The new bag multiwall plant at St. Regis. St. Regis was proud of being identified with the development of wood conservation methods in the Northwest. The Tacoma mill began experimenting with the utilization of chips cut from debarked wood slabs from sawmills and other wood using industries in their manufacture of kraft pulp. Wood chips were purchased on long-term contracts in the immediate vicinity which reduced the waste from sawmills, sash and door factories and plywood mills that had previously been burned. (TNT, 10/19/1952)
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
St. Regis Paper Company. Construction progress. New bag plant. Interior of warehouse. Machinery, boxes, scaffolding, exposed mechanical system on ceiling. This is possibly the big bag plant at 801 Portland Ave. which was part of St. Regis' expansion in the 1950s.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
An engineer works on machinery, a paper "tensiometer," at the St. Regis Paper Co., Kraft pulp division. The equipment has been "locked out" with a key, so that it can not be started while the engineer is working. The two year old paper machine was approximately a block long. In 1952, St. Regis produced 400 tons of unbleached pulp per day. 160 of those tons were bleached and made into dried heavy sheets & placed together into 400 lb. bales, put into boxcars & shipped to other mills or the open market. The remaining 240 tons was used to make multiwalled bags in the company's bag plant or wrapping paper. Picture taken for General Electric Supply, Apparatus Department.
Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mechanical systems--Tacoma; Machinery; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;
New Swenson evaporators and connecting tubes, stairways to different levels at St. Regis. "Black Liquor" was the substance that was left after the chemical "cooking" process that removed sap and pitch from the cellulose fiber. The evaporator evaporated the water content from the liquor to the point of 52% solids. The liquor was sent to furnaces where it burned like oil, and the chemicals not used in the "cooking process" were recovered. (TNT 2-17-1952, pg. C-14)
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Two Swenson evaporators and pipes at St. Regis. The molten substance left after the "Black Liquor" burns through the furnace is called "Green Liquor." The green liquor is sent to the caustic department, where the insoluble matter settles out, also the calcium carbonate, and a clear white liquor is made. This liquor is the original one used in the "cooking process" to separate sap & pitch from cellulose fibers and the recovery and recycling is complete. (TNT 2-17-1952, pg. C-14)
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Interior exposure of gauges for the new Swenson Evaporator Co. installations at St. Regis Paper Co. Tacoma. An 8 year expansion program for the company was to be completed in 1952. Part of this program was focused on recycling and reusing processing elements in an efficient manner. The Evaporator was used to recover chemicals used. (TNT 2-17-1952, pg. C-14)
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Interiors at St. Regis Tacoma plant for 1952 Annual Report showing a recovery boiler. A major expansion program completed in 1952 increased the company's production capacity. St. Regis products made in Tacoma included sulphate pulp, kraft paper and board and multiwall bags. Products made in their other plants also included printing and publications papers and industrial and decorative plastics. A forerunner in conservation and recycling, Kaiser operated an efficient plant and originated the use of wood chips and ends in the paper process.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
An aerial view of St. Regis Paper Company plant showing the completed multi-wall bag plant (with the dark roof dotted with vents) and the narrow kraft-paper mill.
Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma; Logs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;
An aerial view of St. Regis Paper Company. Logs would be pulled up the ramp in the foreground from the log pond into the woodroom in the building close to the edge of Commencement Bay. TPL-5903
Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma; Logs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;
An aerial view of St. Regis Paper Company's completed multi-wall bag plant in the foreground with white walls, dark roof and small white chimneys dotting the roof.
Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma; Logs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;
An aerial view of St. Regis plant showing the company's new multi-wall bag plant on the right. The narrow building behind it is the kraft-pulp division. The plant is located on the Tacoma tideflats at the end of the land between the Puyallup Waterway and St. Paul Waterway. Log booms are tied together off the end of the property.
Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma; Logs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;
The exterior of St. Regis Paper Company's Vancouver, British Columbia, bag plant. The economy of Canada continued to expand in 1953 and St. Regis paper Company increased the production of its bags, required by the country's enlarged business activity. In addition to supplying multiwall bags, the Canadian company made available to its customers the same bag-filling and weighing machines which were manufactured and sold by St. Regis in the United States. (St. Regis Paper Co. 1953 Annual Report)
Paper industry--Vancouver, B.C.; St. Regis Paper Co. (Vancouver, B.C.);
A man is moving large rolls of preprinted paper for bags at St. Regis Paper Company's Vancouver, British Columbia, bag plant. Labels have the name "B.C. Sugar Refinery" on them. A forklift with a curved scoop on the front has been used to bring the roll to the open door and behind the door a hoist made with chains is seen lifting another roll.
