Pulp manufacturing machinery at R.W. Paper Co. in Longview, Wa. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Vats of pulp dwarf the worker at the bottom center of the picture. The pulp fiber, after being extracted from the wood by a chemical process, is about 99 per cent water. The water is removed by pressure and suction being applied to the mixture. The resulting sheet then moves on to the drying machine.
R. W. Paper Co. (Longview); Paper industry--Longview--1950-1960;
Pulp manufacturing machinery at R.W. Paper Co. in Longview, Wa. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie. This picture shows a paper machine. When the pulp mixture arrives at the paper machine headbox, its water content is over 99%. The mixture is sent under pressure onto an immense moving canvas. The action of the canvas and a suction system extract most of the water in the pulp and form a sheet. The sheet then moves onto the drying section where it comes in contact with steam heated cylinders that dry it to the desired degree.
R. W. Paper Co. (Longview); Paper industry--Longview--1950-1960;
Pulp manufacturing machinery at R.W. Paper Co. in Longview, Wa. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Workers handle large rolls of finished pulp. Once dried in the drying machine, the sheet of pulp passes between immense rolls of heated steel called calenders. These cylinders compress and smooth the surface of the sheet. As the product is rolled, it is inspected for water content, smoothness, weight, color, resistance and opacity.
R. W. Paper Co. (Longview); Paper industry--Longview--1950-1960;
Paper quality control testing at R.W. Paper Co. in Longview, Wa. A laboratory for testing paper and pulp can be viewed through a large observation window. The man on the right adjusts a microscope for viewing. The technician on the left tests ink absorbency. The room has several pieces of testing equipment that are not being used at this time. Photographs ordered by Malcolm McGhie.
R. W. Paper Co. (Longview); Paper industry--Longview--1950-1960; Product inspection--Longview; Testing--Longview;
Pulp manufacturing machinery at R.W. Paper Co. in Longview, Wa. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie. The paper machinery extracts the water from the pulp, forming a sheet. The sheet is then dried, smoothed and rolled.
R. W. Paper Co. (Longview); Paper industry--Longview--1950-1960;
Pulp manufacturing machinery at R.W. Paper Co. in Longview, Wa. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie. A roller rolls through a vast vat of pulp on the lower level. Other vats are empty. Above, on the 2nd level, are located pipes and controls for filling the vats. When the pulp mixture arrives at the paper machine, its water content is very high. The water is removed and the resulting sheet moves on to the drying section of the machine.
R. W. Paper Co. (Longview); Paper industry--Longview--1950-1960;
Link Belt equipment at St. Regis. The large rolls of paper are moved by a conveyer belt arrangement made up of lots of little rollers. It appears that the rolls of paper are rolled onto the belt when flat. The belt then uprights the paper and transports it. One man operates the machinery, while another stands to the rear with 2 more rolls of paper for loading.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Birchfield Boiler; heat exchanger and casing. This huge condenser is one of a pair manufactured by Birchfield Boiler for the St. Regis Paper and Pulp plant. The condenser is used to recover waste heat from pulp digesters. Because they come in contact with corrosive substances, the tubes are stainless steel. There are 1184 of them, more than 3 1/2 miles of tubing in each unit. The shells and ends are made of 1 1/2 inch steel plate. Each condenser was valued at $25,000. (TNT 3/13/1955, pg. B-17)
Birchfield Boiler, Inc. (Tacoma); Boilers; Boiler industry--Tacoma; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
This huge condenser was one of a pair fabricated in the Birchfield Boiler shops, at 2503 E. 11th St., for installation in the St. Regis plant. Each condenser, the largest ever built in Tacoma and among the largest built in the Northwest, weighed more than 15 tons. They were manufactured of stainless steel and were 22 feet long and 6 feet high. Each was valued at $25,000. The condensers were used to recover waste heat from the pulp digesters. (TNT 3/13/1955, pg. B-17)
Birchfield Boiler, Inc. (Tacoma); Boilers; Boiler industry--Tacoma; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
St. Regis Paper Co.- dinner meeting. Kenneth D. Lozier, vice president in charge of promotion and advertising, points out the importance of "awareness of opportunity" and "selling all the way through" as factors in the rapid growth of all five divisions of the St. Regis Paper Co. during a dinner speech to the Sales Executive Club of Tacoma at the Winthrop Hotel. Paper production was the fifth largest industry in the American economy. The Tacoma plant manufactured kraft, pulp, paper and board and multiwall paper bags. Other Northwest plants were located at Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Leandro and Emeryville, Ca. Tacoma pioneered the utilization of wood chips, formerly a waste product of sawmills, in the production of pulp. St. Regis was in the forefront in selling the use of paper as a wrapping product for food and dairy. (TNT 2/8/1955, pg.7)
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lozier, Kenneth D.; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
ca. 1955. Two tall brick storage tanks appear as stark monoliths against the hazy blue skies in Acme, North Carolina. These were part of the Riegel Carolina Paper Co.'s plant. Railroad cars are in the photo's background; Riegel Paper apparently had easy rail access for transporting their paper products. Photograph ordered by Stebbins Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Seattle.
ca. 1955. Views of the Riegel Carolina Paper & Pulp Co. in Acme, North Carolina, were shot on behalf of the Stebbins Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Seattle, in possibly the latter part of 1955. This picture shows the exterior of a brick building next to two tall storage tanks. There is an extended ramp leading from the building; apparently carts or containers could be loaded onto the ramp for easy access to and from the building. Photograph ordered by Stebbins Engineering & Manufacturing Co.
