Mill D - Underneath the Paper Machines
We are now going to backtrack to the paper machine room, and then downstairs to see what there is to see in the area underneath the paper machines!
Here's a view of where we're going, as seen by looking down into one of the paper machine pits.
Another look into one of the pits. There sure is a lot of left-over "stuff" in there that once supported the massive paper machine.
Our chosen method of descent.
Looking down at a tank from on the staircase.
The arch structures which are all over down here probably increased the strength of the machine room floor in order to support the weight of the machines.
Looking into the mess across the mill; underneath all three paper machines.
Looking back towards the outer wall of the mill, I guess we finally see where all of those pipes sticking outside of the building go to!
There is an Arrow pneumatic compressor down here against a wall. Please don't forget to turn on the crankcase heater for three hours before starting the compressor, or according to the sticker it will be permanently damaged. It doesn't matter too much now though.
A big, bent pipe sticks down out of nowhere. "Goes Nowhere - Does Nothing". At least not anymore.
"Danger Do Not Open - Fire Drain Oil"
Looking across the mill closer to the rear of the plant.
A couple of pipes go out the window here.
These pipes are labelled "Gelleco Tertiary Feed" and "Gelleco Secondary Reject". Doesn't that sound appealing? Actually, after writing this, it turns out that the word is Celleco, not Gelleco. And, as it also happens, Celleco is a line of centrifugal cleaners made by a company called Bancroft Western. Evidently these machines are used to remove contaminents from pulp or proto-pulp, to separate ink from pulp in deinked recycled paper (as was produced at this factory), and for some other separation and cleaning purposes. Given the secondary and tertiary labels, it seems that this mill employed quite a system of these cleaners to accomplish whatever they were doing with them.
Even down here there are a bunch of electrical switches.
And some of the wiring conduits presumably controled by them.
As we go back upstairs and prepare to leave the factory for the day, we snap a couple of nice pictures of the Powerhouse as seen from the front Mill D shipping area.
And a reminder to be careful with the paper rolls, as appearance is the first impression of their ex-company!