New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-25
ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT-

with ghtninglike rapidity There are other in
genous machines for automatically handling
and preparing the wood from the time it is
taken from the water until it is ready to be
made into pulp.
This is done by forcing the wood under the al
most human guidance of hydraulic machinery
upon grndstones. which are turned with great
force and rapidity, some pulp paper mills re-
quring mere power than the great manufacture
ing city of Lowell Mass AS the wood is pressed
with the incest degree. Of uniformity upon the
grinders under a continual flow Of water which
prevents the wood from burning. mixture of
wood and water energies from the machine,
making a not unlike Cruel in appearance
and consistency, and yet carefully has this
process been performed that only the micro
scope detect any variation in the size or
appearance of the minute particles of which the
mass is composed. Thus as the result of years
of experiment and practice, the pulp maker has
become able to disintegrate the wood in this
manner without destroying the fbrOus charac-
ter and the pulp does. in fact. consist of multi
tudes of little fibres which thus become avail
able as a substitute in a measure for the fibres
of rags.
Finally the rags which until some fifteen
years ago still used in connection with this
pulp 20 make news paper, began to be displaced
by wood prepared in more scientific way. To
do this. the science of chemistry came to the aid
of the art of paper making In simple language,
this process consists in cooking the wood in
chemicals instead of grinding it. thus dissolving
all the nOn-fbrOus matter and leaving the fibreS
practically uninpaired, so that fabric consist
ing exclusively of these fbres has almost the
strength of parchment
Before this process became perfected in this
country millions of dollars We're sunk in pioneer
establishments, and even the process is re-
garded as most difficult and subtle, and in or
der to be commercially successful must be con-
Quoted very large scale. 1t requires great
bOierlike structures. the outward shells Of which
are steel. and which have to be lined with sew
eral successive Innings Of different materials so
constructed to make the interior steam tight,
acid proof, and able to withstand great pressure.
AT this stage the process of paper making
proper. distinguished from pulp making. be-
gins, and here is where perhaps even more tech
meal knowledge and experience required.
The mixture of pulps prepared in the two ways
described, and other ingredients which give color
and various other physical characteristics to the
finished paper, is diluted with water so as to
become practically a fluid. which is then pro
jected onto wire cloth constructed
with great nicely. This moves along often at a
rate of several hundred feet a minute and as
the pulpy liquid falls upon it, guided by delicate
y,
tn water is withdrawn by every known
means available Tor the purpose, involving the
principles of agitation. gravtation. capillary at
traction, suction. absorption pressure and evap-
grafton, the fbres of the pulp gradually inter
with such absolute uniformity that only
an experienced eye delicate scientific test can
determine any variation in strength or texture
of the finished product.
While these processes have been going sue