, 1859-05-04
GREAT FAILrRE II BRITISH MECHANISM.
Hot,s Ttm Cy|lnd<r Prrsf~-3<rrfopm<n OF
Printing .uarhfnsrY.


l,y Euysh mechanics, in the establishment Of
Messrs. Whitworth Co., Of Manchester, which,
f7nm snme Cause unknown to US appear to be
detective i'll their operation. Two years have
bccsl consumed in the construction OF these ma
cta'nrs, and yet the constructive genius IT Eng
lsh Worknen has failed to render satisfaction,
AMI wc have been caiied upon 10 u11swer the
following inquiries in relation t" those in our
establishment, they being the first constructed
tf those wonderful macAines-the ten cylinder
printing press.
We funded over the inquiry addressed ia us
liz the London Times to Sir Joseph Elliott, the
printing superintendent Of this establishment,
iur him To answer in detail The following arc
thr inquiries witt. his answers appended, i'll the
regular order Of succession in which they arc
plupounded, together with other information,
which may be interesting to the general reader
'}uestion--l1ow many printing machines fluSe
yrn for .rour newspaper work, anu what are
thy, and how !nn4 have they been IN Use
tnswcr-Threc printing machines Of tue ro-
taTy patcnt-two ot them being Of ten cylinders
each, and tic third of six cylinders. The six
cyner press las been in use between six and
sr:en wears; the len cylinders about two years.
Qucstinn-Nl lat number Of revolutions OF tile
INIT, cylinder TO you regularly run the Ten CYL
iu1cr n,achiHts leF Minute, and huw much
faster have yuu 1T times run them?
-inswer-The regular speed ii which they urc
,rupr]!sti is from twenty eight to thirty revolu
three.
kueston-Wiat is tlle average number of inl-
,rrssuns per huur, including stuppayes?
tnswcr-.thout fifteen thousand.
ftut>ton-Nhat hare been the brea6agts,
AID what have been the delays consequent OH
them:
.,nswcr-N'e have lad hut few, and none to
d lay tt4t publication of The paper. We have
hid to throw oti Que If the cylinders Two or
l,rec times from slirlt accidents to tape wheels
n the cad Of the cylinder, aud from Il breAE;se
u; finger c.ltn.
uuestinn-pu You fiud more fingers broken
ou The tt1l cylinders in proportion IL the n:lEi-
ier Of cylinders, than in fnur Ut six cylinder:
.ln>Wcr-NO.
tlucs,ion-.ibout how often .lo fingers Or grip
."ra break oil your ten cylinder machine:
-answcr-Wc have had very few broken since
tlle presses were put i'll operation, anu not one
! fur the last three months.
nuc>tion-liavc yon any more difficulty with
composition rollers on tllr ten cylinder than OH
| tie iuur or six cylinder
| Answrr-We have hal less difficulty. aud our
| rollers last longer. s"tue Of the distributing
| r.erS having been III constant Use for over six
n;nuths. The type rollers, however, do not last
! 81 lun. they hare 10 bc washed otiencr, and
| are lnure liable TO accident i'll handling. They
| average about six weeks in wear,
tluestion-What occasions the most delay?
| .Answe:-TI,e 1ai'cs, which contract aud cx-
sometimes break, and occasionally run of the
| nui1eys when too much expanded, cndangcrlnG
| The machine
| The London T;nts seems to hc peculiarly mn
| fortunate with their ten cylinder presses. All
that have been manufactured III this r.u1lirv
| nave worked admirably 50 far us We have been
ailc to ascertain, and no cause is assigned bs
t!n,:c making tlc ubovt inquiries for the appa-
| r,.1,t failure nf the machines in England. l'tt
/ there must he deficiency somewhere, and the
fault seet.s to be III tue wait oil skill i'll English
| :':.clIInc shops, aa tic same drawings ni"i'
| ,;!.ic!l the New York MraM presses were Gun
| >,,ucted were sent over +" ENGLAND. i *kiiiful
.,rclta,,ic, who understood tl.t manufacture
:4:,i wurkingorcraiun Of these presses in Amer
| iea, was sent over with the drawings to
| render crery assistance which Ills cApe.
rucc aud practical skill could a!tArd so the par
tms who were engaged to manufacture them in
that eounsry, but such was the eAclusleenes>
and sclf-suticienrs ot the parties engaged III
lie contract that when this American mechanic
arrived in England hr was denied access IN The
wo1k>!sop-rreci>ey is Hughes, the electrician.
w..~ cxti, i,.,lrd trnM the operating room of the
| Atlantic Ttl.grapll-anl informed that English
| kill was sufficient for ull purposes. and that
nlrn wanted l,r would b. scut 3or; upon winch
| :.e left Manchester and wclt to London. where
H.. remained until some mechanical h}un1r1
| compelled them to send for him to rectity tht
rtrtr. This done, his services were ITO longer
aai mode of completing the machines. which
| l,ry have brcn tw,, years in cn'leayoringto % per
.~t, but which have resulted III :: calnralativ.
inre. The same presses could have l'ref
] ut in this country and put in successful opc
| rlttnn i'll six mouths.
