A Paper Pulp Operation in Wisconsin 61 



A PAPER PULP OPERATION IN WISCONSIN 



J. C. KETRIDGE 



The manufacture of paper from wood has been rapidly 

 growing in importance for the past twenty years. From one 

 of the infant industries it has grown to be one of the greatest. 

 Because of the immense bodies of spruce and the capability of 

 site, the center of this industry will undoubtedly remain in the 

 northeast, yet some of the best mills are to be seen in the 

 Great Lakes region and a study of one of them may be con- 

 sidered a typical example. 



While the mills of the North Woods depend upon nearly 

 pure stands of red spruce, in which balsam occurs as a minor 

 species, the mills of the Lake States are compelled to obtain 

 their supply from comparatively small, isolated, widely scattered 

 stands of white and black spruce. Hemlock, which is an inferior 

 species in the Lake States but well adapted for making pulp, 

 largely takes the place of the balsam in the northeast. From 

 the forest utilization standpoint, this use of hemlock is a most 

 important one, for if it is combined with the tannin industry 

 there may be obtained an almost complete usage of both the 

 bark and the wood resulting in a high type utilization of what 

 is generally considered a poor species. Balsam and popple are 

 somewhat used in Wisconsin but since they are very limited 

 in their distribution do not play an important part. It will 

 readily be noted that the concomitant stands of spruce and 

 hemlock occurring as minor species involve a distinctive form of 

 utilization and necessitate a much larger area for each mill than 

 is needed in New England. 



The plant at Rhinelander, valued at $1,000,000, is owned 

 by the General Paper Company of America and is operated by 

 the Rhinelander Paper Company. Its location at Rhinelander 

 is an excellent one since the Wisconsin river, Chicago and North- 

 western Railroad and Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Saint 

 Marie Railroad offer easy communication with an immense area 

 of timber. The plant was built during the year 1903 and opera- 

 tions were started in 1904. 



All the buildings are constructed of brick and are fireproof 

 throughout. They consist of an office; sulphur oven building; 

 a building containing the digestor room, rossing rooms, and 

 acid tank tower; and the main building, in which is located the 

 grinders, press room, beater room and main paper machine room. 

 Most of these buildings are connected and they occupy an area 

 of about five acres. The remaining fifteen acres is taken up by 