Paper industry--Vancouver, B.C.; St. Regis Paper Co. (Vancouver, B.C.);
Workers are shown handling bags at St. Regis Paper Company's Vancouver, British Columbia, bag plant. A line of sewing machines have been arranged with large spools of string and bottles of glue to secure the bottom seam of the bags. TPL-3767
Paper industry--Vancouver, B.C.; St. Regis Paper Co. (Vancouver, B.C.); Sewing machines;
Workers, mostly women, are seen during several stages of the manufacturing process at St. Regis Paper Company's Vancouver, British Columbia, bag plant. On the right, conveyor belts bring the newly cut, pre-printed bags into the work area. Towards the rear on the left people are sewing glued tape over each end of the bags. A filter cord was applied across the needle holes to prevent shifting. A valve was created by a fold at one end of the bag near the sewn end. The bags would be filled through the valve and the pressure of the material in the bag closed the valve when removed from the filling machine. (St. Regis Paper Co. 1953 Annual Report)
Paper industry--Vancouver, B.C.; St. Regis Paper Co. (Vancouver, B.C.);
A man is running a printer for lables on bags at St. Regis Paper Company's Vancouver, British Columbia, bag plant. Labels have the name "British Columbia Cement Co., Ltd., Victoria, B.C" on them.
Paper industry--Vancouver, B.C.; St. Regis Paper Co. (Vancouver, B.C.);
Koppers Precipitator at St. Regis Paper Co. Interior of building with brick wall with several round tanks of various sizes on top with pipes and valves coming out - some marked "danger-high voltage." St. Regis completed an eight year expansion and improvement program in 1952. Included in that program was the construction of a new combustion engineering company furnace. The six story high furnace had a capacity of 225 tons and was built in conjunction with the Koppers electric precipitator. The precipitator collected odor bearing particles before they escaped the chimney into the air thus reducing pollution and odor. (TNT 2-17-1952, pg. C-14)
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Exterior shot of new Recovery Building at St. Regis Paper Company. This new building housed the six story high combustion furnace and the Koppers electric precipitator. The precipitator collected odor bearing particles before they could escape the chimney into the open air. This was part of the company's program to reduce odor caused by the chemical processes of producing pulp. (TNT 2-17-1952, pg. C-14)
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
An elevated view of St. Regis Paper Company's new bag plant showing the covered loading dock where freight cars are being loaded. The roof has been built in a series of angled sections to allow clerestory windows to provide daylight to the interior of the plant. The Middle Waterway is seen immediately adjacent to the plant and the business district of Tacoma is seen further in the distance on the right.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Seven men and women are operating machinery at St. Regis Paper Company's new bag plant. Rolls of brown paper are seen on the far right. The paper is fed into folding machines which eject the multiple-layer tubes onto a conveyor belt on the left. Here women are removing and stacking the brown paper tubes ready for the next operation in completing the bags, sewing the ends closed.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Several men are adjusting the printing machinery at St. Regis Paper Company's new bag plant. Bags were printed in the shop before being made into bags. A man on the right end checks the printing. Two other men further to the right are checking that the rolls of paper are feeding smoothly.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
A huge roll of brown paper at St. Regis Paper Company's new bag plant is being moved using a crane manufactured by Ederer Engineering Company. The crane is located near the roof of the large warehouse and cables from the crane hold arms that grab the rolls of paper. The rolls can be moved both vertically and horizontally throughout the warehouse where tall stacks of the rolls of paper are seen.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Ederer Engineering Co. (Seattle); Machinery industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Many employees are working at several different machines inside St. Regis Paper Company's new bag plant where bags are printed, assembled, stacked, and bundled. Overhead wiring provided electricity to run the many sewing machines and conveyor belts.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Sewing machines;
Men are adjusting the folding machines at St. Regis Paper Company's new bag plant while two women are stacking bags as they are ejected onto a conveyor belt. More rolls of paper stand at the back of the workroom ready to be moved onto the folding machines when they are needed. A crane hangs empty over them.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Men are loading a completed order of multiwall paper sacks at St. Regis Paper Company's new bag plant. A railroad freight car has been pulled up inside the covered loading dock at the plant and the bags, stacked on a pallet, are being delivered to the freight car with a forklift.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Loading docks--Tacoma;
Three men are standing or sitting at plywood drafting tables at St. Regis Paper Company's new bag plant. Drawings of three different bag designs are posted on the left wall. A cabinet is seen on the right with many shallow drawers.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Mills--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
This elevated photograph of the Tideflats featuring the St. Regis Paper Co. was taken on a sunny day in February, 1953. Smoke billows from various smokestacks in the area. St. Regis had recently completed its eight year expansion plan; a new multiwall bag plant was constructed in 1952. Photograph ordered by Electrical Products Consolidated.
St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Factories--Tacoma--1950-1960; Smokestacks--Tacoma;
The Pacific Coast Association of Pulp & Paper Manufacturers met in Tacoma in March, 1953. They were attending the 7th Annual Joint Labor-Management Safety Conference. They joined union and employer representatives from twenty mills; sponsors included the International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers and International Brotherhood of Paper Makers. View of association members awaiting luncheon at the Winthrop Hotel. (TNT 3-1-53, B-10)
Pacific Coast Association of Pulp & Paper Manufacturers (Tacoma); Group portraits; Meetings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
