Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-07-28
MAKING PULP.
A Description Of the Process o
Manufacturing It.
A Journal Man Visits the Cushnoc Fibre
Co.'s Mill.


is made. Were it possible for the original
settlers to come forth from their resting
places and go through large establish
ment, devoted to the manufacturing of
paper material, they would probably say,
II never would have thought it,"
1t has not been many years since this in
dustry has grown prominent in Maine, and
there is reason to believe it will continue to
grow. The building of the Bangor & Aroos-
took Railroad will open up section of
wooded country rich in pulp material. Have
you ever visited pulp mill and followed
the block of wood through, till it was made
into nice glossy MANILA?
A Journal man visited the mill of the
Cushnoc Fibre Co. few days ego, and in
company with Supt. Richmond made a
tour through ir. We first started with the
stick of timber as it appears when floating
down the river, perhaps 20 feet long and
varying in size from four inches in diameter
to foot. These logs are hauled into the
mill by means of an endless chain in motion
by steam power. The logs are run up to
saw and cut into two-feet lengths. From
the saw they pass to barker, which is
machine somewhat similar to a great saw,
and this peels all the bark off the sticks.
The next machine it comes in contact with
is the splitter, which divides it into various
sizes and is then assorted. This lot is for
making the sulphite.
The blocks for the grinders are not split
but are fed into these machines as taken
from the bankers. The blocks are forced
against the huge stone grinders by water
pressure of 70 pounds.
To return to the blocks which come
from the splitter. They are passed to
a machine called the clipper, where they
are Clipped into pieces half an
inch in length and are then blown through
a huge pipe by big fan to the other mill,
where more advanced stage of manufac-
turing takes place. These chips are blown
into bins and then fed on to shaking screen
which separates the coarse bits from the
finer. 1t is then carried on an endless chain
to storage bins in the upper story and from
these bins it passes to the digesters, where
it is treated with sulphurous acid. This
acid is made Of sulphur and lime. The lime
is mixed into it to retain the acid, At one
end of the mill is the place where
this acid is made. Several large
ovens are busy burning the sulphur, rang
ing from 1900 to 1900 pounds every "a
hours. The little chips we have been speak
ing of are now cooked with this sulphurous
acid and then passed to pits where it
is washed out and then run through
water screens to take out the knots
and wasted matter. In this room
where the acid is made ,is a pump to form
vacuum to drain the sulphur fumes, which
mix the sulphur and the lime. This mix
ture is then run into storage tanks and is
ready for use.
After the chips are mixed with the
acid and pass through the water screen
the mass then becomes sulpbte and passes
to the wet machine and from this it is taken
in bundles and piled up ready for ship
ment. The two kinds of manufacture at
this mill are sulphite and ground wood.
To return to the block that goes into
the crusher. 1t comes out from this
in ground state and is then
taken to the beaten where it is cut
finer. From this to the wet machine and
thence to the paper machine. 1t now begins
to appear like sheet Of paper andis passed
over an endless wire or belt-llke fixture to
the first press and over wooden felt and
then to the next press on the wooden felt
and from there to the dryer. The
next machine it meets is the calender,
where it gets the finish and is then wound
on to reels and then into rolls, and from
here it passes to the finishing room. In
this department it is cut into sheets of diff
ferent sizes and packed ready for ship
ment. Some Of the bundles have $50
sheets and some 500. Packages of rolls
are also put up. This paper is for wrap
ping and similar purposes and is bright
MANILA.
In this mill 90 hands are employed. The
main power is by water, although
80 horse power steam engine drives
part of the machinery. There is one
paper machine, two heaters. one jorden,
three boilers, two digester, four pulp grind
ers, and four web machines. The extent OF
the manufacturing is, sulphite 10 tons q
day, ground wood six, paper eight. The
mills are lighted by electricity and heated
by steam. day there means "a hours.
The location of the mill is convenient for
the business, it being between the Maine
Central Railroad and the river. 1t has a
sharp, active business management, at the
head of which is +. S. Lyman, president OF
the company.
Hon. George M. Warren of Castine, re-
l. 81 - III ~