H A Fig. 155.-Donkin's First Fourdrinier Machine (1807). but the chronology which forms part of this chapter makes a brief reference to them. me The early years of the nineteenth century were further rendered morable to the paper trade through the discovery of bleaching-powder by Tennant, and the manufacture of soda by Leblanc, which enabled paper-makers to utilise vegetable fibres other than rags. Towards the middle of the nineteenth century, esparto, straw and wood were treated successfully for the manufacture of paper pulp by Routledge in 1860, who studied esparto, by Keller in 1840, who invented the process for manufacturing mechanical wood pulp, and Tilghmann in 1866, who patented a method for producing sulphite wood pulp. The repeal of the duty on paper in 1860 gave a further impetus to the trade, and developments since that date have been proceeding by leaps and bounds. The developments since the year 1860, which date may be regarded as the commencement of almost a new era in the paper trade, have proceeded along very definite lines, and it would not be a difficult matter to classify them under two or three headings, as, for example: (1) The introduction of fibrous materials for paper-making, other than rags, and the starting up of new industries for the supply of pulp, chiefly manufactured from wood. (2) The improvements in the mechanical construction of the papermachine, which have been little short of marvellous. (3) The invention of auxiliary plant and machinery for the treatment of raw fibre. (4) The discovery of new applications of paper pulp in the direction of boxboards, roofing, &c. (5) The invention of methods for utilising waste products, thereby lessening the cost of production. These developments are more specifically mentioned in the Chronology. Chronology. Some leading Dates in the History of Paper. PERIOD PRIOR TO THE. ERECTION OF THE FIRST PAPER-MILL IN ENGLAND. Origin of paper unknown. Chinese probably familiar with some form of paper centuries before the utilisation of Papyrus. 1000 B.C. 200 A.D. Papyrus, palm leaves, parchment in use for preserving records. Rice and bamboo used by Chinese for paper, in considerable quantity. 704. Arabs obtained a knowledge of cotton paper at capture of Samarkand. 1000. Manufacture of paper introduced by the Moors into Europe. 1049. Date of oldest MSS. in England printed on cotton paper. 1189. Paper-making appears to have been established at Herault in France. 1309. Register of the hustings Court at Lyme Regis printed on cotton paper (an early English document). 1320. Date of earliest known English MSS. printed on linen. 1340. Paper-making industry well established in Italy. 1390. Paper-mill erected at Nuremburg by Stromer. PERIOD PRIOR TO THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PAPER-MACHINE. 1498. Paper-mill in existence in England (Hertfordshire). An entry in the Privy Purse expenses of Henry VII. "for a reward geven at the paper mylne, 16s. 8d." 1562. A book of this date mentions a paper-mill at Fen Ditton, near Cambridge. 1588. A German named Spielman built a mill at Dartford, being afterwards knighted by Queen Elizabeth. 1640. 1658. 1719. Manufacture of wall-paper hangings. France the principal centre of paper-making, exporting large quantities of paper. 1711. Paper first taxed during reign of Queen Anne for war expenses. Reaumur suggested possibility of making paper from wood, by observations on the wasp's nest. 1757. Wove moulds first used by Baskerville for making paper on which to print his "Virgil." 1760. James Whatman established his paper-mill at Maidstone. 1765. Schaffers of Ratisbon published a book giving specimens of paper made from many varieties of substitutes for rags. 1770. (Approx.) Invention of the "Hollander" beating engine, for the disintegration of rags. 1774. Discovery of chlorine gas by Scheele. 1791. Manufacture of soda ash, process invented by Leblanc. 1792. Patent for bleaching rags taken out by Campbell. 1799. Manufacture of bleaching-powder, process invented by Tennant. 1799. First attempt to make paper on a continuous machine by M. Louis Robert, in France. 1801. M. Koops published an "Historical Account of Substances used for Paper-making," the book being printed on paper made from straw. PERIOD OF EARLY MACHINE IMPROVEMENTS. 1807. Erection of the first Fourdrinier paper-making machine, at Boxmoor, Herts., by Donkin. 1807. Rosin size introduced by Illig. 1809. Dickinson devised a cylinder machine for boards, &c. 1821. Steam cylinders first used by Crompton for drying paper on the machine. 1823. Use of sulphate of lime in papers to give weight, complained of (Hansard, 232). 1826. Introduction of the dandy roll, by J. Marshall. 1828. Circular knives used by Crompton for slitting paper on the machine. 1830. Improvements in cylinder machine for the manufacture of boards. 1830. Barrett devised a plan for water-marking paper on the machine. 1830. Barrett invented the method of making rolls true by grinding them together, using water and emery for the purpose. 1834. Normand published his "Manual du fabricant de papiers," a treatise on paper-making. 1836. Vacuum boxes used on the Fourdrinier machine, introduced by James Brown, of Esk Mills. 1837. Reduction of duty on paper. PERIOD OF INTRODUCTION OF NEW PAPER-MAKING FIBRES. 1840. Manufacture of mechanical wood-pulp by Keller. 1851. Straw used for paper-making. 1854. Manufacture of soda wood pulp by Watt and Burgess. 1856. The first aniline dye, mauve, introduced by Perkin. 1857. Gaine invented parchment paper. 1857. Use of skeleton drums for drying sized papers introduced by Stuart. 1859. Refining engine (Jordan's patent) used for treatment of pulp. 1860. Introduction of esparto grass, by Routledge, for printing and writing papers. 1860. Duty on paper totally abolished. 1866. Tilghmann's process for the manufacture of sulphite wood. 1877. "Porion" evaporator devised for the recovery of soda liquors used for boiling esparto and straw. 1877. Recovery of soda used in boiling straw and esparto. 1886. Invention of "multiple-effect" apparatus for soda recovery by evaporation in vacuum machines. IMPROVEMENTS DURING THE PERIOD SUBSEQUENT TO 1886. 1889. Introduction of the "cone" drive for paper-machines, by which the speed is more easily regulated. 1890. "Circular" strainers used for pulp- and paper-machines. 1890. Machines for the production of art papers. 1890. Machinery for "duplex and triplex" papers. 1890. High-speed "news" machines. 1894. Improvements in reeling machines. 1896. Edge runners generally superseded by "kneading" machines. 1896. Beaters introduced having separate mechanism for circulation of pulp. 1898. Apparatus for the continuous bleaching and washing of wood pulp. 1899. The use of electricity for motive power. 1902. The adoption of producer gas for motive power. |