NEW GERMANY PULP MILL

In June 1893 the Morgan Falls Pulp Company built a pulp mill at New Germany, County Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The company consisted of the Hon. Alan Gilpin Jones and his sons and Joseph Stuart Gordon Hughes who managed the venture.

"Joseph S. Hughes has been connected with the Lowville Iron Works Co. of Lowville, N.Y., in building pulp grinding machinery and a large number of grinders manufactured by him are in operation in the United States. Since Mr. Hughes came to Nova Scotia to manufacture pulp the Robb Engineering Co., of Amherst, have been manufacturing pulp grinders and wet machines from Mr. Hughes’ patterns."

In May 1895 this mill was producing just over twenty tons of pulp a day from fourteen cords of mainly spruce wood. During the first week of the month it produced 1,206 bales of pulp, each weighing 200 pounds.

"The Morgan Falls mill had three four-pocket grinders, with hydraulic feed, three 72 in. wet machines with Gothan Screens, and was driven by two 33 in. Smith & McCormick wheels and one 18 in. Smith success wheel under 35 feet head. Production, about 20 tons per day wet. The plant (about 1898 was) being generally remodelled and improved and with the machinery added the product will be increased to 30 or 35 tons wet per day. The output is loaded on the Nova Scotia Central railway and sent to Bridgewater in summer and Lunenburg in winter." The pulp from the Morgan Falls mill found a market in England, being shipped by steamer from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

During his time at New Germany, Joseph obtained the following patents:

- - - - - CA 52680 - Filed 30 April 1896 and issued 17 June 1896 - "Wood Pulp Squeezer"
- - - - - CA 76029 - Filed 11 July 1901 and issued 27 May 1902 - "Method of Forming Pulp into Sheets"
- - - - - CA 77058 - Filed 9 July 1901 and issued 12 August 1902 - "Wood Pulp Press"
- - - - - CA 77210 - Filed 17 July 1901 and issued 26 August 1902 - "Apparatus for Pressing Wood Pulp"
- - - - - CA 77211 - Filed 28 July 1902 and issued 26 August 1902 - "Method of Forming Wood Pulp into Sheets"

JOSEPH S. G. HUGHES (1857-1918) Pulp Manufacturer	THE HUGHES RESIDENCE New Germany, Nova Scotia

This mill was later owned by F. and A. F. Davison.

In 1996 a hydroelectric power plant was built on the La Have River at the site of the former pulp mill.

Sources:

Canadian Archives

Des Brisay, Mather Byles "History of the County of Lunenburg" (Bridgewater Bulletin Ltd., Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1967)

Edwards, Anthony Personal Communications

Hughes, Ian Alexander "Hughes, A Family of Papermakers" (privately published, Melbourne, Vic., 1979)

Hughes, Kathy M. Personal Communications

Journeay, Doug Personal Communications

Marble, Allan Everett "Nova Scotians at Home and Abroad"

Moir, Carmen Personal Communications

Nova Scotia Archives

University of Toronto "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"

Newspapers:

Nova Scotia "The Halifax Herald"