St. Regis Paper Co. at night with lighted Christmas display on top of building. Union Oil and its tanks with the famous 76 logo are in the right foreground on the City (now Foss) Waterway.
Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Christmas decorations; Union Oil Co. of California (Tacoma);
In July of 1954 two Blake, Moffitt & Towne delivery trucks were photographed while being loaded with paper products in the company's new warehouse at 1157 Thorne Road. The new building had wooden ramps that made it possible for the trucks to back into the loading area, under cover and out of the wind and weather. Blake, Moffitt & Towne, one of the oldest paper and stationary companies on the west coast, opened in Tacoma in 1943 when they took over the Tacoma Paper Company. The Tacoma division was one of sixteen units the company maintained in six western states. They closed their warehouse in Tacoma around 1971. (TNT 7-18-54, C-15)
Blake, Moffitt & Towne, Inc. (Tacoma); Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Warehouses--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Interior of warehouse. Blake, Moffitt & Towne was a local distributor of printing paper, wrapping paper and stationery. The company's headquarters were in San Francisco; the Tacoma office was established in 1910. In 1954, Blake, Moffitt & Towne moved to new and more spacious facilities on Thorne Rd. in the Tideflats area. Warehouse operations were mechanized and palletized. View of interior of company warehouse showing employees at work on various machinery, shelves and open cabinets full of paper products; photograph taken on July 19, 1954. (TNT 7-18-54, C-15)
Blake, Moffitt & Towne, Inc. (Tacoma); Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Warehouses--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Exterior of Blake, Moffitt & Towne building. By June, 1954, the Blake, Moffitt & Towne Co. had moved to its new location of 1157 Thorne Rd. in the Tideflats area. The business was now close to E. 11th and the Port of Tacoma Road; railroad tracks shown in the above picture indicated that their products could be conveniently shipped either by rail as well as by truck. The building would encompass 40,000 square feet for warehouse and office space. It was built on a 3 1/2 acre tract to allow for plenty of customer parking as well as possible future expansion. Blake, Moffitt & Towne were wholesale distributors of printing and wrapping paper and stationery and were formerly located on Jefferson Avenue. Arthur W. Towne was listed in the 1954 City Directory as president with Lyman V. Hall as Vice-president/Manager and Richard A. Meyer as Secretary Treasurer/Office Manager. (TNT 7-18-54, C-15)
Blake, Moffitt & Towne, Inc. (Tacoma); Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1950-1960;
An aerial photograph taken in April, 1954, shows smoke billowing from the St. Regis Paper Co. facilities on the tideflats. The wide building to the right is the company's multi-wall bag plant built a few years prior; the narrow building to its rear is the kraft-pulp division. Logs are massed together in the log dump nearby.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma; Logs; Aerial photographs;
Several views of chimneys at St. Regis Paper Co. were photographed on March 24, 1954. This may have been a new chimney constructed by the Boedecker Chimney Construction Co. It was not typically black, but seems to be lighter in color. Smoke is billowing out from the top. Photograph ordered by Boedecker Chimney Construction Co.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Chimneys--Tacoma;
Interior of Florida St. Regis plant. A huge metallic duct connects to a Worthington machine inside the Jacksonville, Florida, St. Regis Paper Co. facility. Brick walls and tanks are in the background. The Jacksonville kraft and pulp mill began to operate in January, 1953. It soon added to St. Regis' total kraft paper and board production which totaled 486,000 tons in 1953. This was a 38% increase over the previous year. Photograph ordered by Stebbins Engineering & Manufacturing Co. (1953 St. Regis Annual Report, p. 10)
St. Regis Paper Co. (Jacksonville, Fl.)--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Jacksonville--1950-1960; Machinery;
Two enormous storage tanks, made of brick and concrete, were part of the Jacksonville, Florida, St. Regis Paper Co. plant in 1953. These tanks could have held chips or pulp. The Jacksonville kraft and pulp mill would undergo expansion, to be completed in 1957, to include a 1000-ton board machine which manufactured kraft board for the corrugated shipping container market. The enlarged mill would have more than four times as much pulp capacity as was originally built. Photograph ordered by the Stebbins Engineering & Manufacturing Co. (1955 St. Regis Annual Report, p. 10)
St. Regis Paper Co. (Jacksonville, Fl.)--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Jacksonville--1950-1960; Storage tanks;
Interior of St. Regis plant. The kraft and pulp mill in Jacksonville, Florida, started production in January, 1953. Corrugating and liner boards were part of its output. Skilled workers were needed to run and maintain the equipment; an employee is photographed in July, 1953, possibly oiling a piece of machinery. Huge cylinder-shaped structures, possibly holding tanks, surround the worker. Photograph ordered by Stebbins Engineering & Manufacturing Co.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Jacksonville, Fl.)--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Jacksonville--1950-1960;
Overhead view of interior of St. Regis plant. Two St. Regis Paper Co. employees appear dwarfed by massive machinery in a July 29, 1953, photograph. One man is standing behind a metallic stand of gauges, handles, and knobs which apparently control the large rolls from the paper machine. There are other instrument panels positioned nearby; they may have been made by the General Electric Co. Photograph ordered by the General Electric Co.
