The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-07-07

IDENTIFY. incidentally, not knowing
the success that had been attained. by
the other group, 1t was the new pro-
posal based upon new patents ny
Capt. Ellis. that the Commercial edi-
tor announced would be presented at
Pensacola. Insufficient capital was
represented to make any scheme OF
that character feasible, however, and
nothing further will be done on that
line. Capt. Ellis came to Leesburg
with Mr.. Lacy and worked out plan
for esta blishing a paper MILL 1t was
about this time that success seemed
first in sight and the city was asked
| to give site for the mill on Lake
Griffin. This was given on lease
to the present company but this VIII
be returned to the city, as it is en-
| tirely too small for the mills that will
be erected. Another site has been Sc
cured, by purchase, and no bonus will
be asked.
| After about two years of more or
less successful but very slow steps
! towards the fruition of the plans.
| during which several were interested
| financially in the experimental work
and successfully got cold feet" and
sold their holdings back to Mr.. Lacy,
| the determined promoter secured the
1
| engineer, who has worked over the
problems and solved them as they
| came. II
The original steam cooker, manu-
featured in miniature at a cost of
s1,700, became clogged at the first
cooking, and it required an augur to
bore out the fiber. Another expert
/ ment, as bare of results, cost over
$500 Both of these were valuable
| only so far as they showed what
could be done.
| Contrary to expectations, the ac
tually successful results, the birth of
/ a new industry, in reality came about
| through the use of apparatus that is
primitive in the extreme. Common
galvanized iron washtubs were the
| cooking vessels used when the great
| secret was discovered. and the new
| steam cooker designed by Engineer
Logan follows the lines that were dis
| covered in that experiment.
| Bleaching was another Snag. No
| bleach that is in use for spruce logs
would make white paper. Every
| thing in the line of chemistry that
| has been known~as bleaching agen-
| cy was tried singly and in combina-
| tons until finally something almost
as primitive as washtub cooking, in
combination with certain recognized
chemicals, formed a bleach that not
only works but gives that blue white
cast that has been missing from news
print ever since the war cut this coun-
| try off from German chemicals.
AT first, paper companies took the
attitude of shying at this process.
| They have changed their tune now.
No less than four mills have tried to
buy the holding company, buy con-
| troll of it, or buy the output of the
| pulp mills on contract. One paper
! mill agreed to make a trial run of
pulp, but when two carloads or grass
was sent up and laboratory tests
showed how fine its fiber really is, the
! owner of the mill demanded the right
| to buy in before the run was made.
The run was not made there.
| 60 Finally, pulp was taken to a mill
in New York state, and there on a
wall paper machine run by Engineer
| Logan. himself, several rolls of fin
| ished paper, made absolutely with
out filler or sizing, some unbleached
and some white, were manufactured
A few minor adjustments to the
| machine, and the web began to run
| through the calendars in perfect FORM
There is some of these two rolls in
the Commercial office for any one to
see who cares to do SO.
| Moreover, the Commercial has been
promised the first paper manufac-
| tured. and finished III a Florida paper
mill, to run complete edition upon,
thus recognizing Leesburg as the era
| die OF this industry, whether it Sc
cures the first pulp mill or not.