Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 March 1918 — CAME FROM DAMAGED STOCK [ARTICLE]

CAME FROM DAMAGED STOCK

Idea of Blotting Paper Was the Direct * Result of Act of Careless Workman. felotting paper, like many another valuable discovery, was found entirely by accident. One day in a paper mill in Berkshire, England, a careless workman forgot to put in the sizing and it was necessary to throw out the entire lot -as spoiled. Later the angry proprietor sat down to write a note and possibly for reasons of economy used a sheet of the condemned paper. To his increased annoyance the ink spread all over the paper and he was about to. give up in disgust when the thought struck him that it might be possible to use the paper for absorbing ink in place of the sand then universally used. After some successful experimenting he was able to dispose of his entire damaged stock under the name of blottipg paper. From that time on blotting paper came into general use. At first it was always pink in color, red rags being used. Red was a fast color and difficult to bleach, hence the red rags were useless in manufacturing writing papaper. But as the color of blotting paper did not Interfere with its usefulness, red or pink was as good a color as - any other, and thus provided a means of utilizing otherwise wasted material.