Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-10-25
WONDERFUL fYPE-sErrINe MACHINE.

ter.
WONDERFUL fYPE-sErrING MACHINE.
The New York Herald, of eO:h inst, publishes q MI
mute description Of the "Aldsn Type-Setting and Dis
tribuing Machine, from which we quote the following
Thi, machine ia the work and invention Of o youpg
man named Alden, who spent bis life, as well as lif.'s
me lbs, IN working GU. the discovery. We need not cay
that Il s~upersedes the uses of The competitor, and asks
of him ro slgers to detec! and ssiz, the several types,
set them 10 order and array them In words In the stick.
Tho machine dos all this Ike 9 living being, and sets
them forwards In galley, then In page, &c; and again
asks no human fog ,s to separate the nass aud rec ore
each type to its own sort IN case. Tho machine can
make no mistake for It's task is reduced to perfect law.
An invention like this mus. ~assuredlJ bs the mos! re.
N irkAble OF the age and world.
You SEQ before you q table Of brass almost circular,
the p,rt nearest the operator only being Aittened and
az 9 slight elevation you see, radlating from the centre,
numerous deep ~'alepe," OF brass slso, within which the
types are made to stand, and these ALLEYS" (uumoeriig
onc hundred and eighty are tie substitutes for the usual
boxes or civ s.ons Ia cne, into these 'alleys" are pAced
one hundred and ftI-four diff rem. characters, and they
are 50 arranged as 10 hold exactly the same proportion
ate number Of types that the divisions in case contain.
For instance, there are three ~"seys" for the lover case
a, while III are Is bu: one for the letter b, two for c, Eve
for Q, and 80 on throughout. These 'allsys" are divided
into six diff sren. sec ions, with handles attached, allow.
Ing them 10 be raised up Instantly. in order 10 change
their font Of type TO any other s'zh
butuiC u StONesS - bS 1NypOe ~61N
iuches wide and fourteen ia length, and upon which are
one hurd ed and fifty tour keys, with ilyer.Pl,tedhtad
reese nbLng { I've of the concertins. Tnese keys sre all
pl,in!y lettered, aud The entire alphabet Of each class o..
letter is arranged vi hu spanning tist,ncs OF tie hanf:
They embrace the Roman upper ard lover cases, sns i
cspitsls, italics, dCuols lettsrs, numerals, punctuation {,
signs and spaces.
Ia tho ceatre Of the table Is the main wheel, thirty
inches in diam ,ter, revolving upon friction rcllers; and
upon ls circumference are tbiri ysiI I" convsyor,," or
II k.,Aa nfhdr n nj Hh,eh aftanfl IN . finO nm
lypa, while every other alternate one ia required to dis
.rioule oil matter into the same " aleys" from which the
setting ''conVeyors," or "nands," take thei: type.
The operator has only TO read his mAruserip. ard
toach his keys. From prsc'io his fog,rs invoiun' arily
pass 20 the key, as they now do TO tic divisions in case
lie can acquire a facility Of touching these keys much
moro IAp.oly than the ''cArryicg wheel" reyolves and
by 70 dong he ascunuli.ss siguss upon the Register
sneel" in adv ice CT the ~ceGvery-even 10 the extent
OF Sky lst1 rs-aI watch Instant a bell inside giyee IN
alafn that the Register wheel" is full. The corpoeiicr
tlSn stops TO read mis- copy b:iose him, aud juIudss q at
WHICH hs has already set up in page. Al the while
tho letiefs prsyi0u iy sent for are working in, sud hs is
read, W proceed wish frssh composition. II the opera
ior makes a mistake by touching the wrong KEY, he
can easily ooueS. it by turDiag of all the signals upon
he ~'Iegister wheel" or q portion Of them, as may be
n~eosssIy.
