Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-08-20
THE AGE OF PAPER.
Most Useful Commodity in Evory pa,
Life

scarcely cOnQltlOn In civilized lie
which Is not now affected in some way
by the use of paper. We may wear pa
per clothes, sleep under paper blankets
eat and drink from paper utensils and
perhaps, in the not far distant future
travel In vehicles made almost entirely
Of paper, since 1t has already been de-
monstrated that paper can be made
strong enough for car wheels. and 1t is
now being used for the inside paneling
Of cars and other vehicles. While pa
per making is not a new art and paper
Is produced in many countries. there
are few II any, places in which 1t Is put
to so many and such varied uses as In
the United States, where its manufac-
ture has assumed such tremendous
proportion that it now represents an
nually fully s2OO,0O0,OO0 in value with
a rate of increase equalled by few other
industries. The art Of paper making
in Europe dates back to the 18th CEN
tuy, when the Moors were credited
with making 1t in Spain in 1854. It
travelled to Italy, Germany and France
a little later and was made in England
in the 18th century. The first paper
mill in this country was established
near Philadelphia in 1890 and within
the next century there were over forty
paper mills In Pennsylvania and Della
ware and several in New England.
American paper always has had good
standing for its quality as we'll as the
number Of its varieties. Many processes
in paper manufacture originating in
America have been adopted in Europe,
one of the most important being the
sulphite process Of making paper from
wood pulp, which was discovered In
1857 by a Philadelphia chemist named
Tilgman.
The three principal materials utilized
in paper manufacture are rags, straw
and wood. The earlier paper in Europe
was made Of rags, although rice straw
was used in China and Japan. Rags
are still most in demand for the best
quality Of writing paper, but the in
crease in the paper demand years ago,
far exceeded the supply Of rags, 80
some other material had to be substi-
tuted. The idea of utilizing wood pulp
came first to some italian paper ma
kers who patented It in 1926, but their
method was not practical. 1t was i'm
proved upon by manufacturers in Ger
many and England, but wood pulp pa
per did not become commercial pos
sibility until after the sulphite process
was discovered.
Not all classes Of woods are suitable
for paper manufacture under the pres
ent process The cone-bearing trees,
such as pine, spruce and fir, produce
the best results. Experiments now are
being made by the bureau Of plant in
dustry and the forestry commission
looking towards the production Of good
paper from such products as corn
stalks, broomcorn. sorghum stalk and
cotton hull waste. The increasing uses
to which paper is being put call for the
utilization of every possible waste pro-
duct in it's manufacture and methods
are being sought to reduce the cost Of
utilizing such materials.
The use Of paper blankets and bed
quilts sounds incredible to those who
have not actually tested their value,
but they are in growing demand. Last
year q prominent secret service officer
who is in the habit Of spending several
weeks annually in hunting camp. met
a friend engaged in the paper manu-
featuring business. The officer happen
ed to mention that he was less COM
Portable in camp than usual because he
was short of blankets and the weather
was colder His friend suggested pa
per blankets. The officer at first scout
ed the idea disdainfully. The paper
dealer persisted and sent pair Of pa
per blankets into the camp. The night
following was even more chilly than be-
fore 80 the paper coverings were spread
out over the bed with many jests by
his fellow campers. To his surprise,
that night the officer slept as warmly
as II under the down quilt on his bed
at home. 'T never could have believed
it." he told his friend a few days later.
There's more comfort in those paper
blankets than in the heaviest kind OF
army blankets which would weigh
twenty times as much" "
A mother who had been In the habit
of taking two children to a mountain
resort in the summer always had COM
planned Of the cool nights and the In
sufficiency of bedding which Is fire.
quent in such places. This summer she
put a pair of paper blankets In her
trunk and like the secret service off,
Ger, she will never again go away with
out them.
The use Of paper in the manufacture
of clothing Is far more general than
most people realize. Nearly twenty
years ago there was paper material
known as fiber chamois introduced to
the dress makers when certain stiff
ness was desired. 1t was this material
more than any other which helped to
mould the good proportions Of the cele-
brated balloon sleeve Of that period. 1t
was also used to stiffen the bottom OF
the skirt at a time when Dame FASH
ion prohibited 1t clinging around the
feet as is now the style. The durability
of this fabric, as we'll as its warmth and
fiexibility, impressed every one who
used it and improved forms Of 1t have
been used to some extent by tailors and
clothing manufacturers ever since. 1t
Is used extensively as an interlining
in automobile coats, in vests and other
garments in which there Is no great
strain and it's warmth and light weight
make 1t invaluable. AS a stiffening 1t
is often superior to either canvass or
haircloth.
Paper undervests are now supplied
for use when extra warmth Is required.
These garments are light In weight,
easily discarded and cheap. They may
be worn few days and cast aside
thus saving a heavy laundry which at
times may be a great advantage. Pa
per slippers are manufactured for in