The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1904-04-07
MANUFACTURE OF PAPER.
Modern Devices Have Completely
ReyoIutionized the Work.

Modern Devices Have Completely
RevoIutionized the Work.
improved methods in machinery and
the great change in the character of
materials used has had an important
bearing upon the printing art, says the
Scientific American. In the earliest
mills established in this country, the
raw fiber, after being prepared i'll the
beating machine, was formed into
sheet In a mold or wire sieve which
was dipped from the pulp vat by hand,
the water drained off and the pulp
left in a wet sheet In the mold. The
sheets SO made were turned out upon
felt press and then dried by exposing
to the air in single sheets. Such mills
were small and their output limited.
Strictly hand made paper to-day Is
rarity, although it exists.
| BY the aid of the Fourdriner ma
chine the transformation of the fluid
to stock or finished paper Is made an
automatic operation. The pulp is
screened from the vat over an apron
to moving endless wire cloth made Of
closely woven fine brass wire and sup
ported by a series of small metal
rolls set close together, yet without
touching each other In this way an
even surface of the wire cloth is nlain-
tanned and by preserving an unvarying
/ flow of the pulp and constant for
ward motion of the wire cloth, the
| % fba Ia ynr of min 1pnOSitad
is kept uniform. BY lateral motion of
the supporting alls the fibers are
caused to inters e ip various directions
and give greater transverse strength
to the texture.
As the pulp Is carried along on the
wire cloth much of the water drains
through, leaving the fiber on the mesh
es. This first drying is usually hasten
ed by various devices and the moist
web is carried between rolls which are
covered with WOODEN felt and then
taken from the wire cloth on endless
wooden felts which pass it between
rolls and then to driers. These are
large metal cylinders heated by steam.
The paper has now acquired consider
able strength. The water has been
evaporated and the heated cylinders
complete the drying process. The pa
per is then given a smooth surface by
the calender rolls, which are smooth
faced, heavy metal rollers. Finally the
finished paper is reeled off in rolls and
cut into sheets of the desired size. A
large paper mill will make $50 tons
of finished paper day. The most
modern machinery turns out contin-
uous web Of finished paper at the rate
of 500 feet minute. The raw ma
terial Of wood pulp is spruce, poplar
and In smaller quantities various other
woods are employed. Wood pulp has
TO great extent superseded the use
Of rags and entirely so in the manufac-
ture of news paper. The blocks OF
wood are pressed automatically against
the edge of rapidly revolving grind
stone and by attrltion reduced to
mushy consistency.
There is also chemical process Of
making wood pulp which Is largely
used. The merchantable shape Of the
fiber differs somewhat. Ground wood
pulp is ordinarily sold in folded sheets
only partially dry, and is, therefore,
under common conditions, only suitable
for use near the locality of it's manu-
facture, its weight being so increa sed
by the water as to preclude the profit
able transportation of such a low priced
product. There are 1853 paper making
plants In the United States and the
total capital is $167 ,5O7.713, giving EN-
ployment to Ga, 1856 persons. The total
cost of the materials used was So
$50, 236 in 1900. The total value of the
products was $127 1876, 1852 and the total
power required for running the plants
was 764 SAT horse power.