What saving OF timt and If capital wou1'
!, not have been for the London Times 10 l,ay'
! rtlrre,l them huilt in lie United States. so
I from wha, w ha:: cn If the workshops Q
| t:rett 1}ritaiu, their organization does no, ap
rra7 tn be favorable to the development et r4tv!
l..t,ual mechanical skill In that country IT.
artisan appears To hr considered part of til
material IN which he labor, while in -llnr1!c
!.r is tlle".ht tu b. al Intelligent being. carlbl
II culnrrchcnAii.. tt!e most :Absrusc srIenti1l
details If his profession, and the su. ..tstan* c
operatives art received th Us much considers
t:nu as those cnanating irnm individuals ii Il,
| distinctly marked in English workshops as i
-octtv 1t large in that c.'untry, with grade
nn.e numerous, and III tic rent IT ali lies III
r.il. that while every unt j. cjn.pelle't To !a!''
> int few arc allowed to think; am! 'o iia '''2'
| inu great measure. ht ascrlhra tllt failure
these presses fur the London 1'"l.s. When i
accident occurred there could bc no exchan&
uf IDEAS between tie worklncn, and tue one .
t. ,wo iuli,iiuul> III the head Of t}Ir Concern ha
not intelligence sufficient {: themselves to coti
,,rchrud tic difficulty. In>,eud Of the concr1
ID trattl mind Of au hundred men Oh sing
1tJlllt, HUut4 fIft HtIH 1AG A.SS -ail4c!
K scan workshop. 1l1c difficult: wi.s attempted
nj lie t:lthnuled by few oti!clals.
= As illustrative If these truths, we Will ME-
H. tim one vi the manv instances in our esta
" !ish,nrn1, where this intellectual nrchala'c
II mechanical knowledge has been s.na1!y avail
u | lie. Tn onr occa.iGr tE'r bcli-mctal ccccntt
tr strap attached tp tile connecting rod tt,
r. moves the slide valve in the steam chest IF u
engine. lrnkc in the centre. about tile middle
h. our edition, and 1t thu dead of night. when
would hare been impossible to have lad u
:r,ishap rcmedied BY external Resources. l.
/. presses were stopped-and what to da WAS
matter of consultation atnnn: all hands
length one Of the operatives said he thought
could mcud it if he had The p,upcr means. viii
C WAS CERTAIN amount Of silver metal 7
pockets of all hands were Immediately c:nrti
uf their leosc change, the silver WAS melted, t
>tra; was st!dcrr.l. TIN crrin" Was again III Il,
TO tam in an hours fine, and the edition sr,
Had this OCCURRED iD European Office. ri
- would have been tile result: The edition wot
haze hcen lost. Thu next morning. pr"bat
::y Il draftnan would haze been becn sent for
Eer make Il drawing then i tnouel would hare BE-
l.: handed to tlit moudcr, then cast, then tiuisL
~; ,Arn put in lis p1acc-au occupying $eye
:on. days If valuable time.
It's In connection with this kutjvct VI may
rp | wcll briefly trace the history ii power rrrs
II iur the past quarter Of 1 century, The ii
= cylinder press WAS invented IN Great Britain
i73:, by u person named Nicholson. This pr
was never put in practical nperl;isE. the VII
II oi the newspaper press ct that period not
L. '1u;rng anything more effective ,llnn any o1
raryy hand press, capable Of producing ab
= two hundred impressions IN hour: The n
o.a press was introduced into England BY 4
ard man, named kon.. and was capable IF p
f.. ducing about eight hthundredimprc>sons all II,
@'e and that must haze been the press fTum VII
inventors subsequently copied. until the ads
2: of the Rotary press. Mr. Walter applied stt
. | to one of these presses in 1874 TO work the
ton Of the l!oudon I1mts-whch was the
. application Of steam III u Eiollre power tC
IT, printing press. Suriuus improvements
and caa"Hcst ""h i''aet - ~ I't>sc
presses Of Arplcgar,h. which in turn, har'
give away tn 1hr len cylinder Of lInr-
sday The Ddi|v -idEtrfi.tr introduced ill.,:
cstss s printing machine into the country in about
rrin. . about the same time that the Napier was
tla.r ported BY the E"4a:'tr: after which. 4.
Afsy fsr Sen. able to suppl, the demand for c,
,m1e. der presses in this countrr The ponder
diver. il!.>haped presses Of English make had Ia
y fn 9e way before the Light, compact aud skill
Greai made presses Of Hoe, and several Of them
now be seen among the scrap iron curiosit
k"' that establishment, left rs Souvenirs of Il
20. gone age, By Robert Hoe, Sen, to his desc
-hm ants.
r. When VIC begun tie publication Of this
Nv nal, in 1885, a single cylinder prcss. capab
20. taking about one thousand impressions an