Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-01-03
PAPER Is WIDELY USED.
NOW EMPLOYED IN A GREAT DIVER
SlTY OF WAYS.

| cnderclothing - Household Articles.
! Paper manufacturers have devel-
oped their industry in two ways in re-
cent years, and the results justify all
the labor and experiment carried on
through the application of science and
chemistry, claims the Scientific Ameri-
can. The application of machinery to
cheaper the process of converting the
raw material into different grades of
paper has enormously stimulated pa
per production in this country, and
the various processes employed have
often been described.
But no less important expansion
of the paper industry has been in in
creasing the manifold uses to which
paper can be put. Here, too, science
has been the chief agent, and it has
wrought remarkable changes and i'm
provements. Chemistry has been la
boring in this field for two decades,
and from the laboratory have come
discoveries that have made possible
the enormous side products of the pa
per trade that are now manufactured
on a large scale.
One of the things in the paper in
dustry that seemed almost incredible
number of years ago was the manu-
facture of car wheels. 1t seemed in
comprehensive to the lay mind that
wheels made of compressed paper
would stand the strain better than
wheels made of steel. But the manu-
facture of paper wheels is no longer
novelty, and they are made in
great variety of sizes and shapes for
use on roller skates up to heavy car
| wheels. After the car wheels made
of paper were announced somebody
applied paper to the construction of
hollow telegraph poles, which were de
signed to take the place of those which
had heretofore disgraced our streets
and highways. But paper telegraph
poles have never proved of any great
value except to illustrate to the skepti-
cal what can be done with paper.
There have in recent years been
made of paper, water and sewer mains
which promise to be of value. These
are hardened and treated chemically,
so that they are more impervious to
water than some of the iron and earth.
enware mains. 1t remains to be
proved by actual test whether they
can outlast some of the latter. The
announcement was made few years
ago that paper window panes had ac-
tually been made and used, but these
We're much like the oystershell win
dow panes Of the Filipino huts. They
may admit a certain amount of light
to brighten up the interior, but they
could never be looked through with
any degree of satisfaction. Still, a
semi-opaque glass is often needed for
the ceilings of public buildings, where
the light admitted must be dimmed
and dlffused in passing through the
substance. Paper window panes have
been used in this way with more or
less success.
By means of improved machinery
and new chemical processes wood pulp
can be drawn out into the thinnest
imaginable sheets. In this spinning
and squeezing the paper does not lose
its toughness. Thus thin paper nap.
kins and tablecloths are produced and
printed with fancy borders and pat
terms. Some of these articles are al
most as tough as linen in resisting
the attempt to tear them. OF course,
they will not stand wetting and soon
lose their toughness when moistened.
But otherwise they make serviceabla
substitutes for table linen. Likewise
the paper vests and paper undercloth
ing and lining of winter suits are pre-
pared for practical use, and they ac-
complish nearly all that is claimed for
them. The paper vests and Innings are
made so thin that their weight is
practically nothing. and yet they keep
out the wind and cold They are
chemically treated so that they will
last long time. They are also man
ufactured so that they do not make
the rustling sound usually character
istic of paper, and they are pliable
enough not to stand out or bulge the
cloth in any way.
Waterproofing and, more recently,
fireproofing of paper have occupied
the attention of chemists and practical
papermakers. Paper made waterproof
and as fine as the ordinary napkins
and tablecloths would prove boon
to many lines of industries, especially
at restaurants and hotels. 1t is said
that public eating houses are waiting
anXiously for durable paper napkins
and tablecloths. Waterproof paper is
made today, but not IN such a way as
to be valuable for table use. Water
proof paper sheets are frequently glued
to cloth, and in this way the latter is
rendered impervious to moisture. This
waterproof paper is good, however,
only for limited lines of articles.
Lately the paper pulp mills have
been experimenting with fireproof
paper. In fact, the experiments in
producing fireproof paper paved the
way for making fireproof wood. The
wood pulp that is compressed into
molds Ter general household uses,
such as for wainscoting, dadoes, cell
ings and holdings, can be made fire