The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-31
MAKING OF PAPER
AGREAT INDUSTRY.
Its Manufacture from Woodpulp
an Important Enterprise in
Virginia.
GOTTEN IN TWO vIRGINIAs
Most Of the Wood Used at Our
Mills Comes from This and
the Adjoining State.
Times Dispatch Bureau,
Munsey Building.

Munsey Building,
Washington. D. c.. May 30.
Tho manufactures OF paper from
pulp wood. which has become highly
important Industry in Virginia in re-
cent years. is now one OF the most
Important of the United States. 1t Is
said that the paper-making industry is
less affected by hard times than any
other.
One OF the largest paper manufactur-
Ing plants in the country is that To-
Gated at Covington, in Allegheny coun-
~. Hundreds OF thousands OF cords
OF spruce. chiefly. are consumed at this
mill every year. and the plant gives
employment to a large number OF men
and women and boys and girls, at
good wages. The covington concern
turns out paper OF the finest grades.
and much OF it Is consumed In the pub
lication OF the highest-class maya
zines OF the country.
Other paper mills In Virginia are
those a. Big Island, in Bedford county,
on the James River and the mills at
Buena Vista, on North River in Rock
bridg. county. Neither OF these es-
Establishments Is as large as the one
at covinston.
The wood for the covington mills is
obtained in West Virginia. chiefly from
Randolph county. The Buena Visa
and Big island mills obtain their sup
rIt largely from Rockbridgc. Amherst
and Bedford counties.
Millions OF Cords Used.
Nearly 100000 cords OF wood-in
exact figures. 3es2.se0 cords-were
used in the United States In the manu-
factura OF paper pulp last year. ac-
tho
consumption OF pulp-wood and the
amount OF pulp manufactured. just
issued by the Bureau of the Census.
More than 100000 tons OF pulp were
PRODUCED. Tho Pulp mills used 100000
more cords OF wood In 1907 than In the
previous year.
The amount of spruce used was S.
per cent. of the total consumption OIL
pulpwood of 100000 cords. The In.
crease in the cost OF spruce has turned
the attention of paper manufacturers
n q number Of other woods. Hemlock
now ranks next to spruce with s7s,-
600 cords or IA per cent. OF the total
consumption. More than per cent.
was poplar; the remainder consisted
OF relatively small amounts OF pine.
cottonwood balsau, and other woods.
Increase in Importation.
There was a marked increase last
year In the importation OF spruce.
which has always been the most pop
ular wood for pulp. For number
of years pulp manufacturers of this
country have been heavily importing
spruce from Canada. since the ava!la :
BILE supply OF this wood in the north
centra! and New England States.
where most OF the pulp mills are 10
Gated is not equal TO the demand.
Figures show that the amount OF this
I'll ",
country was more than two and one
half times as great in 1907 as In
1899. In 1907 the importations were
larger than ever before. being IS per
cent. greater than in 1905. The spruce
imports last year amounted to more
than one-third OF the consumption of
spruce pulp wood. Only slightly
greater amount OF domestic spruce was
used than in 1906
Large quantities OF henlock were
used by the Wisconsin pulp mills. and
the report shows that the Beaver State
now ranks third In pulp production.
New York and Maine ranking first
and second, respectively. Poplar has
been used for a long time In the man
ufacture OF high.grade paper. but the
supply OF this wood is limited and the
consumption OF it has not increased
rapidly.
How 1t IL Made.
Wood pulp is usually made by either
OF two, general processes, mechanical
or chemical. In the mechanical pro-
cess the wood. after being cut into
suitable sizes and barked. is held
against revolving grndstones in a
stream OF water and thus reduced to
pulp In the chemical process the
barked wood is reduced to chips and
cooked in large dlgesters with chemi-
Gals which destroy the cementing ma
terial OF the fbres and leave practi-
cally pure cellulose. This Is then
washed and screened to render it suit
able for paper making. The chemi-
calls ordinarily used are either BIZ
sulphite OF lime or caustc soda. A
little over half Of the pulp ranufac-
tured last year was made by the sui,
phite process. and about one-third by
the mechanical process. the remainder
being produced by the soda process
Much of the mechanical pulp, OF
ground wood. as it is commonly called
is used in the making Of newspaper
1t Is never used alone in making white
paper, but always mixed with some
sulphite fibre to give the pape,
strength. Nine cords OF wood ordinarily
yields about one ton OF mechanical
pulp or about one-half to-. of chemica
pulp