The most remarkable par: of this machine Ia the 'dis-
Irritating department" which is Fu ely sutonsticsl.-
BJ;h operations may be carried on together or separate
w., Tue OD2ratOr lays no oi.3lllOn WI q eFtT 10 luc Tx
t~rioalio3, except 10 p.4cs q page Of dead MISTER (eysn
"'pilot) up n ice t.n!e, AID the machinery OF itselt then
sexes charge OF lt. 0,s ine a. a time becomes separated
from the mSss or Peg by a powerful litter" AID other
p2liar ces OF T1cJiusry carry tho line slorg to the end
OF a deep "alsy," aud then tbs distributing convey
ors' stop, an each, taking a letter, carries !. home to 8
proper ALLEY" Nor oa /; be pos BILE to make a mistake
by misp acipg q later; for tue governing power Is Law
itself and that contr 1lrng power Is the different comb
nasioUs Of hicks In The type. Tbs type, BY the way, may
90 cast at ono half eel less per pound than that made
N tho usual way, which Is read ly accounted for by the
saving of metal. Old type, OF any description, es1 be
nicked By the thousand with a simple plane, gagged to
anv form. and adapt isself TO this machine.
Toe prin sip!e Of 'dEt.iou: IN" IL much tho sane as
that Of the ~"se.ting,' Ia only dlfes ,ncs bsing in set
ting the letd.ng power Is tho touch Of the keys, wolfe
ia di tr:bu,iug nias little steal fl lgers feel out from the
"d;srlbu Ing box into the hicks In the Ups, forming O
particular oVmb,naiior, HElci g sgnShzHd 10 the '1on-
yeyor' ftopoi, g for tho character, ant tho "hagers" upoa
i; become chan Sed from Loser 70 upper grooves upon
the 'eIcayased rim," comparing vita tue combination Of
fingers which have droppedilto toe hicks Upon Tho type.
To, other end OF the myers having dropped against a
.eraduated stop" all1ws a pas ,sge way 10 open just tho
width Of the type, which is passed ou' through to te
"conyeyor" which receives /. naturally aud follows on
vlta the .main whsel." The 'oonveyors" go through
the same revolution tia! the getting conveyors' 10 in
oomposng.
Mise, tho agencies AMI dependencies very numerous, ant
The whols fabric seemingly 9 very con pkcstcd one,
vkile. in truth, its &C lstu ent, as 6laily reached by the
dire ,vcrer, is tie simplest thing In tie weird. oae
"aney,n one "con roy o." aud one key constitute almost
the entire mschia All the rest Is duplication. AL tho
keys s, alike, ell the 'eoigeyors" ara alike, and the
ALLEYS" holding the type are also sill alike.
II the sor,s in settng AID distributing typo do not
run tqaany, or nearly &c, there ID always a sutplus kip!
ahead. When there arc letters 10 tbs slphsbss &C :upF
inc moro than ooe %'allsy," the ''convsyor-" iay rilolS
act from and distribute into the Grs. lue & 81. Ii that
Galley" becomes either full or empty, the 'corveyor"
passes on 20 the next line. II the mScSino ls distiou-
iirg aud not s.tif 2 tn tips, and the alleys hseon'
folI the onYeyors" STOP 10 longer at the alleys but
glide al,aE 20 the ..pi big." sai drop the surplus lhert-
IN. When the 'p;-bsg" Is FIJI, tho type Is again set up
on the table, and J., sent to is allotted Fl c.. Cou.d
ANYTHING be more Ike brUn turned ia.o brass? We
viii de.y any ole to i1d the less; fault with any portion
of this novel stir, there beng a provision mide fr
sny and every emlry ency Throughout. the entire machine.
No wear Whatever IL made upon the tJp,.
There ere numerous points OF cQanl beauty and utility
In is adaptation Of means 10 end, and Ia It's goaet'l
working. Nolhirg can b. core semisbie thsn tha del.
icacy aud 6nsss ct ali lis pIrs, aud the exquisite nic,;y
with which tho several ,ypsa, noe omiiu, & tbs alendeiest
sp Ca, are kept 10 place, and mad each 10 p3:e 70 aod
from lie "a, Icy" ard nads also to rice and III! itself into
proper position. II any ons thing more than another
sstounis US, is IL that 80 luls and such sinp.e machinery
Gan If G.. such miraculous resuly. Toe machine lie almost
wholly cep .ndsnt upon positive instead oil spring move
mems.
The "m,in wheel has ouly to u'ka six revolutions
DER minute to SCI up aud dis.routs 81 500 claractrs N
ten hours, which is equivsl,r ut 20 80. 900 ems sohi matter.
II he operator chooses be cia run the wheel TO eight
revolutions, which % all a sio~ mJvsnent, thereby ss'
ting and distributing ~ 900 ans solid 10 the sane mum
Der of hours.
VUANTRn.-A youth between IA and 5 ,s.u Of ss:. with