Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-16

But in time those same dirty rags ap-
pear once more In good society--yes,
among the four hundred and the sweet
miss or madam, who, when she stepped
over the pile of filth in the street, lifted
her skirts so daintily lest-she should be
defiled, now presses her pretty lips to
the gummed flap of an envelope. as
she seals up the dainty epistle which
invites Reginald or Cholly to lunch at l
tomorrow.
The treatment of the rags from the
time they are busted. the first process,
to the last, which makes them paper,
was described in an interesting manner,
and then the speaker closed with an en-
tertaining account Of the part that Wor-
cester people have played in the paper
trade. He said 1t was an interesting
fact that David Whitcomb, who with his
son, G. Henry Whitcomb, was the foun-
der Of the Whitcomb Envelope Com
pany, and who was the means of max
ing Worcester such large factor in the
development of the envelope industry
sold to the Parsons Paper Company of
Holyoke the first rags which they used
in paper making. The elder Whitcomb,
David, was for many years associated
with John Boyrton, who was the foun-
der of the Polytechnic Institute The
firm of Boynton & Whitcomb was To-
Gated at Templeton, and in those days
this firm had from rs to 100 tin ped
lers securing New England, selling SHOW
els, scythes, rakes brooms, etc, and
buying furs and skins, iron Junk, COP
per kettles and old rags. In those days
| the rags were sent from Templeton to
HolyoSe over the turnpike road by
team
Mr.. Logan, in closing, said that in the
envelope industry, Worcester has al
ways taken prominent position The
! third patent in the United States for
| an envelope machine was granted in
1858 to DR.. R. L. Hawes, who established
the business still successfully continued
by the Hill Envelope Company. The
two Inventions which preceded Or.
Halves were not successful, and hence
to Worcester belongs the credit for the
inveGtion and construction of the first
successful envelope machine in this
country, and for the establishment Of
the first factory for making machine
made envelopes. The envelopes made
by Hawes were gummed on the flap by
a separate process.
In 1858 James @. Arnold, a Worcester
patent lawyer and inventor went step
beyond and invented an envelope ma
chine which also gummed the flap. This
machine was not a practical success
but it had in 1t the foundation principle
which is applied to every lf-gumming
machine IN tne world, ana without Ar
mold a self-gumming machine would be
! aGl impossibility. Mr.. Logan referred to
the different inventions of Messrs. Swift
and Rheutan, who for thirty years have
wrought as worthy successors of the
pioneers who preceded them, and by
their inventions Worcester still holds
her place as the greatest envelope manu-
featuring city in the country. In all
probability, fully 80 per cent Of all the
| commercial envelopes made in the
| United States are made in Worcester.
''At this point" said the speaker, Il
may state a fact not generally known
/ that fully three-fourths of all the paper
bags made in the United States are
made on machines invented by a Wor-
cester man named Charles B. Stilwell
who lived in Worcester from 1875 to
1880, and who, when living here, invent
ed and built his first paper bag
machine
Mr.. Logan modestly refrained from
mentioning in any way the part he has
| played in the development of the en-
Velope industry and the value of his
own many inventions, the firm Of Lo.
gan, Swift & Brigham being today one
| Of the largest i'm the country, and having
| large government contracts.
| Mr.. Logan was rendered a vote of
| thanks, and the evening closed with the
| following program arranged by George
Munger: Piano solo, Miss Maud Ban
croft reading, Mrs. II. E. Lowell; duet,
Messrs. P. C. Forbes and L. c. Midgley;
violin solo, George Munger; reading,
Miss Josephine Moore.