Hi
I’ve read quite a few articles on 19th century American weaving factories being converted into paper mills. I have yet to come across any articles that tell me how it was done? I look forward to your feedback. What common factors are there between power looms and paper mills? I know that paper was made from rag and that punch cards were used in the weaving process. But perhaps someone can enlighten me as to more substantial connections between the two industries. I look forward to your feedback.
http://grimshaworigin.org/grimshaw-involvement-in-the-industrial-revolution/grimshaw-industrial-development/
Are you sure there is a relationship between the industries based on technology? In terms of the changing function of mills and factories it was often nothing but the available power source and a large building. There are many mill buildings near me that are quite old and had a long history of different purposes that changed simply because of market conditions. Sometime after the Civil War in the US the textile industry headed to the southern states, possibly because of lower wages there, or just to get closer to the source of cotton, but I’m not sure. Once you have a large building, and by that time large steam engines, the same facilities can be re-used for manufacturing whatever products were in demand.
I’m not sure about any technological parallels between the two industries, but it just seemed to me more than just a coincidence that weaving factory owners transition to paper manufacturing. Perhaps it was just the facilities and proximity to abundant water resources. Was some some the the equipment used by weaving factories possibly repurposed for paper mills?
New England had an industrial boom in the beginning of the 19th century because its rivers were great for water power. That began declining in the second half of the 19th century as factories switched from water power to steam power. Steam allowed factories to be built wherever they were closest to their raw materials. Steam also opened up rivers as major transportation routes in the interior of the country.
It’s the same the whole world over. My weaving mill goes bust, but the building, its infrastructure and its labour force remain, so another industry with similar needs moves in.
Some industries like nuclear power stations and coal mines do not have much potential for future use, so the community that was built to service them moves away.
And the transition from weaving mills to paper mills might just be a matter of timing: At the time that the textile industry was declining, the industry that happened to be on the rise and in need of facilities was paper.
Sorry I don’t have a great answer, but I wager virtually no equipment except the power source (either steam engine or water wheel) was retained when the factories were converted. They were probably gutted entirely and rebuilt. Maybe some equipment is useful for both products and was able to be recycled.
They did(do) have some similarities, so I doubt ‘gutted entirely’. Both received, and stored until use, raw materials. This material was brought into the facility. The raw material was put through a multi-step process. The finished products were ‘packaged’ for storage and shipment.
IIRC, Paper by Mark Kurlansky touches on the topic.
I’m sure they had carts and derricks and hoists and other such conveyance machines, along with doors and ramps and storage racks. I don’t know that these paper mills produced large rolls of paper, I think the ones the OP references were making stationery, but maybe some paper mills were doing that. That kind of equipment wouldn’t have been worth much compared to a waterwheel or steam engine, a large building, and the specific manufacturing machines they used which would be tremendously different. Maybe textile mills even had piles of cut threads that paper mills wanted, but I doubt that was a major factor in the decision to reuse a mill. Just the building itself was worth a lot of money, and old mill buildings around aren’t being torn down, they’re being converted into condos and office space. Even the housing for the mill workers around here still stand and are sold and rented for housing. These building are impressive, huge masonry exteriors and incredibly heavy wood for the floors. You can see some of the wood flooring and ceilings that have several inches scraped off the surfaces over the years and are still sturdy enough to drive a car on.
On top of all that the railroad tracks would have been run by the mills and factories. You’d certainly value that highly if you wanted to start a manufacturing business.
So not gutted entirely, but the key machinery and equipment for specific purposes was probably sold off or scrapped and not a factor in the decision of what kind of manufacturing took over the facility.
As others have mentioned, water power source, nice big building with open spaces and a ready labor force kept them there. The only technology I can think of to share would be the overhead line shafts to operate the machinery. Fairly simple to remove a loom and replace it with a calendar roll and just hook up the existing belt.
Dennis
I really think the similarities lie in the processes/principles of production in both industries. After all the reverse also happened. Paper mils were converted into textile manufacturing plants.