The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-02-21
P,pcr.. Part in ST. Louis Commerce.

China. in her exhibition at the Worlds
| Fair Will show printing machinery that
she asserts long antedates Johan Gutter
berg's cumbersome device. She may not
show the origina! naper used in her first
attempts TO multiply intelligence. but
China is admittedly the dizcoveter q
paper.
Egypt perfected the process OF produc-
| ton. She also gave the product a name
that was capable Of adjustment TO modern
language. SI= called il papyruS. after the
it was produced. This reed grows twenty
feet high in stagnant pools in Egypt The
Inucous-charsed Nile overflow waters
were especially useful in giving the reed
q ~touShnesS and p~ulpiaess below the
water line.
The pith under the outer skin was peeled
into sheets. Finally it was discovered
that the pith where 1t had disintegrated in
the ponds had formed a tough. pulpy
gested that by grinding tie pith and mix
ing il, with water and paste it might be
made into sheets This led to the modern
r p5fs 81 bein nsaa snbsfituteg p Por be aahsr' h sansl
mers in the giving of snoothness to the
surface.
The so-called rice paper used in wrap
ping cigarettes. is made just as the Chi
| nese first made paper by peeling Of tho
twenty layers of the papyrus plant. furrow-
stS tlN UlNfitS u LII tSIlS IGtES Is u
Roman papyrus manuscript thirty feet
long. made out Of little papyrus Feelings
stuck together with paste. This was
made OF wheat. flour and vinegar. The
Romans used hammers in smoothing the
papyruS joints.
The patents taken out for the manu-
hemp. alfalfa. jute. aloe foer, banana
fiber. bean stalks, corn husks. husks of
grain. sawdust. leather scraps. animal
hair, straw. poplar wood are employed.
In q recent test of time taken to make
paper from the poplar tree. and print Il
for the reader. the statement was made
that ONLY nfty-Seven minutes were con-
suraed- In the ordinary course of manu-
facture months may elapse between the
tree-cuttins and the printing of the paper.
Many mills make wood pulp alone. This
is not only manufactured into print pa
per elsewhere. but If mixed with vegetable
tbers or rags makes the paper of COM
In making print paper poplar logs arc
sawed into blocks and the blocks are
boiled in water and alkali 20 per cent
caustic soda. Then they are ground. and
when sufficiently bleached by the use OF
sulphur. the pulp is mixed with sizing and
pressed through a sieve on to felt. 1t is
rolls.
In some mills the DRY pulp is cut in huge
sheets and packed for shipment to paper
Mills In others 1t Is made into paper be-
and passing through additional cylinders.
In this case 1t is shipped in the roll if
hiteitel iCr tHe use or daily newspapers,
or cut INTO sheets the width of the web
II for uses In commercial printing.
Manila paper is made of Manila hemp
made into a pulp, but with the fiber pre-
served; This is a very tough and well
finished wrapping paper. Straw and wood
nlllp make most of the butchers wran-
ping paper. and the strawboard used in
b~Oxmaking.
The bleaching of paper to excessive
whiteness was the result of the droppiug
of a bottle OF washing bIiing into q vat
OF pulp. The papermaker'S wife did this.
She kept her counsel. The lot sold at an
advance In price. Then she claimed the
credit. The result was a new silk crimson
cloak.
Print par er during the War of the Re-
bellion was 81 II 40 cents a pound. It -
now sold in large quantities at less han
? cents. Some Of the leading International
companies have selling departments In 81.
Louls, and his market is. consequently,
one Of the best in the entire country.