Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-04-01
SulpF1ite Fibre and Its Manufacture
at NekOOsa

/ OiipEiii~ NUTS Aia is NldIliaLkGTS
at Nekoosa
German original by Louis Gray, Supt.)
The manufacture of paper has ex-
/ perienced a great revolution in the last
years owing to the fact that in most
cases wood has taken the place Of rags
as need in the old process of paper
making. First we find the invention of
ground wood pulp and perhaps ten
years later the German professor, DR..
i. MitscherlIch, invented the process
Of obtaining wood fibre by chemical
means. This process was improved
by d. Ritter kellner and we
now distinguish two methods; the
manner of cooking, being what is
termed indirect in the Mitscherlich and
direct in the kellner method.
A model plant for the manufacture
Of sulphite fibre by the Kelner method
is that of the Nekoosa Paper Company.
As raw material for sulphite fibre
spruce has the preference over all
other woods but it is becoming so
scarce in this country that experiments
have been made with various other
/ kinds. At NekoOsa hemlock is success
fully used. The hemlock logs used are
carried on cars, directly 10 the wood
room, where they are conveyed by
means of live rolls TO a circular saw
which cuts them into blocks two feet
! long. These blocks are taken to the
barker which removes the bark and
useless wood. This done, they are
split to the proper size by the splitter
and then cut by the clipper diagonally
across the grain into chips of from J ''to
g in length. A belt conveyor carries
these chips to the chip screen which
removes the saWdust and dirt. From
the screen Il blower drives the chips
through Il pipe, l35 # long, to the chip
bin which is situated in the upper part
of the digester house, Immediately
above the digesters The digesters are
two upright cylindrical steel boilers
SO #. high and II #. diameter with 8 in
thickness of wall, being lined first with
lead and then with special bricks and
the joints pointed with litharge mixed
with glycerine. The top Of each di-
gester has an opening to admit the
chips and acid used and below the
500 is used and this is obtained by
drawing the fumes from burning
sulphur through tanks filed with lime
water. The acid-makng plant may
properly be considered factory for IL
self and it would lead too far TO 90,
into a detailed description. In the di-
gesters before mentioned the chips,
saturated with acid, are cooked by
steam. this requiring on the average
about u hours After the cooking is
completed the stuff as it is now called,
is blown off into the blow-pits of which
there is one, 20 #. high by 20 #. diam
eter, for each digester. These blow
pits are provided with strainer
! |, i a.
washed out. From the blow-pits a
Harmon pump conveys the stuff to. the
stuff-chest in the wash-house and from
this chest a second pump carries it to
two copper straining cylinders. From
them it passes by gravity TO the tumb-
ling barrel which thoroughly separates
the fibre. After leaving the tumbl-
ling barrel the stuff is carried by water
over the rifle boards, distance,
measured on a straight line, of about
$50 it. In the rifle boards the knots
and heavy substances that may have
been carried along are deposited, leav-
ing the light fibre to be carried by
the water to the 20 screens IN which
the final cleaning takes place. From
the screens the stuff passes to the
stuff-chest out of which it is pumped to
the wetmachines. On these, of which
there are 5 with a combined capacity
Of 80 tons fol II hours, the manufacture
of sulphite fibre reaches its end and
the product is ready for use in the
paper mill or for shipment.
Geo n. Wood has sold to Anton Eur
fuh FIVE acres Of the Wood farm at $50
i per acre.
Mrs. Chas. Myres is noted among
those who are very sick.
Mrs Guthiel returned Wednesday
from Milwaukee where she selected Il
large stock of millinery and dry goods.
Chas. Oberly, who is fitting fine
steam yacht, will make daily trips be-
tween Port Edwards and NekoOsa. He
!, expects also to run between NekOOsa
and "Skedunk" if he can secure a
pilot to run the lower rapids. A good
pilot is now in demand. Liberal salary
for the right man.
Mr.. 0. d. Billings and children are
visiting relatives i'll Scandinavia, Wis.
The lower ferry is running and the
upper one will be as soon as the ice is
out of the pond.
Messrs. O. D. Billings and George
Hyde formed partnership the past
week for the purpose of going into
stock raising. Mr.. Billings purchased
razor back hog for which he paid
$3.50 and Mr.. Hyde purchased a
''Beadle hound pup for which he paid
$50. They purchased house and lands
from Geo. n. Wood upon which they
placed their stock. True, it was a
small beginning, but they looked for
ward to great results. 1t happened
shortly after the partnership was
formed that the hog killed the dog and
eat him up. The question now asked
the firm ''what blood is the hog and
what is his value? For further particu-
lars enquire of Billings & Hyde.
Steve Stevens is reported as having
eclipsed the hauling of the largest load
this season. He hauled box car
from Spring Branch to baskerville
without rest. It was neither loaded
with oranges or potatoes.
Eighteen car loads of wood came
into Nekoosa Tuesday.
Election matters are very quiet here.
There is talk of opposition to some OF
the present village officers.
pEADGG MADCH