Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-04-11
TYPE SETTING BY MACHINERY.

The civilized world Is still pratng ABOUT
things that can't DO did" Won
lerful as have been the inventions Of the
present century, the majority Of men
pshaw at the idea Of regularly navi-
the air and conclude that all
experiments to that end will resolve
in Gas. Yet it Is a fact that twenty
years ago, if you had inquired Of a person
generally credited with ability to reply,
a basis Of soundness and candor, which
class Of experiments were likely to first
prove or approach a practical success
air navigation for stated transportation
purposes, or type setting and distribution
BY machinery. the answer would assured
" have been in favor Of the triumph Of
the former. But the latter has been in
vented, and is TO- in regular and demon
s,rasing operation in the New York
Tribune office !; aud a wealthy firm Of me-
chanics have commenced turning out type
setting machines, in the confident expec-
,ation that in less than ten years they will
surercede hand setting and distributing
in al, the daily" and leading job ofices
of the country. This wonderful machine
is the invention of Timothy Alden, once
a compositor in the Tribune office. The
name OF this inventor is now enrolled with
Watts, of the steam engine, Whitney, Of
the cotton gin. and Howe, Of the sewing
machine fame. He did not live to realize
his success; but we are assured that the
machine is now essentially as he left it,
changed only in some details such as are
inevitably developed in the practical work.
ing Of all new machinery"
The New York Tri6uns proprietors have
had the Alden machine under close and
watchful observance for many months,
and have seen i. put, under very great
disadvantages, to the severe,t tests. They
sSy that it is a beautiful piece Of mechan-
ism, apparently exceedingly complicated
and yet exceedingly simple. The problem
the inventor set himself to solve was to
take o designated letter from a certain
poin, and deliver it, at the command Of q
touch upon 4 key, at another. This is
one motion-,he setting. The second is
to take up type without any order than
tina, given by q mick" on the type, and
drop it at another given poin,-and this is
its distribution. Both these operations
20 on at one and the same time. The
machine, by certain hicks upon the body
Of the type, by certain adjustments to those
hicks, and the constant multiplication Of
all its parts, is enabled to set type By di-
rec,ion of the touch upon the alphabetical
keys, to distribute type at the same time.
and to do both with IN accuracy as I'M
erring as the hand and eye of the
operator can direct, and with a degree Of
rapidi,y even now six times as grea,
as that of the human type setter.
But beside the operator there must be an
other workman to Justify" the type de.
livered, and when both these are skilled
workmcn it needs practice only to enable
them to do the work Of six type-setters'
In other words, it is proved beyond a per-
adventure that the machine can set 1000
ems per hour, with one operator and one
"justifer." To set 600 ems per hour is
the task OF an ordinary type-setter at the
case. After careful and patient observa-
ton, they can see no reason why this
amount of work may not be the practical
result Of the machines labor from years
end to years end. OF course it mus,
have skillful operatsrs, and in its continu'
Gus use it is not impossible that in somt
minute details corrections and improve
ments are yet to be made, as is the case it
all new machines. But patient and can
did trial is all that is necessary to pu'
them, as fast as they can be manufactured,
into book and newspaper offices to dc
that work in which, since the invention o.
printing, there has been no advance. The
almos, universal belief hitherto has been
that, till mechanism could be made &c
think, it could not be made to supply The
place Of the human eyes and fingers AND
brains in fixing the intelligent j~uxtaposi.
ton of types for printing. The curious
and ingenious adjustment Of parts to parts,
multiplied and duplicated in infinite va.
riety, in the Alden machine has overcome
the limit beyond which it was though,
machinery could not go. Given an auto
matte type.setter perfect in that work, and
the res. is easy. This the Alden machine
is. Intelligence and patience in its use
will inish the work, and art makes q new
conquest. A mandatory, under the di-
rection Of Mr.. C. C. Yeadon, to whose en-
ersy and perseverance its present develop
mens is mainly due. is already in working
condition to produce the machines as fast
as they are wanted.
The practical printer will readily I'M
derstand. and even the impractical public
can comprehend that this, il true. must
needs make an era in the art Of printing.
The work Of human muscles and nerves is
multiplied BY an ingenious complication
Of iron and steel, and the result must be,
as it always is in the introduction Of labor.
saving machinery, that perfection and in
creased advantage follow use, aud that
there will be, not fewer printers, but more
and cheaper printing,
INDIAN AYrAIRs.-Ap important treaty
between the Creek nation and the United