Instruments & Innovation

General view of an unidentified employee loading packages of so-called "chemical cotton" into a boxcar at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Chemical cotton, a type of purified cellulose obtained…

Two views of an unidentified employee operating the control panel on an autoclave used to process ethyl cellulose manufactured at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Ethyl cellulose manufactured by…

General view of an unidentified employee washing so-called "chemical cotton" as part of the continuous bleaching process at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Chemical cotton, a type of purified…

General view of two unidentified employees using a machine to cut stock of so-called "chemical cotton" into sheets at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Chemical cotton, a type of purified…

General view of continuous bleaching equipment used in the production of so-called "chemical cotton" at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Chemical cotton, a type of purified cellulose obtained…

General view of continuous bleaching equipment used in the production of so-called "chemical cotton" at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Chemical cotton, a type of purified cellulose obtained…

General view of an unidentified employee bagging carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Also known as cellulose gum or tylose powder, CMC is a cellulose derivative…

General view of several unidentified employees bailing and wrapping sheets of so-called "chemical cotton" for shipment at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Chemical cotton, a type of purified…

Close-up view of laboratory operator Donald Stevens using a press to remove water from a sheet of so-called "chemical cotton," i.e. purified cellulose obtained from raw cotton linters, manufactured in the Cellulose…

General view of a roll rewinder in use in the Cellulose Department at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Per notations accompanying the photograph, the roll rewinder was used to produce smaller…

General view of the production of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Also known as cellulose gum or tylose powder, CMC is a cellulose derivative commonly used as a…

General view of an automatic banding machine in use in the Cellulose Department at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. The employees visible in the photograph are identified as Leroy Brown and John…

Two views of employee Paul F. Brown feeding raw cotton linters (short fiber residues left on the cottonseed after the longer staple, aka the "lint" fibers, are removed by ginning) into a bale breaking machine in the…

Two views of an unidentified employee adjusting the Stern Shredder machine at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. The shredder was used to process linter sheets of cellulosic fibrous materials, such…

General view of an unidentified employee inspecting control switches at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Per notations accompanying the photograph, the control switches were explosion-proof, one…

General view of an unidentified employee inspecting the Hydrochloride Rotary System at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. The system was likely used during the production of so-called "chemical…

General view of an unidentified employee inspecting the control board for a Solvent Recovery system at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Per notations accompanying the photograph, the system was…

General view of employee W.L. Caricofe, Jr. discharging loose pulp from a dryer at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. The loose pulp dryer was likely used to process cellulosic fibrous materials,…

General view of employee Johnnie Shands loading bales of so-called "chemical cotton" onto a skid at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Chemical cotton, a type of purified cellulose obtained from…

General view of employee H.M. McClure discharging sheets of so-called "chemical cotton" from a Layboy No. 2 Paper Machine at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Chemical cotton, a type of purified…

General view of employee Andrew Roberts operating pulping equipment at a Hercules Powder Company pilot plant in Hopewell, Virginia. This pulping equipment was likely used to produce dissolving pulp, also known as…

General view of employee Elizabeth Booth operating a hydraulic press in the Viscose Laboratory at a Hercules Powder Company pilot plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Several stacks of viscose, a semi-synthetic fiber, are…

General view of an unidentified employee examining a control panel used in the production of ethyl cellulose at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Ethyl cellulose manufactured by the Hercules…

General view of an unidentified employee examining a control panel used in the production of ethyl cellulose at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Ethyl cellulose manufactured by the Hercules…

Close-up view of an unidentified employee removing a sample of ethyl cellulose from a machine at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Hopewell, Virginia. Per notations accompanying the photograph, the sampling was one…