The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-01-02
NUMBER So.
The London Times.


TO the London Times printing establishment
have visited, at London, The printing
Office of the Times. 1t is truly something
great and wonderful there is no where in
France anything of the kind TO equal it.
AT the starting of the paper in 1871, the
Times consisted of only single page, and
was printed by hand press, which struck
of one side of two hundred sheets per hour.
In 1914 KGuig made press which struck
off / 800 sheets. In 1927 Applegarth, aid
ed by Courier, constructed new one, on
which 1000 TO 5000 copies could be print
ed. In 1928 the same Applegarth estab-
lished his famous vertical machine, which
| examined, and on which 10000 copies
per hour are struck off, Since 1928 the
managers OF the Tunes have erected anoth-
er machine, with horizontal cylinders,
which strikes off eight copies at once, OF
about IL, 500 per hour These TWO presses,
which make, while a: work, a deafeping
noise, and which can be stopped at mo
ment's notice, are moved by a steam en-
| gine of fony-five horse power
Adjoining the room in which is the boil
| er, is a closet containing white marble
bathing-tubs, intended for the workmen in
the establishment. 1t cost ninety guineas.
A compositor on the Times must have
passed an examination, showing that he
can set at feast 40 lines of Sc letters, or a.
about 2,240 letters per hour. The price
paid for type setting is lid. per thousand
letters: at which rate the composiior can
make from % TO 30 francs iE an ordinary
days work. This amounts to abou SIS
day. There are 124 composilors employed,
80 of whom are occupied solely in setting up
advertisements. Five or six slenogr pliers
take notes of parliamentary proceedings at
Westminster: and return every quarter of
an hour 10 the newspaper Office, TO put
their copy in shape and let The compost
tors have il without delay. In this way il
often happens that a speech delivered at
two O'Clock in the morning appears in the
journal which is struck off at six o'clock
and distributed al seven.
The editorial room is large and well light
ed. In The centre is huge oak table, and
; around the room are little desks furnished
, with every convenience for writing. Ad-
joining, is dining-room for The editors and
the archive-room where are stored all the
; files OF the Times since lis foundation.-
; Next 10 the archive chamber, | saw the
proof readers rooms, where are hundreds
, of dictionaries and encyclopedias, in all
languages and relating 10 all subjects.
dozen proof readers are employed during
/ the day and another dozen during the night
: They have an eating-room adjoining that
! where they work, and their meals are pro-
3 vided al the expense of the establishment.
] On another story is small room where
are printed the registers and envelopes for
the mail papers.
Every one of the editors living in London
;, carries with him a number of envelopes
e addressed TO the Times, so that in any place
where he may happen to be, at the theatre,
e the races, or elsewhere: he can send by a
# special messenger his cory TO the Office
The foreign correspondents have envelopes
of read paper, which are sent Immediately
;, on their arrival from The Post Office TO the
e Times office.
o Supplies OF paper and ink are constantly
!
y of ink are used each week The paper is
weighed in the establishment by very in
9 genious machine. II is also postmarked OH
the spot.
, The journal appears every morning and
evening. But sometimes during the day
/ special editions are issued when important
news demands This extra edition can be
prepared in two hours.
When visited the establishment ii was
Q one O'Clock in the day, and the news had
Just arrived of the death, at half past twelve
of Albert Smith. AT halt-past Two the
i, Tunes appeared with his obituary.
II The administration OF the Times has moth
q ing 10 do with the SUBSCRIPTIONS 10 the pa.
e per- Smith, of the Strand, sees 10 the mail.
}. ing of the papers for England, Europe, and,
indeed the entire world. Mr. Smith takes
thirty thousand copies day, sixteen thou.
a sand of which he receives at o'clock in
the morning, and dispatches them by the
= ! carriers al six clock. The other numbers
of The Tunes are bought by one hundred
and seventy news dealers, who pay in ad
I. vance. They order each day the number
rs OF copies they will need for the day follow
ing. They pay thirty confines for eacf
copy, retailing it al fifty ceniimes, The
,e management of the paper lose something
lie on each sheet by selling i! at such a price
bur look 10 tie advertisement nts for ihei
profits. The charges for these advertise.
ments are, of course, very large, anC
the amount must be considerable, as the
revenue OF the Times reaches to nearly fv,
" million francs. was told that one OF the
u pIoprieloTs OF the Times had given az dow