shown in fig2 the steam distributor 12 includes a hood 38 having end plates 30 at each end each supported by a pair of legs 32 carried by feet 34 mounted on the conveyor frame not shown outside the path of the conveyor a pipe 36 is supported by the end plates 30 a steam pipe 40 supplies a hot gas in the present instance steam from a suitable source to the pipe 36 the hood 38 includes outer shell 42 an inner shell 44 and insulation 46 which together form side walls 47 and 49 transverse partitions 48 divide the hood into a plurality of chambers or compartments 50 spanning the entire width of the web 20 tubes 52 individual to the compartments having ports 51 each supplies steam to its compartment in accordance with the setting of a pneumatic valve 56 individual to that chamber and controlled by the moisture profile measuring device or manually the steam travels through the pipe 36 through ports 51 into the tubular nozzles 52 through the nozzles into the chambers 50 through slotted arcuate diffusing plates 60 through the web 20 and a supporting screen or vacuum box cover 62 forming the top of a vacuum box 22 the diffusion plates may be drilled plates of different patterns the plates may be omitted to leave an open bottom chamber turning to fig3 the sidewalls 47 and 49 of the chamber 50 are spaced apart from paper web 20 so that spaces.