The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-03-27


ing Prsss In AmsEscs-Tho Introl nction OF
the Ten Cylinder AlAchiase into Groat Is l.
tain.
agent and New York correspondent of the pro-
prietors of the London Tunes for Information
as 10 the working of our great ten cylinder
presses, that establishment having had two Of
the same description manufactured in EaglaOd,
| by English mechanics in the establishment OF
Messrs Whtw0rth d. Co., Of Manchester, which,
from some cause unknown to us, appear to be de-
fective in their operation. Two years have been
consumed in the construction of these machines,
and yet The constructive genius of Engl sh work
men has failed to render satisfaction, and we
have been called upon to answer the following
inquiries in relation TO those in our establish
ment, they being the first constructed of those
wonderful machines, the ten cylinder printing
press. Az We are always ready to give informa
ton in relation to the utilitarian improvements
which marx the progress of the age, and which
| have been introduced into our establishment we
cheerfqlly complied and handed over the isquiry
| addressed to US by the London 1Ges to Mr.
Joseph Elliott, the printing superintendent of this
establishment for him to answer in detail. The
following are the inquiries, with his answers ap
pended, in the regular order of succession in
which they are proposnded. together with other
information, which may be interesting to the
| general reader
Questicn-How many printing machines have
you for your newspaper work, and what are
they, and how long have they been in uses
Answer-Three printing machines Of the ro-
tary patent-two Of them being Of tsn cylinders
each, and the third Of six cylinders The six
cylinder press has been in use between six and
seven years; the ten cylinders about two years
Question-Were your ten cylinders the first
that we're built?
Answer-Yes.
Question-What number of revolutions of the
main cylinder do you regularly run the ten
cy Under machines per minute, and how much
faster have you at times run them?
Answer-The regular speed at which they are
propelled is from twenty .eight to thirty revolu-
tons per minute-occasionall as high as thirty
| three.
Question-What is the average number of i'm
pressions per hour, including stoppages!l
| Answer-About fifteen thousand
| Question-What have been the breakages, and
what have been the delays consequent on them
Answer-We have had but few, and none to
delay the publication of the paper. We have
had to throw Off one of the cylinders two or three
times from slight accidents to tape wheels on
the end of the cylinder, and from breakage Of
finger cam.
Question-How do the finger motions Of the
ten cylinders compare, in point of durability,
with the six and four cylinders which you have
used?
Answer-Favorably They are, however,
more difficult to get at and require particular
attention on the stoppage of the machinery, in
order that their movement may be correct when
the machinery is again put in motion. Of course,
they must be kept clean.
Question-Do you find more fingers broken on
the ten cylinders, in proportion to the number of
cylinders, than in four or six cylinders
Answer-No.
Question-About how often do fingers or grip
pers break on your ten cylinder machine?
Answer-We have had very few broken since
the presses were put in operation, and not one
for the last three months.
Question-Have you any more difficulty with
composition rollers on the ten cylinder than Oh
the four or six cylinder
Answer-We have had less difficulty, and our
rollers last lOnger-some of the distributing
rollers having been in constant use for over six
months The type rollers, however, do not last
go long, as they have to be washed oftener and
are more liable to accident in handling. They
average about six weeks in wear.
QuestiOn-What occasions you the most delayss
Answer-The tapes which contract and ex-
pand from the action of the weather. They
sometimes break, and occasionally run off the
pulleys when too much expanded, endangering
the machine.
The London Times seems to be peculiarly I'M
fortunate with their ten cylinder presses. All
that have been manufactured in this country.
have worked admirably SO far as we have been
able to ascertain; and no cause is assigned by
those making the above inquiries for the appa-
rent failure Of the machines in England. But
there must be deficiency somewhere, and the
fault seems to be in the want of skill in English
machine shops, as the same drawings upon which
the New YORK HERALD presses were constructed,
were sent over to England. A skilfal mechanic,
who understood the manufacture and working
operation Of these presses in America, was sent
over with the drawings to render every assistance
which his experience and practical skill could
afford to the parties who were engaged to manu-
facture them in that country; but such was the
English exclusiveness and self uf6ciency Of the
parties engaged in the contract, that when
this American mechanic arrived in England,
he was denied access to the Workshop precisely
as Hughes, the electrician was excluded from the