Evening star., 1907-09-04
THE MAKING OF PAPER
Story of the Establishment of
a Great Industry.
MILLS OF ZENAS CRANE
Turning Out the Distinctive Product
for the Government.
GREAT VIGILANCE EXERCISED
Not Single Sheet Lost-The Quiet,
Pretty Village of Dalton-Pro-
cesses of Factories Described.
GREAT VIGILANCE EXERCISED
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.

DALTON, Mass, August %, 1907
In the year 1870 an enterprlsing book
seller of Boston, named Daniel Henchman,
built the first paper mill in New England
under the patronage of the great and gen.
eral court, and in 1871 exhibited to that
august body specimens of his work. The
mill continued operations for q few years.
but was compelled to suspend business
because 1t could not secure a competent
paper maker. In 176O however, British
soldier, who had been engaged In that busi-
ness in England, was given a furlough long
enough to put the mill in operation and in
struct a few journeymen in the science.
The infan. industry flourished from that
time on, and In 1869 the Newsletter con-
tanned the following advertisement:
The bell cart will go through Boston
before the end of next month
to collect rags for the PAPER mill at Milton,
when all persons that will encourage
paper manufacturing may dispose Of them.
Rags are as beauties that concealed lie.
But But when In paper how they charm the eye;
fray save your rags, new beauties to discover,
BY pen and press such knowledge is displayed
AS wouldn't exist II paher was not made.
Wisdom OF things mysterious, divine
llustriously doth on paper shine.''
IN 177o the embargo on trade and later
the war or the revolution compelled the
colonists to depend upon their own resour, es
for manufactured goods, and the few paper
mills in the country We're not able to sup
ply the demand. a paper famine easued
and there was a great scarcity of raw ma
terial. which caused the great and general
court to urge upon hous aVives the patriotic
duty of saving their rags and to order the
revolutionary committees to collect them
and forward them to the mills They were
ill-sorted however. and of all colors, which
caused the newspaper files Of that period
to look very queer.
Zenas Cranes Paper Mill
The attention of the public was thus at
tracted especially to the paper trade, and
the conditions combined to transform a
country lad into a paper manufacturer
His name was Zenas Crane of a fine old
English family, and, having learned the
trade, he started out in the summer of 1199
from Worcester, Mass. to prospect for a
favorable location to set up a mill. He
pushed across the mountains until he
reached the valley of the Housatonic, and
slept one night at small wayStde inn near
the border line between Pttsfield and the
vib0ge of Dalton. where now are clustered
the beautiful residences of his grandsons
and great-grandsons. In the morning when
he went out to prospect he found all of
the prime necessities of the paper maker;
first, an inexhaustible supply of pure water;
second, a sufficient water power, which was
furnished by a fine cascade; third, the pos
sibilty of purchasing the fails and four
teen acres of land around it for the sum
of>S14.
And there Zenas Crane set up the fourth
paper mill in New England and COM
menced business in the spring Of 1901 with
one engineer and one paper maker, who
were paid $3.50 each a week without board ::
one general workman and two girls at 75
cents week, and an errand boy at 60 cents
a week, all being boarded. This force
turned out twenty posts of writing paper
per day. post is 125 sheets, and the
paper was foolscap and folio the latter be-
ing cut into sizes to suit When the mill
et1 tod how Ill, L.
the country-the Pittsfed Sun and the
Stookbridge Western Star. The Sun was in
tenseiy democratic in politics, supporting
Thomas Jefferson with the bitterness and
vindictiveness that pervaded Massachusetts 9
and which have never been equaled since.
But the editor, Phineas Allen, was warm
friend of Mr.. Crane, and purchased his
paper at the latters mill regardless of their
political differences.
This was the beginning of a great indus
try. The business has been kept In the
family, but it has not been confined to
Dalton, for the descendants of Zenas Crane
have gone out into other parts of Massa-
chusetts and neighboring states and have
established paper works in various locali-
ties.
Distinctive Government Paper
In 1870 the Dalton mills were awarord
the contract for supplying the United
States government with the distinctive
paper that is used for treasury notes and
States bonds. which had previously been
manufactured at Glen Mills, Pa This
contract has been renewed annually ever
since, and is now held by Mr.. Zenas NJ.
Crane, a brother of Senator Winthrop
Murray Crane, who was required to re-
tire from the company upon his election to
the United States Senate. The govern
ment MILL as it is called, STANDS almost
upon the exact site of the little inn in
which the first Zenas Crane slept upon
the night of his arrival in Berkshire coun-
ty. The manufacture of this paper Is con-
Quoted under the supervision of agents of
the United States Treasury, and no one
can enter or leave the building without
their consent The Stars and Stripes float
from a fagpole, and, to all intents and
purposes, it is a government institution. 1t
is absolutely necessary to take all these
precautions lest counterfeiterS should OBJ
tain sheets OF the distinctive paper, which
is not made anywhere else Every sheet
is counted before 1t is shipped to Wasn
ington, and the count is verified upon its
arrival. Not one sheet has been lost since
the Crane company undertook the contract
twenty-eight years ago.
If you will examine the bank notes in
your pocket you will notice threads of silk
imbedded irregularly in the fiber which
cannot be removed without destroying the
bill. Each denomination has its color and
that is one of the most certain preventa-
tiveS of raising the value of the bills.
They tell me here that this idea was first
proposed in 1916 by Zenas Marshall Crane
but he did not apply for patent, and 1t
was adopted only by a few banks. Nearly
twenty years afterward, however, the ma
| tional government, having found it neces-
sary to issue paper currency, was glad to
take advantage of the plan devised by
Mr.. Crane. Immediately afterward an Eng
lshman appeared, claiming to be the in
ventor and patentee, and demanded a large
royalty. Mr.. Crane stepped forward and
| furnished copies of notes issued by the
| Hamilton Bank Of Boston, the Bay State
Bank of Lawrence and several others
which had been printed years before upon
| his fiber paper. and thus protected the gov.
ernment against litigation.
The Town Of Dalton.
Dalton is five miles from Pittsfeld and
| can be reached in a few minutes by trolley
or over a beautiful carriage road which is
| lined with handsome residences. The troll
| ley passes famous stock farm owned by
William Russell Allen. son of the late
| Thomas Allen, the railway magnate of St
| Louis. which ranks one of the finest
| breeding farms in the country. A little
| farther beyond is small unostentatious
| brick Office in a maple grove where the
1 h,tst nf no llo