The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1896-12-19
SILK FROM WOOD.
A NEW USE FOR THE PRODUCT
OF TIKI: FOREST.
Trees Ground Into Pulp for Many
Other Purposes-WOod Makes
More Durable Car Wheels
Than Steel.
7THE announcement, made
= simultaneously in France and
in ENGLAND that tho discnu.

pulp has proven an unquestionablc
commercial success, means not only
that the silk worm raising industry,
as we'll as tie silk worm itself, is
doomed, but 1t marks the latest step
in that wonderful advance within the
last ten years, in the use of wood pulp
rs material for manufacture. Very
few people are aware of the, varied
uses to which this product technically
known as "cellulose," is now put
that from it comes the larger part of
the paper which we use, the most of
the car wheels of the coaches upon
which we ride. and rails for railways,
aud wagon wheels, and horse shoes,
imitation porcelain ware, barrels,
boats, window panes, furniture OF
many kinds. telegraph poles, drain
pipes and thing, paving brick, collins,
carpets, thread, heavy guns, matches,
yes, and portable houses, paint, nrti'
fetal teeth and even bicycle frames.
1t would indeed require long cat
alogue to tell Of the protean, forms
which wood pulp is now made to as
sumo. There are in the United States
two newspapers which alone use up in
year more paper than was produced
in the WI ole country twenty-five years
ago, and there arc five or six newt
papers in the United States which to-
gether use up more paper than was
made in the whole world at that
period. To-day great forests are be.
ing annually slaughtered to afford
material fer the wood pulp machines.
An enormous industry has been built
up in this and other countries, whose
capitalization and annual product
runs up into the hundreds Of millions.
And still those engaged in the indus.
try regard 1t as yet in the stage of
short dresses.
The latest application to the manu-.
facture of silk seems TO confirm this
view. Almost all the uses of cellu.
lose, indeed. aside from that for pa
per making, have come within the last
ten years, and probably the last year
has seen more new uses made of this
remarkable substance thin in ali tho
other ten put together. New patents
are being taken out every month, and
with the enormous extension that will
he made by the invasion of the vast
spruce and fir forests of the North Pa
cihc coast in this country and in ST.
IBERIA, it is entirely probable that the
next few years will witness still more
remarkable advance.
But, rs already indicated, paper is
now only one OF countless forms in
which this wood pull or wood fiber is
now made up. Probably the next and
most important employment is that
for car wheels. These are, rs o rule,
made from straw pulp and directly
from. straw board. A solid disk or
wheel, made up of a number Of layers,
much in the same way as the calendar
rolls are made, is forced under strong
pressure into steel tire. Then into
centre of this disk m axle box is thrust
under similar pressure. When first
the strawboard disks are put together
they are thrust under hydraulic
weight Of 5000 Kilograms Tor IN hour
and a pressure of ninety to l20 tons is
employed IN fitting the tires. In this
way wheel is made that is about
three times as durable as those made
of steel, and furthermore, far more
elastic.
This elasticity not only greatly in.
creases ease OF railway travel, but it
diminishes the vibrations of the axle
and bearings, the effect of these vibra.
tions being to crystalline iron or steel
where the wheel is made of these lat
ter substances. At Pullman. ILL.,, the
chief seat of manufacture in this coun'
try, pair of paper wheels have o re-
corded run of almost q million and
holt miles, record which is excep'
tiopal for any kind of metal.
This same wonderful hardness which
is obtainable with paper. has very re-
Gently been turned to account in Der
lin, Germany, in the making Of paving
brick. These latter are made from
ordinary wood or straw pulp, to which
sulphate of zinc is added as " preserv
alive. The material being thoroughly
mixed, it is put into vat, where Other
chemicals are added aud then subjected
to pressure Of 1000 pounds to thu
square inch. The bricks thus formed
are placed in a kiln aud baked fol
,orty. eight hours, much as bricks o.
clay. These wool pulp bricks welsl
about three pounds, whsre those OF thu
same size Of clay weigh ten pounds
and are practically indestructible
Furthermore, they are sad to make
very little noise. Onder the same pro
cess condults for tue use Of electric O.
telephone cables a. now being made
aud drain thing as well. Among tn
advantages claimed for the latter is it
exceeding hardness; its light weight
its non. condnctivity Of heat or sonnl
and sufficient elasticity tn meet all rn