Timbers. 



222 



[April 1907. 



Ekmazra, in Bergvik. had not only magnesite, but also lime close at hand, and the 

 latter could be bought at a lower price, we are justified in concluding that Ekmann 

 was well aware of the technical conditions offered by a magnesium bi-sulphite 

 liquor in contrast to one piepared from lime. From 1875 and onwards, Ekmann 

 pulp was to be found in European markets. Later on in 1878-1880, the Ekmann pulp 

 was certainly of a higher quality and fetched a higher price than the impure 

 irregular material from Hann-munden, where the Mitscherlich process was being 

 worked." Kirschner further controverted the suggestion that the poor qualities 

 attributed to Ekmann pulp by Fittica were not justifiable, and he argued that 

 Mitscherlich was largely a copyist of Rismuller and Vogel. To those who are 

 sufficiently interested in the subject, a perusal of Ekmann's and Francke's patent 

 specifications for the manufacture of sulphite pulp will probably be of considerable 

 historical interest, and I am indebted to Mr. Clayton Beadle for a perusal of the 

 same. This patent seems rather to bear out the contention that at a certain period 

 quite a number of distinguished men were struggling to place what we now term 

 chemical pulp on a commercial basis, and that Ekmann contributed considerably 

 to the solution of the difficulty. 



C. D. Ekmann (a perseverving Swedishchemist), who died last year at Graves- 

 end, therefore appears, in my judgment, to have been the first to make a commercial 

 success of the sulphite process. He set to work in 1872, using a solution of bi-sulphite 

 of magnesia. His process was worked secretly until about 1879, when it was 

 introduced into the Ilford Mills, near London ; after which, in 1884, the proprietors 

 of the patent erected large mills at Northfleet, where the process was conducted by 

 the Ekmann Pulp and Paper Company, and was finally abandoned in this country in 

 1903-01, it being no longer possible to compete with foreign countries, on account of 

 the cost of timber. 



The great difficulty in the way of making the sulphite process a success was 

 due to the corrosive action of the sulphite liquor. This liquor quickly eats through 

 iron, and has a certain amount of action upon lead. Lead linings were at first used 

 at Northfleet, but owing to the difficulty of "creeping," lead had to be abandoned. 

 The " creeping " is due to the difference in the expansion of the lead and the outer 

 lining, causing the lead to " packer." 1 am informed that the first lining came away 

 completely, like a jelly out of a mould. Many linings were substituted, among them 

 cement. The difficulty was finally overcome by introducing a brick lining. 



Wood pulp for paper-making was manufactured at Guardbridge, in Scotland, 

 very many years ago on the site of the Guardbridge Paper Company's mills. It was 

 also made at Bruce's, at Kinleth Paper Mills. The Messrs. Tait have made wood 

 pulp at their paper mills at Inverurie for over twenty years past. Then a plant was 

 erected at inverkeithing. 



In England, Ekmann made pulp at Ilford. Mr. Edward Partington, one of the 

 most experienced authorities on wood pulp in this country made pulp for 

 years at Glossop. The Kellner- Partington Paper Pulp Company also made pulp at 

 their mills at Barrow-in-Furness. 



Then there was another company at Goole— which made pulp in 18t>0, but is 

 now discontinued— and the West Hartlepool Company, which also made wood pulp o 

 Some seventeen or eighteen years ago, I remember being invited to the mills of the 

 East Lancashire Paper Company, where in a small building I saw wood pulp being 

 made by what was then known as the Graham process, 



A Scotch friend tells me that the Guardbridge Soda Pulp Mill was erected in 

 1870-1, and it worked for about two years or so. The boilers were of Mr. Sinclair's 

 patent vertical, having conical ends, the fire being underneath, having spiral flue so 

 that the gases ascended and passed through an iron-funnel chimney on the top, To 



