Jack Caldwell said he almost cried while taking a tour of the Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill on Saturday. It had been more than 60 years since he had set foot in the mill.

“The familiar sounds of the paper mill.… The machines are moving three times as fast. It used to be 300 feet per minute, and now it’s 900 feet per minute,” said the 90-year-old former mill worker, who had given a tour of the mill the last time the mill opened its doors to the public in 1949.

Caldwell stood alongside his niece, retired mill worker Rita Beebe and marveled at the mill operation. The efforts the mill takes with safety in particular seemed to please him.

Caldwell and Hubbard were just two of dozens of former and current mill workers on hand for the open house, which several employees said perhaps should be an annual event.

Mill officials estimated more than 400 people attended.

“Our view is that it was a tremendous success,” said mill PTPC President Roger on Monday. “We will be discussing ways that we can keep the community more involved going forward and the timing of future tours and similar events,” he said, adding he would be happy to hear suggestions people have to improve efforts to keep the community aware and involved.

ALL INVOLVED

“It’s great. It takes every man from his post,” said employee Jack Richter, quickly adding that it was worth it and he wished more people from the community would come out. “There are other people who should be here to learn about the process,” he said.

Gretchen Brewer, president of Port Townsend AirWatchers, did attend to take the tour and expressed appreciation for the opportunity, as did many others. All the tour spots were filled.

The tour of the paper machines was brief but fact-filled. A number of those taking the tour were amazed to learn that the mill stores about 20,000 tons of wood chips to keep the boilers fueled.

“It’s amazing that little old PT has a plan like this and they are giving us the opportunity to see it. It’s very generous,” said one person on the tour.

The mill makes an estimated 80 different types of paper, ranging from kraft paper, which is sent to China and used to make corrugated boxes, to a green masking paper, which is shipped around the world and used in the painting process in automobile manufacturing plants.

Hagan fielded questions from an audience that sat under a tent in the blazing sun. Hagan, who has been at mills around the country, has been open about the mill operations since taking the helm a little more than a year ago.

On the tour, there were storyboards throughout to help people keep up with mill employees who know the details by heart. One employee said the mill was running a bit slower than usual for the tour, to keep down the whine of the machines. There also were fewer trucks coming in because of the event.

Clearly evident was an area where the mill plans to install two new refiners. It’s a $5 million project that mill officials say will help the mill run faster, increase production and keep the mill competitive.

After the tour, several people expressed gratitude for being allowed to see the inside of what is perhaps the oldest, longest-running business in Jefferson County.

“It’s gorgeous inside,” said one woman of the machines and the rustic walls.

Another woman said the mill gave her a better idea of how the mill operates. She was surprised that it only takes 38 people to actually operate the mill itself.

While newcomers seemed to appreciate the information and openness of employees, old-timers like Sid Hubbard recalled the past and how people would just “show up to the bull-gang shack” to get hired back in the 1960s or so.

And even fewer, like Caldwell, could go back even further.

The one fact that seemed to amaze everyone is that the mill, all issues aside, is still going strong after so many years.