386 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



if allowed to dry in a considerable mass, ring- when dropped upon the 

 table. 



Dr. Stevens. — In these days, when everything is made of paper, from our 

 money to our shoes, there can be no more interesting subject than this. It 

 used to be said " There is nothing like leather," but now there is nothing 

 like paper. The paper manufacture has arrived at a degree of perfection 

 which surpasses that of any other manufacture. The rags are thrown into 

 a mill and torn to pieces, they are macerated in water, bleached and formed 

 into paper, all cut into sheets of any desired size, each sheet trimmed upon 

 its four edges, and the whole process occupies but one day. The rags may 

 be sent from this city on one day and the paper received on the next. All 

 of the trimmings are thrown again into the vat, so that there is no waste. 

 Neither is there any waste of heat. The steam that drives the engine is 

 enticed back into the building, led through the rollers for drying the pulp, 

 and conducted through tortuous channels, performing a multitude of offices, 

 till all of its heat is extracted from it, when it is alhjwed to escape into the 

 chimney. This may all be seen in the State of New Jersey, within twelve 

 miles of this city, by any one who is not a paper maker; paper makers are 

 not allowed to enter the works. 



Mr. Fisher. — I think, Mr. Chairman, that our paper dealers are behind 

 our paper makers. I have had occasion to want paper in rolls, and T could 

 not find it in market. I think if our dealers would keep it in this form, 

 they would find considerable demand for it. It would be useful for many 

 purposes. 



The Chairman. — We have heard a good deal about using wood for mak- 

 ing paper; can any one tell why it has never succeeded ? 



Mr. Stetson. — It costs too much to prepare the fiber. 



Mr. Dibben. — That is exactly the answer. If we had some process of 

 separating the fibers cheap enough, we could make good paper from bass 

 wood. Besides the processes, Mr. Chairman, described here this evening, 

 there is a process in use in a great many places in this country, in a great 

 many moi'e in Europe, and in millions in China, which is called the hand 

 process. The pulp is spread upon a fine wire sieve, and the sieve is turned 

 over upon a piece of felt. A second piece of felt is laid upon this and then 

 another layer of pulp is deposited upon i^. In this way a pile of alternate 

 layers of felt and pulp is formed, and it is then placed under a press and 

 the water is pressed out of it. It is then spread upon grass and dried in 

 the sun. When first laid upon the felt, the layers of pulp are half as thick 

 as my finger, but under the press they are brought down to the desired 

 thickness of board. I had a lot of board made in this way — I wanted it 

 stronger than common. 



In the cylinder process the fibers are drawn partly parallel, and conse- 

 quently the board is not as strong as when the fibers cross in all directions. 



Better paper is made in this way than by machinery, and at not greatly 

 increased expense. 



The same subject was continued, 



Thomas D. Stetson, Secretary. 



