The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-10-27
A REVOLUTION IN JOURNALISM.

| In the review of the exhibition OF paper at
the Crystal Palace, which we publish the
morning, is a notice of new discovery, which
promises TO work revolution in the produc-
ton Of newspapers rs well as OF books. we
refer to the straw paper OF Mr.. Meliler, a
French chemist and manufacturer This article
is made entirely from straw, and, as we can
testify. after careful examination OF specl-
mems of various qualities, is as good as can be
made of rags By new chemical process the
invention reduces the fibre of straw, or other
vegetable substances into pulp, which, we be-
lieye. is then finished as paper ny the ordinary
methods. The advantage of the use OF straw
comes from its exceeding cheapness and abund-
ance. Rags are scarce, and as the demand for
paper increases become dearer but there rs
little danger of short supply of straw. To
discover a way of using it for paper has long
been desiderated but, until Mr.. Melller, no
see ker had found it out We are informed that
his process il simple and cheap, and that when
he ceases 10 claim compensation as patentee
for it, use, the price of paper cannot but fall
very considerably. This will work a revolu-
ton in our journals 1t will enable those pa
pcrs which are now printed on small, fiim5y,
and dirty sheets, to initiate the example OF the
Tribune, and assume an appearance more
worthy of metropolitan journals and it will
enable Us to use even better and more substan-
tial paper than that we employ at present
The printing of books will also be cheapened
and improved by this great discovery.
Another invention, OF a character no less in.
teresting and important to the publishers OF
journals of large circulation, has been patented
hy Mr.. Victor Beaumont, q citizen Of New
York though of French birth 1t is a printing
press which, at a moderate rate of speed, will
deliver thirty thousand sheets, printed on both
sides, in a single hour It's movement com.
bines the original principles of Napier, which
are applied by Hoe in his great press, with
some new and beautifully simple arrangements
and devices Of the inventor. II has large
central cylinder, like the Hoe press, on which
are fastened the forms for both sides of the
sheet to be printed. The type are held fast by
Hoes patent column.rucs. The paper used is
a continuous strip, or band, dispensing with
men to feed the separate sheets, as in other
power presses. This strip or band Mr. Beau.
mont arranges very ingeniously be avoids the
inconvenience inseparable from having it in
the form Of roll, by laying it in a pile, folded
backward and forward, like a piece of broad
cloth; one end of this pile is put into the press
which then draws in it's own supply, without
tearing or straining the paper, till the whole
sheet has passed through AS there are no
feeders. room is obtained for additional print
ing cylinders; moderate-sized press will have
twelve Of these, and will require three hands to
run it, two of them being employed in carry
ing and looking after the paper. Each twelve
cylinder pres will work four of these cOntinu
Gus sheets at time, or one to each three Of its
cylinders f lch sheet will pass twice through
at its first passage, one of its sides will be en-
tirely printed, the forms Of the newspaper being
impressed on it alternately AS it comes out
the machine lays it back again in the same
sort Of pile, so that when it is all DONE the
attendant supplies its place with fresh pile
and then carries it to the proper spot for it to
be taken up and passed through the second
time, which prints the side left blank before
Then the mechanism passes it along to the
knives which cut the sheets apart, while an.
other contrvance puts them in neat piles ready
for the carriers. These knives are very inge
NOUS A serious difficulty has been expert
enced in other machines designed to print
continuous sheet from the fact that an Ordi-
nary knife cannot DO relied on to cut paper
which is wet enough for printing This incon
venience Mr.. Beaumont Obviates by making
his serrated, or saw-shaped knives with long
and acute teeth. The points of the teeth easily
pierce the paper, and once having obtained an
entrance, the cutting is completed in an in
slant
These are the chief features of what we con-
slider a very admirable invention. No presses
have yet been built on this plan, but when we
state that Mr. Hoe has purchased the patent
and is now ready to make them, we say enough
to convince practical men that our opinion il
well founded We suppose that this press must
ity is required. And though the two of Hoes
great presses which we now use have cost us
large sum of money, we look forward to be-
ing compelled at no distant day to abandon
them for machines of Beaumonts patent, in
order to supply the enormous and increasing
numbers of the Tribune demanded by the pub
lic.-Ncw York Tribune