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Show Ulma Stromer-First Chronicle of Paper Makin By DARD HUNTE More than five hundred years ago, the first manuscript dealin with paper maling wwas written concerning difficulties of manufacture-problems much similar 1o those met with today 1390 Ulma | Stromer, data member o Senite which governed Niiremberg, started the making of pape in German Th Stromer mill was located just outsidethe western wall of the cit at the point where the Pegnit river emerges into the felds Before the papermaking ventur Stromer had been a merchant an on his trading journeys to Northenn' Tialy had scen paper mills i operation and he was convince that he could make a success wit a mill of this kind in Germany, es Flgev he e75 atermar wih S i i P L ity 20 o chomn pecially if he were able to secur a monopoly in it. No one in Niiremberg knew anything abou making paper so it was necessar for the erstwhile trader to get hi employees elsewhere. He set ou to_find some foreigners who wer skilled in the art of papermakin and was successful in getting several trained workmen from Lombardy AL this time Stromer was sixtytwo years of age and his experi ences in trading had made hi keen and of a cautious disposition -s0 much so that he wished al hisemployees to_protect his i terests and had them swear to b faithful to him and keep the sec rets of the craft to themselves s that there would be o other pape springing up in Germany During Stromers days as a merchant he kept a chronicle of event -a sort of diary, in which wrote the happenings of the da This manuscript was continue aiter the paper mill project wa under way and it is this book written in_Stromer's own hand that gives us the first insight int the difcultes of operating & me dieval paper mill This voluni is now in the National Museum a Niiremberg and its fitle, in ol rman, s "Pichl von mei geslecht ‘und von abentewr." It i not known whether the paper o which this manuseript was writte was the product of the Strome mill or not but it seems likely tha it was of Ttalian manufacture. Th watermark throughout the baok i the bull's-head surmounted by Latin cross and it s found in thre different forms. The chain line of the paper are widely space and -the_laid linesheavy a coarse. Tt is thought that the "S watermark was used on the motld of the Stromer mill, and also th arms of Niremberg Tn early times it was customar for workmen and_ apprentices t make a declaration on oath tha they would be faithful to- thei masters and look well after hi interests and trade secrets Accordingly Stromer_wrote i his diary that Closen Obsser, th man he had engaged as foreman "promiised. to be faithful unto m and declared on his oath that h would be true to me and min heirs, that he would be my overscer at the mill, keep me fro harm and that as' long as he live he would make paper for no on else save me and for my heirs an would not show or teach anyor how to make paper in any way a all. This took place on the Sunday next before St. Lawrence Day "my room at the time of cvenin prayer in the year 1390 when m Son Jorg Stromer was preseat. Thus ~ having the ~ foreman' faithfulness assured Stormer pro Fig.ot 2 Thee bulls baberhead on<catermar gk o) P ramer oot o sorite ceeded to have the rest of his employees take the same oath. H records in his chronicle that i was, "on the day after St. Lawrence when Jorg Tyrmann promised to be trie o me and with excited fingers swore on the oath t the Saints that he would be faithful to me and to my heirs, fo hel my progress and that for te years from that day he woul Digital image© 2008 Marriott Library University of Utah, Al rights reserved |