General Electric Co.; St. Regis Paper Co.; Machinery;
New improvements in technology are responsible for kraft and board machines that can operate at speeds up to 1500 feet per minute and can produce a sheet that can be trimmed to 212 inches in width. These high production machines helped St. Regis Paper Co. to increase total tonnage of kraft paper and boards, thereby solidifying its position as a dependable long-term source of these products to industry customers. View of interior of Florida St. Regis plant, either in Jacksonville or Pensacola. Photograph ordered by Beloit Iron Works, Beloit, Wisconsin. (1955 St. Regis Annual Report, p. 15)
St. Regis Paper Co.; Paper industry; Machinery; Beloit Iron Works (Beloit, WI);
Interior of St. Regis plant. St. Regis Paper Co. had established mills in both Pensacola and Jacksonville, Florida, by 1953. 200,000 tons per year of kraft paper and board were able to be produced at these plants, helping to make the St. Regis Company become a major producer on a national basis. View of interior of a Florida St. Regis plant showing machines used to make kraft paper. Photograph ordered by Beloit Iron Works, Beloit, Wisconsin. (1953 St. Regis Annual Report, p. 10)
St. Regis Paper Co.; Paper industry; Machinery; Beloit Iron Works (Beloit, WI);
A St. Regis Paper Co. employee sprays streams of water to clean large machinery used to manufacture kraft paper at one of the company's Florida locations, either Jacksonville or Pensacola, in July, 1953. Reflection of the plant's interior can be seen on the water's surface. Photograph ordered by Beloit Iron Works, Beloit, Wisconsin.
St. Regis Paper Co.; Paper industry; Machinery; Beloit Iron Works (Beloit, WI);
Employees at St. Regis Paper Co. nationwide had varied assignments. This man appears to be scrutinizing sheets of pulp or paper at one of the Florida locations, either Pensacola or Jacksonville in July, 1953. Photograph ordered by Beloit Iron Works, Beloit, Wisconsin.
St. Regis Paper Co.; Paper industry; Beloit Iron Works (Beloit, WI);
A St. Regis Paper Co. employee carefully monitors the gauges on a Beloit Iron Works machine in the summer of 1953. Kraft paper is apparently being manufactured. This photograph was probably taken in one of St. Regis' southern plants, either Jacksonville or Pensacola, Florida. Photograph ordered by the Beloit Iron Works Co., Beloit, Wisconsin.
St. Regis Paper Co.; Paper industry; Machinery; Beloit Iron Works (Beloit, WI);
Exterior view of Florida St. Regis plant. The above photograph was probably taken at either the Jacksonville, Florida, or Pensacola St. Regis Paper Co. plant in July, 1953. Long, covered connected tunnels were possibly conveyors of chips or pulp. They were situated high above the ground on rails supported by towers. Piles of logs are glimpsed in the background. Photograph ordered by Link-Belt Co.
St. Regis Paper Co.; Paper industry; Link-Belt Co.;
This exterior view of a St. Regis Paper Co. plant, possibly Tacoma's, was taken on July 3, 1953, at the request of the Johns-Manville Sales Corporation. Johns-Manville handled asbestos products; it could be that the exterior of the building has asbestos siding. Johns-Manville's Tacoma office was located at 680 E. 11th St. in the Tideflats area; they were a nationwide company established in the mid-1850's.
Johns-Manville Sales Corp.; St. Regis Paper Co.; Industrial facilities;
Exterior of industrial facilities. This is possibly the Tacoma location of St. Regis Paper Co. in a photograph taken on July 3, 1953. The multi-storied buildings appear to have siding rather than brick or concrete block. The photograph, one of several, was taken at the request of the Johns-Manville Sales Corporation which sold asbestos products. It is possible that the siding on the buildings had an asbestos content.
Johns-Manville Sales Corp.; St. Regis Paper Co.; Industrial facilities;
