Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-12
THE AGE OF PAPER.
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

This is the age of paper. There is
scarcely a condition in civilized life
which is not now affected in some way
by the use of paper. We may wear
paper clothes, sleep under paper
blankets. eat and drink from paper
utensils and. perhaps. in the not far
distant future, travel in vehicles made al
most entirely of paper. since it already has
been demonstrated that paper can be
made strong enough for car wheels, and
it is now being used for the inside
paneling of cars and other vehicles.
While paper making is not a art
and paper is produced in many coun-
tries, there are few, if any, places in
which it is put to many and such
varied uses as in the United States,
where it's manufacture has assumed
such tremendous proportions that it now
represents annually fully 100000, 900
in value, with a rate of increase equaled
by few other Industries.
The art of paper making in Europe
dates back to the twelfth century, when
the Moors were credited with making
II In Spain in 1854. 1t Travelled to Italy,
Germany and France a little later aisd
was made in England in the fifteenth
century. The first paper mill in this
country was established near Philadel-
phia In 1890, and within the next GEN.
fury there was more than forty paper
mills in Pennsylvania and Delaware and
several in New England. American
paper always has had good standing for
It's quality as we'll al 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 1867 by
In ~ Oh ntS-< .<.I
The three principal materials utilized in
paper manufacture are rags, straw and
wood. The earlier
Rags. Wood and paper . in Europe
Straw Are Used. s,.h h a r,c -. s ,~s q,
was used in China and Japan. Rags are
still most in demand for the best quality
Of writing paper. but the increase in the
paper demand years ago far exceeded the
supply of rags so some other material
had 10 be substituted. The idea of utilz-
ing wood pulp came first to some Italian
paper makers. who patented it in 1876.
but their method was not practical. 1t
was improved on by manufacturers in
Germany and England. but wood pulp
paper Ol0 not DcCOHc Il COHli1eTCldl pos.
sibility until after the sulphite process
was discovered.
Not all classes of woods are suitable for
paper manufacture under the present pro-
cesses. The cone-bearing trees, such as
pine spruce and fir. produce the best
results. Experiments now are being made
by the bureau of plant industry and the
forestry commission looking toward the
production of good paper from such prod
ucts as corn stalks, broom corn, sorghum
stalks and cotton bull waste. The In
creasing uses to which paper is being
put call for the utilization of every pos
| sible waste product in its 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
/ Paper Blankets their value. but
they are in grow
No" III OS~' ing demand. Last
year a prominent secret service officer
who is in the habit of spending several
weeks annually in a hunting camp met
q friend engaged in the paper manufac'