Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-01-10
FROM FOREST TO FIRESIDE
Description Of Process Of Paper
Manufacture.
EARLY DEVELOPMENTS OF INDUSTRY

1
Invented by'a Frenehman. ..
Dearborn Independent.
When you hand your pennies to the
newsboy for your favorite newspaper
and turn its numerous pages to find the
subject in which you are Interested
whether it be politics, sport-or just
news-you doubtless little think that
could It speak, the plain paper OIL
which IS written the story OF the days
happenings probably would tell ta'e
quite as interesting as any that is car
ried on its face.
While | shall deal with the manufac-
ture of paper from wood pulp and more
particularly the making of newsprint,
it might not be out of place If were to
give here a short history of the art OF
paper making In general.
! The earliest use of paper is some
what obscure, but it is known that the
manufacture of paper from fibrous sub
stances was practiced by the Chinese
at very remote period. From them,
knowledge Of paper making passed to
the Arabs as early at ISL A. D. The
Chinese and Arabs made their paper
out of cotton or linen rags, principally
the latter.
Curiously enough, il was the Moors
in Spain who first introduced paper in
to Europe in the twelfth century. BY
the fourteenth century it had generally
superseded vellum in Europe.
This paper was made by hand, OF
course. The first paper making ma
chine was invented in France by Louis
Robert in 1898. It was introduced into
England by Henry Fourdrinier. who
used it as the model for a greatly i'm
proved machine, which he completed In
1903, and which, with certain improve
ments made by various other persons
since, still remains one of the principal
paper making machines of the present
day 1t Is perhaps safe to say that tho
majority Of machines used in the
worlds paper trade bear the name
this pioneer inventor.
Whether you live within sound of the
roll of the Atlantic's waves or the gen.
tie lappings of the sparkling Pacific;
on the treelcss plains Of the Southwest.
or along the muddy Mississippi; within
the shadow of the forests Of Maine ol
on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico; II
is more than likely that the paper or
which your daily news is printed came
originally from the forests of Canada;
and ii might even be that the trees ou;
of which IT, was madc grew on ranges
of hills whose northern slopes drain
into the Hudson bay.
To get this story at first hand | WIS.,
itcd number Of the large pup ant
paper mills situated on the banks OF
the OFT. wa rivera river the headwa-
ters. Of whose tributaries reach up into
the great Canadian northland, with II.
vast forests of thCkly growing spruce
pine and balsams.
Even though tho exploitation of can
ada's timber . lands on SUCH largo
scale as ut present is comparatively re-
cent, the forest areas have been forced
back by the march of civilization unit
now Il great deal of the pulpwooo
whicl is used on the Ottawa is two
years in making tho journey from the
stump to the mill.
When the swamps ard streams arc
frozen over, and all is covered with
deep blanket OF snow, the loggcrs be-
gin their cutting. Trees from eight to
II inches in diameter are taken. II
some cases logging for sawmills is un'
dcrtaken jointly; the larger timber go
ing to the lumber mills, and the small
er to the pup mills. The logs are Gu
into Il or 16-foot lengths and piled OF
sideways Later, roads are swampct,
from one skidway TO another Leading
down to the banks of the streams
Then teamsters come along with then
wide bunked sleighs and haul The logs
to the edge Of the water, where they
are stacked on larger skidways t.
await the coming Of spring. O.,
When the hot sun the lengthening
days brings the snow off the mountains
in rushing torrents OF water which ii
every creek, rivuiCt AMI river to theii
banks. the skdways are broken open
and the logs go tumb!ing pellmell over
cascades and rapids on their way 10 the
main river. Quite frequently the fresh
ct passes and the streams have been
reduced again to normal before til,
bulk Of the drive reaches the main
stream. Logs are left stranded in
thousands among the rocks along the
sides of the streams and must wait
there until the next years freshet car
ries them on again toward their OBJ
iective. Others again, congregate al
the head of the rapids and at other
narrow places, CT at points where rocks
stick up from the bottom of the river
and form huge jams which only the
iudicious use Of dynamite by the riv-
ermen will release. Eventua y, tho
| logs reach the holding booms at the
pulp mills.
! Arrived at the mill site, they arc car
ricd into the mill horizontally by means
of cnd'cs chain conveyors to a bat