Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-12-24
THE TWIN CITIES.
Grand Rapids and Cenra1Ia,

/ CWln
cities, Grand Rapids and Centralia.
For two years we had not stopped to
look them over, hence their strides in
improvements had in a great measure
escaped our notice. Time was when
| Grand Rapids was the most important
city on the whole Wisconsin river. Its
splendid water-power made it an i'm
portant point for the early lumber
interests. Large and prosperous facto-
rles were built and it was also a distrib-
| utlng point and base of supplies for a
large tract of country AS the wears
swept on, the lumber manufacturing
pushed farther up the river and the
timber controlled by the Grand Rapids
people having been cut away, there
came time of inactivity, of depression
and decay. Almost everybody said
"Grand Rapids and Centralia are played
out, " and it was not uncommon to hear
citizens of the towns themselves cali
their homes dead towns" All that
has changed. A place SO highly favored
by nature could not die. Her saw mills
were in ruins, but her Touring mills
were gaining in reputation, wealth and
Importance, A large hub and spoke
factory was built and although three
times destroyed by fire it is still there.
larger, better, and more prosperous
than ever. On the site of one of it's
largest lumber mills, pulp mill was
erected. The energy of the citizens
never tagged and at our recent visit we
saw furniture factory in Grand RAPIDS
III full working order, in fact had made
their first shipment of furniture. This
factory is known as the Grand Rapids
Furniture Co. Its building is 60 feet bv
~ feet, and three stories high, supplied
with the latest improved machinery.
and employs 80 men. Their building
is constructed with view to enlarge
ment when the business will warrant it.
They have plenty of land for storing
lumber and side track at their verv
doors.
At Centralia we saw the great works !
of the Oberbeck Manufacturing Co., a
furniture factory 2l0 feet long, Ga feet
wide and three stories high. They were
putting in their machinery and will be
running in a few weeks. They will
employ 180 hands.
Down the river from Centralia, about
two miles, at what is now called South
Centralia, is located the South Centralia
Delr naa nesrv- o., a~--.r-~--g- +L~4 l~-
a working capital of $350000. Here
may be seen, in all It's departments, the
wonderful process by which wood is
converted into fine paper. From the
high bank above the pulp mill where
the wood is delivered by the cars, you
can follow it to the saw that cuts it into
proper lengths for the great steam
grinders that convert it into a mush
that other machinery and driers convert
into pulp. Still you can follow it to the
paper mill where in great yats it is
mixed with water and stirred and
pulverized until the whole mass is like
thin mush, then it runs onto wire cloth
and canvas bearers until it is strong
enough to bear its own weight and runs
on through succession of great rollers
until thoroughly dried and perfected,
the mushy mass has become thin, pure
white and delicate paper, like the sheet |
from which you are now reading. AS it
comes from the mill the sheet is eight |
feet wide and absolutely endless, were
it not cut off when one of the great rolls |
is completed and removed to start |
another. These rolls arc either shipped |
to market or are put into another
machine, very simple in construction
that trims and cuts them into sheets to
suit the various sizes of the newspapers
to which they finally go. The work Of
adjusting the sheets as they fall from
the knife, counting and folding them,
ready for packing, is done by the deft
fingers of pretty girls. The South Cen
tralia works are well worth visit and
we are going there again when we have
more time to look them over. We now
speak of these institutions merely to
show what the enterprising cities are
doing, and as hint to our own people
who have too long believed that lumber
manufacturing is the only great industry
to which the valley is adapted.-[ Wau-
sau Torch of Liberty