanna, W hose agitated waters
are churned into foam among the rocks and
crags that form its uneven bed and fringe
either shore. During recent visit to Har-
ford the writer had an opportunity to verify
these statements by observation.
On fine September morning, recently, a
genial party of four gentlemen set out from
Bel Air, In Westminster Dayton, drawn by
two spanking bays, TO visit the works of the
Susquehanna Water Power and Paper Com
pany, located in Hartford county, on the Sus
quehanna, near Conowingo Bridge, and the
Stafford Flint Mills, located at the mouth OF
Deer Creek, which forms junction with the
Susquehanna at that point. Our route lay
along the road leading to Churchvlle and
Deer Creek. The day was charming, the
roads good, and the conversation 80 absorb
ing that there was no chance for the tedum
of travel, although our journey covered near
ly a score of miles to our first destination -
To- I'D tod iln
the farm houses were large and surrounded
by ample lawns and spreading shade trees,
that gave an air of comfort and refinement to
every household. The grazing of cattle is
the chief enterprise of the farmers ofthis part
of Hartford and, judging from the general
appearance of the farms, it has been a source
of profit, for thrift and comfort were every
where apparent, and one was forced to the
conclusion that "the lines" had literally fallen
to that people ''in pleasant places" The
region through which Deer Creek flows has
long been celebrated for it's rural beaaty, and
the same may be said of all the upper portion
of the county-a shifting panorama of ever
changing loneliness, green hills and fertile
valleys, crowned with palatial dwellings and
commodious barns, and covered with luxu-
RANT crops, the products of the skill and in
dustry of its intelligent husbandmen. Here
and there, in the progress of our journey, we
passed a cannery. This industry is not so
often met with in this part of Hartford, as in
the middle and lower sections of the county.
The opinion was advanced that it would have
been better for the people engaged in it, if
the ordinary farming operations had never
been supplanted by il, as the farms devoted
to this enterprise were not now what they
formerly were.
About the hour of high noon the party az
rived at the works of the SnsquehaDna
Water Power and Paper Company, ofwhich
H. L. Carter, of Pa. is President. and Joshua
c. Smith, Of Hartford, secretary, treasurer and
manager. This was the fret objective point
of our journey, and here the party halted
for refreshment of man and horse, which was
so Hospitality and generously supplied by the
manager. We were conducted through the
entire establishment by the courteous MAIL
ager, and in reply to our inquiries many facts
and details were elected which possess album
dent interest for the public We were sur
prised, in the first place, by the magnitude
of the works. The Company was formed in
1888 and began making paper in 1884, with a
capital stock of $175,000, and an output
of $3.50, 900 worth OF paper annually, shipped
to England and Australia, also TO California,
New York, Cincinnati and other cities. 1t
supplies the New York World with 5000
tons year. 1t also supplies the New York
Herald and Cincinnati Enquirer, besides
manufacturing large quantities of roll paper
for fast presses, and wall paper which is sold
in an unfinished state and shipped away to
be printed. The capacity of the works is
5000 tons CT paper year, giving employment
to $50 hands. The mills run day and night,
the day hands working eleven hours, the
night hands thirteen hours, and the mill is
lighted by electricity. The works shut down
at 10 o'clock on Saturday night, and begin
again at IL on Sunday night. The buildings
are very large and all brick. The motive power
is OF water, supplied by dam from the Sus
quehanna, $500 feet long. There are six
turbine wheels, each 81 inches in diameter,
developing 400 horse power each. Also a
steam engine of 800 horse power. The capac-
ity Of the works is Is to 16 tons daily, which
is to be increased to rs or 30 tons per day
The material used for making pulp is poplar
wood, brought from the adjacent neighbor-
hood and from other parts of Maryland, de-
livered at the mill in four feet lengths, at $5.75
per cord. Also spruce pine from Nova
Scotia, where the Company owns large
tract of land.
The process of turning wood into paper
is as follows The wood is sawed by circu-
lar saws into lengths from Is to 20 inches,
lQ6u SDllb NY LldCulucIy lulO plCCc5 lhS LII e
wood, and put into hot water 10 soften it. The
mixture is then ground and screened to get the
sliyers or other particles out of it. The pulp
is then passed through drying machines
consisting of large rollers, which compress
the water out of it. 1t is next mixed with
sulphide pulp from Germany, and sizing ma
terial or coloring is added as required. The
mixing is done in large circular watts contain
ing revolving scrapers. After these various
processes the pulp passes between rollers
which press it into paper. The material is
than carried on wooden blankets to brass roll
lers which press more OF the water from it. 1t
is next carried, still onthe blankets to polished
brass rollers heated by steam. Passing
through series ofthese it comes out perfect
ly dry and ready for use. 1fintended for the
large dailies, it is wound on cylinder, or if
not, it is cut into sheets. Girls are employ
ed to count the sheets and divide them into
quires and reams They do this work very
expeditiously. The mill is on the bank of
the Susquehanna. The paper is conveyed
! by a cable ferry in large scow carrying three
cars, propelled by the force of the cur
rent acting against the side of the scow,
which is kept by means of ropes in an OBJ
liqre position, to siding of the Columbia
and Port Deposit Railroad, in Cecil county.
Before this ferry was constructed, ii required
four five-mule teams to haul the paper across
Conowingo Bridge to the same railroad
The three small cars that cross the river at
the ferry, carry haitian ordinary car load at a
trip. The works consume 5000 tons of coal
per year. By an ingenious arrangement Of
the boilers superheated steam is decomposed
its constituents adding fuel to the flames and
saving $15 or more per day. The manager
Mr.. ]. G. Smith, is assisted by his brother
Mr.. B. Gilpin Smith, whose joint supervision
keeps the whole vast concern moving with
the steadiness of clock work.
The mill has been of great value to the
neighborhood. A town called Berkleyville