Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1860-01-20
A Talk with the Printers,
ny WIN. n. P, DENNY.

a
BRErHRES or THE PREss:-Ih had the hon
or, at the Editorial Convention, which as
semblod at Dayton, last January, to receive
the appointment Of ORAToR, on this occa-
sion. | disclaim all pretensions TO oratory;
and, shall, therefore, conflne myself TO a lit
tie plain talk, hastily "set up at the case, j"
(not written) amid many interruptions.
You will pardon me a little apparent
egotism, while rehearse m connection with
the Ohio Press.
My first impressions were received in a
printing Office. AS early as 1907, my father,
GEORGE DENNY, purchased an interest in the
Supporter and Scioto Gazette, J" Of the late
GEoRGE NAsHEE. They continued in part
nership until about the year 1915. Ny IA
Their tried farming for y few years, but print
ers being generally fit for nothing else than
printing, he returned to the business again
in 1920, at Xenia. In conjunction with JoHN
KENDALL, he published the "0hio Interior
Gazette" Here, in my tenth year, | learned
70 set type, and have continued to follow the
business, with little intermission, ever since.
Forty years service, therefore, makes me
a pretty venerable printer. For twenty
six years ofthat period, | have edited a coun-
try paper-twenty-f -four at Lebanon, in the
old Western Star, established by Judge
Mclean, In 1905. Ny father and Nathan
isl Mclean printed il for him a year.
l have worked on all the messages Of the
Presidents from james Monroe TO James
Buchanan; and this reminds me Of the re-
mArkable changes that have taken place in
printing since my apprenticeship. Here is
a fair sample Of the papers Of that day. II
is "The Galaxy" dated July 20, 1922, and
printed by my father, at Wilmington, Clin-
ton county. The type is small plea and
BREWER, and the press was a Ramage. The
Office cost about 500, and there was not
enough type in il, a part Of the time, to set
up the inside without distributing the adver-
tisements on the outsidel Steam was I'M
known; Hoe presses not even dreamed Of,
and the "balls" were the only linking appa-
ratus then in use. For many Rday, l have
played Yankee Doodle and other national
airs, on the 'forms," with these primitive in
v%entions for linking the type. They were
made Of "pelts' or green sheep-skins reek-
ing from the vat. The Devil was required
to wrap them in an old newspaper and rub
them under his feet on the floor, for hours,
until they were so dry that no water could
be squeezed out Of them. Il was a law Of
the Office, that the Devil should eat one Of
them before he completed his trade. The
pelts were filled with wool, and the edges
tackled on to = round piece Of wood, with
handles. After use, the ink was nicely clean
ed OIL, and the balls deposited in the trough,
~ covered with "wet blankets" to keep them
moist, Careful printers, in order to prevent
the wool from "matting," and to keep the
.pelt, soft and pliable, knocked off" the balls
after the forms were off, and then knocked
them up again when wanted. When in
good order, and with superior ink and pa
per, they did better work than rollers, and
are still used by engravers to "bring off,
clear and beautiful impressions. Buckskin
balls, being a little more convenient, sue
eeeded to the pelts, but now the rollers,
made of glue and molasses, have displaced
them both.
There being no Telegraph lines nor daily
papersin the west, prior to 1851, the peo-
pie were not greatly excited about early in
telligence. II they heard from Washington
once in two weeks, and from Columbus once
q week, they were satisfied. Publishers,
therefore, were in no extraordinary hurry
and often had a good deal Of elegant leis-
ure'' on their hands. Stoves being dear and
scarce, and not often found in a country of.
fice, in severe winters it was not uncommon
to suspend work several weeks, when all
hands would occupy the time in frolicking
and cunning. The paper, when wet down.
would often freeze as hard as an iceberg;
the types, when in form, would be frozen
solid and the balls be as hard as a rock
As printers, in those days, sent to the paper
mill every few weeks for paper, (they were
too poor to buy more than a ream or two at
atime,) they frequently found the mill stop
ped by ice; and, early in the spring, when
on this errand, they were impeded by high
waters. | have, when a boy, with a ream
in each end Of a bag, on horseback, swan
Mad River and other streams. 1t was usual
then to pay Fin cash and rags"-the latter
being bought by tho printer and called for,
by the p~aper-maker, every few months
The papers, up to 1880. all contained stand
ing advertisements, like this: