Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-12
WATERNILLE.
THE PULP MILL.
Some Interesting Phases Of This Young and
Rapidly Increasing Business.

Maine and when the good spruce was
scorned by the lumbcrman, there was
little thought that one day the business
would be superseded by q greater one
When the pine began to fail many of the
Older lumbermcn professed to see the END
OF their vein of profit in the Maine WOODS
But II was not so. 1t was soon FOUND by
some of the younger men that there was
still good thing in spruce and the oper-
atoms continued. Pine went to a pre-
MUM where it had been the staple, and
the erstwhile despised spruce became the
staple. The logs have been growing
year by year and long ago lumbcrmen
began to foretell the failure of the Maine
forest. 1t has withstood all the on
slaushts thus far from the lumbel'men
but a deadlier enemy has now gone forth
against it in the big, unGainly, ill-smell-
ing and profitable pulp mill
This business has risen with the decline
of the numbering. Pulp mills have been
built on the ruins of saw mills and the
deserted lumber camps in the woods have
been occupied by the pulp crews and the
ground long since CLEANED of all the good
lumber has furnished profitable opera
tons for the paper makers. If with only
the lumber business old men saw the fail
of the Maine forests, younger men must
see it more clearly now. The pulp bust
ness has advanced all over the country
with giant strides. Vast mills have gone
up on every water side throughout the
country. Huge capital has been invested
until now it is one of the principal indus
tries.
The modern papermaking plant is a
child of the past century The greatest
development has perhaps been even in
the latter half. The mill owners of the
COS, unless they have kept abreast of the
times, are astonished by the mills of to-
day. The process of making soda fibre
was introduced in this country in 1854 by
Hugh Burgess of England. In 1865, B. c.
Tilghman of Philadelphia, first practi-
cally demonstrated the value of the sui
phite fibre process. Two years later Il
Neelter machine turned out the first
ground wood al Curtisville Mass. Wood
fbres We're looked upon with suspicion
for some time and it took long. patient
work to pat them where they are. today,
when they form the bulk of the raw ma
teral in the majority of papers. The
first American endless felt was made in
Camden. Me. in 1864. Many more of the
more important improvements were in
troduced about this time. so that the lat
ter part of the century has shown d Won
derfui growth in the business.
The past year has been one of the best
in the history of the industry. The bust
ness as rule has been good all through
with good fair profits. Some of the
smaller mills have gone under, but the
larger ones have prospered and new and
larger ones have been constructed The
export trade has increased more than 81,
900 600 having been added during the year.
America with its vast forests is consid-
cred by many to be the only pulp-making
country in the world. Maine with its
huge mills has but a share of the trade.
America does not even manufacture all
its own paper and pulp. as the following
figures taken from the Paper Trade Jour
nal show. The aspect is encouraging,
however. as the export trade is being
Systematically pushed and can show
many triumphs to its credit. In the nine
months ended March 81, 1900. paper to the
value of S2.7S1 .S95 was imported and ST.
3S5, ISL exported, thus giving a snug bal
ance to Americas credit.
The details of the import account.
SAYS the journal, show a falling off III
ours trade with the nited Kingdom.
where the figures fell from S6Ol.15 for the
nine months ended March 81. 1Se9 to $4oo,-
49, for the nine months ended March 81.
1900: while Japan, Belgium and France
all increased their business with us The
account of the first named rose from
81 10 300 in the nine months ended March
81 1889 to $l5l.117 in the nine months end
ed March 81. 1890; Belgium from S34o32
to 81 ,376 in the same periods, and that OF
France from $204. $40 to $2+0,4S7. In the
nine months ended March 81 1899 we ex-
ported 43. 965, 1853 pounds of pulp, valued az
$521 So while in the ninth months ended
March 81, 1900, We exported only l',U5liol
pounds valued at SO ), 4i3. Our imports o!
pulp during the nine months ended March
81 1899 We're 1856 tons, valued at sovS,2go,
while in the ninth months ended March
81. 1900, the figures showed imports OF TO-
SO tons. valued a 81 GIG. From this it
appears that during the last nine months
were have been very heavy consumers OF
pulp.
Forests, however large, are not mex
haustible. and the question of whether or
not they can supply wood enough for this
rapidly increasing business is already be
coming of serious Importance. The lum-
bering business of Maine as carried on
during the latter part Of the last century
Maine forests. Only the larger trees We're
cut, thus giving tn smaller ones chance
to grow 50 that in the course of ID years
or so the same ground could be cut over
a second time. But it is different with
the pulp business, where everything from
about six inches up is taken. This de-
mand is greater than nature can supply
and about the only one who can follow
the pulp crews is the hardwood lumber
man, and this for many years TO come
after the first operation for pulp wood.
Opinions differ as to the vitality OF the
present supply of pulp wood here IN
Maine. Some of the prominent paper
makers in recent interviews have shown
a divergence of opinion. Some show that
the price of logs is increasing from year
to wear. Others declare that they have
no difficulty in making their contracts FOR
all they want. The available supply is
now pretty nearly all in the hands of the
pulp makers and the value of the timber
land is increasing from year to year.
Meanwhile the paper makers are look
ing to other sources. Minnesota. long
known as a great numbering state, Is
among the latest to attract the attention
of the pulp makers, who believe that she
is destined to become the great paper
making state of The Union. A syndicate