Walsh.— 0« the Aijc of Pulp. 52f> 



raw material required includes all substances coutaiuiug vege- 

 table fibre. Straw and gi'asses, old ropes and sacking, moss, 

 and even peat, find their way into the pulping-machine, as well 

 as every kind of wood. These, ha%-ing been crushed and torn 

 until the fibre is thoroughly separated, and all foreign and 

 useless matter eUminated by washing, &c., are compressed 

 in moulds into the form required. By regulating the amount 

 of pressure, as well as by the choice of materials, any desired 

 degree of density may be obtained, and by an admixture of 

 certain chemicals the substance may be rendered proof 

 against damp and fire, as well as against the ravages of in- 

 sects. 



But, although -the field of operations of the pulp-mill,. 

 already so large, is constantly extending, there is one depart- 

 ment to which, so far as I have been able to learn, it has 

 not reached as yet — at least, beyond tlie most elementary 

 stages. I allude to the department of shipbuilding, for which 

 a little consideration will show us, I think, that the material 

 is most specially suited. The old " wooden walls " have had 

 their day — and a glorious day it was: the ships of u-on"and 

 steel are now having theirs ; and, if I might be considered over- 

 bold in hazarding the oj^inion that this day is fast drawing to 

 a close, it must at least be admitt-ed that, when weighed in 

 the balances of utility and economy, these marvels of creative- 

 and constructive skill are in many most important conditions 

 found grievously wanting. A modern ocean liner is indeed a 

 splendid object, but, in spite of the many advantages of per- 

 fection of model, structui-al strength, speed, comfort, and con- 

 venience, by which she excels all the type.s of vessel that have 

 precedi^'l her, she is still far from realising the perfection of 

 the ideal sliip. Indeed, the very qualities which enable her 

 to surmount ojie class of the dangers of ocean travelling render 

 her all the more Anilnerable to another. If her huge bulk and 

 high rate of speed cause her to make little of seas and storms, 

 every increase of volume and power only serves to reduce her 

 ability to withstand a shock ; and experience has shown that 

 in the case of a collision, or sudden impact on a hidden rock, 

 all her modern improvements of watertight bulkheads and 

 cellular bottom arc too frequently powerless to prevent her 

 cracking up like an egg-shell and going down like a stone. 



Contrast a vessel of this class with one built either wholly 

 or in part of the substance under consideration. The bulk, 

 speed, perfection of model, and structural strength v>ill still 

 remain as constant quantities ; but, in addition, instead of a 

 thin, brittle plate, liable to corrosion, difiicult of repair, and 

 needing constant attention, you have a tough and elastic slieet- 

 ing, strong enough to resist a considerable shock in the case 

 of a collision, and of sufiicient buoyancy, in the case of total 



