New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-03-05
-
Printing by Steam.

hers weak Others. lHe lTlbuue is sllGut uueu
wecd editorially concerning this great event.
missouri Democrat.
Printing by Steam.
From the Mobile Advertser.l
The pressmanin-chie of the Evening News
office came into the editorial room for few min.
utes, just now-having been an editor himself
once, he likes nothing better than pile of fresh
exchange papers-and remarked on going out that
he must look after the press of his-he keeps two
or three excellent ones always going, ready for
the steam to be turned on--as it had to make
Il 900 additional revolutions before it stopped for
the day.
This incidental remark of the pressman, which
he uttered while he held in his teeth venerable
pipe filed with the genuine perique-he lived in
Louisiana for time before the war, and of course
thinks the only kind of tobacco fit for gentleman
to smoke is perique-has set us a-thnking of the
wonderful improvements that have been made in
the printing press within the last half century. If
DR.. Franklin could "revist the glmpses of the
moon" to-day, and see one of Hoes cylinder
presses in operation, mixing the type, placing the
sheets to receive the impression, and then piling
them up when printed, he would look upon his
whole career as printer in the light of a miser-
able failure. The press on which he printed his
paper in Philadelphia was made of wood-most
probably of mahogany. 1t took him day or so
to strike of one edition of his little weekly, which
could hardly have consisted of more than 1000
copies, each about the size of sheet of ordinary
made of sheep skin and stuffed with wool. The
whole operation was wretchedly slow, if Poor
Richard had only known it; but he didn't know it,
for then, as now, everything was fast or slow by
comparison only, and there were no comparisons
turning up in that line to render themselves odous.
Under the circumstances, he would have been
perfectly justifabe in feeling as sorry for Faust
and Gutenberg as the printer or pressman of to.
day does for him.
Long after Benjamin Franklin left this world.
printing presses precisely like his were still used,
and that, too for printing daily papers, and if they
they were not thought to be the ne plus ultra of
that sort of mechanism, the world at large was
not aware of the fact. Some forty years ago, the
two political parties in North Alabama were head
ed by the Winstons and the Foote's. The most
prominent and influential among the latter was
young gentleman destined TO become a United
States senator, the governor of neighboring
State, member of the Confederate Congress,
and the author of 'War of the Rebellion; or
Scylla and Charybdis." Political times were brisk
in North Alabama at that period, and young Foote
thought that printing press at Tnscumbia might be
made an instrument of much good to his party. Be-
sides like many other men at his time of life, he had
an ambition to become an editor. He accordingly
went or sent to New York or Philadelphia, aud
had press brought out. The name of the news
paper printed upon it has long since been forgot
ten, but the press itself, which was made chiefly
of wood and was not materially different in CON
struction from the one used by Ben. Franklin, still
stands in the office of the North Alabamian, at
1t was made to turn out as neat specimen of job
work as you would care to see. We may add that
Mr.. Foote'S recolleetons of his editorial career
can hardly be the most pleasant of his life, for
although that career was very brief, lasting but
three or four months, it saw him involved as he
once told the writer of these hasty paragraphs in
half dozen fights, and he quit the profession in
disgust But all this by the way.
The 29th of November, 1914 will be ever memo.
rable in the annals of the art preservative as the
day on which the first newspaper was printed by
steam. That paper was the London Times, of
which John Walter, the son of the founder of that
journal and the father of its present proprietor,
was the manager. He had an idea that some thing
better than the hand-press could be made, and
was more than willing to encourage every inven-
ton in this line. And thus it about that the
power of steam was brought into requisition and
mighty revolution in the art of book and newspa-
per making was inaugurated. An ingenious
printer named Konig had invented a press to 90
by steam, and in 1914 Mr.. Walter consented to test
its value. But such was the hostility of the press
men in the Times office to all such Inventions that it
was necessary to make the experimental an adioin-
ing building. The patentee and his assistant
worked quietly for several months, getting their
nachinery ready for the final test. The night of
The 29th Of November, 1914 was one of much apx.
ETY. to Mr. Walter, for his pressmen had threatened
violence to any one whose inventions should throw
hem out of employment.
1t was about six O'Clock in the morning when
Mr.. Walter went into the press room, and aston
shed its occupants by telling them that the Times
was already printed by steam; that if they at
empted any violence, there was force ready to
suppress it; but that if they peaceable, their
wages should be continued till employment could
,e procured. He then gave them copies of that
Mornings Times, and they had the pleasure of
eading the following announcement in its columns:
The reader of this mornings Times holds in
lis hands one of the many thousand impressions
IT the Times newspaper, which were taken off
asst night by mechanical apparatus. A system
II machinery, almost organic, has been devised
md arranged, which, while il relieves the human
rame of its most laborions efforts far exceeds all
luman power in rapidity and dispatch.
9 After placing the form upon the press, little
more remains for man to do than to watch the un-
Ter.
Itself places the form, inks it, adjusts the pa
'er to the newly mixed type, stamps the sheet, and
sves 1t forth to the hands of the attendant at the
anne time Withdrawing the form for a fresh coat
u INK, which itself distributes to meet the ensuing
heet now advancing for impression: and the
Whole Of these complicated motions are perform
d with such velocity of movement that no less
nan an LOO sheets are impressed in an hour"
The pressman of any popular daily newspa per
y to-day would look upon Mr.. Walters " system
u machinery y as miserably slow coach. if he
we're compelled to run it; but fifty years ago it |
vas justly considered wonderfully fast for the |
ghtnng presses now in use were then undreampt !
II in the philosophy of the craft.