Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-11-03

whole of the news of the day in condensed
and convenient form. He also reads the
letters from abroad, if there be any, and the
special teleRiaphic correspondence, it may
be, from Washington. This, and the Con
gressional news-the expense of which,
may say, by-the-way, is borne 10y all the
papers in the county which receive 1.-THE
furnishes with sub. heads. ...,
| ..-a4'... LIKE THIS, .....
which serve to break the monotony of the
matter and divide it for the convenience OF
the reader He also goes. over the New
York letter. to see that there is nothing I'M
| proper in it, and mayhap if it does not come
in time he writes one himself for the News
Editor is q versatile youth, and can turn his
hand to almost anything. When the matter
is all set up in type. the proofs are sent
down for his supervision. ..| .r fl
I'D" t'H THE LOCAL REPORTERS.
In the next room to him are tile local re-
porters. These all have special duties al
| lotted to them. One attends to the Courts,
another to the Central Station and police
affairs; another to meetings and matters
generally, and there is perhaps a phono
grapher who reports speeches and interest
ing evidence in full. These gentlemen are
enterprising, energetic and Woodworking
They do not get half the credit they deserve.
They will walk five miles to fire, rush
trantically into fight to ascertain who is
hurt. and go into ecstacies over fall from
third story window. or the pcrpetration of
a "horrble homicide" Mild and perfectly
harmless themselves, they delight in blood.
shed. Honest as honor itself they rejoice
greatly in first class burglary. They are
without doubt the most Important men on
npyl' 4 ! hail,
or three tirst-class reporters are not more
valuable than even talented editorial
writer. They are generally on duty until
twelve o'clock, wien the police telegraph
at the Central Station closes for the night.
So much for the Editorial department, to
which it is difficult to do justice in such u
limited space. Next in order comes tho
CoNPosINa RooM,
of which no extended description is ueces-
ssry. 1t is flied with long rows Of cases,
containing type, at each Of which compo.
sitor is lingering this tiny letters that are to
utter tomorrow such diverse and varied
sentiments. The copy" as it is called, is
sent to the foreman. who cuts it up into bits,
numbers it SO that it can be put together
again correctly, and distributes it around
the Office.
Each compositor has number of which
he is known, and when he has set up his
matter he hands it to the foreman, with
slug" containing that number at the head
OF it, so that when the proof is taken and
The matte, measured on pay day, the exact
quantity of work he has done may DO asccr-
taiued. The proofs then go 10 the
PRooF READER,
al unhappy individual who with the "devil'
to hold the manuscript, has to read every
line that goes in the paper, advertisements
and all, while the poor devil" who is gen
orally a very small boy, dozcs and mods
through the long columns of tiresome SEN
tences- .
"What do you read, my lord?"
Words, Words words -
ry corrections on the margin OF the proof
sitor for correction. When the "inside"
pages are ready, they arc placed in the
FORM" and tho type is tightly wedged in
its place. Then the forms are all ready for
the
STEREorYPING ROCKS.
In old times when nine and ten thousand
copies were considered large edition of a
newspaper, and the old fashioned press turn.
ed out but one at time, stereotyping
newspaper Was not thought of. But now
with big editions and fast presses that print
30 900 in su hour, and turn out six papers
ut one time, it is necessary to stereotype to
prevent the wearing out of the type, and
also in order to curve the plate to fit the re-
volving cylinder Of the press. Sometimes,
also, three or four presses are used, and du-
plicate plates are necessary.
The process is simply this. The forms are
laid upon a table and covered with thick
sheet of paPier mache, which is beaten and
pressed upon the type until full and cor
rect impression of it is left upon the mould.
This is then baked until the heat of the
type hardens the paper pulp, when 1t is re-
mooed. This is called the matriy, and is
placed in o cOucave mould with close fit
ting lid, and melted lead is poured upon
it. receiving the impression, and becoming
an exact duplicate Of the type, but in one
hard block, and in convex form to lit the
press cylinder. .....
Tho curve of course varies with the kind
of press used. One of the principal papers
in this city uses three different curves, the
most peculiar being perfect cylinder not
more than eight or ten inches in diameter,
containing the whole of four pages OF the
paper. This is used in the Bullock press, of
Wnicn Will speak lurtner ON. Nnel Tue
| plates are taken from the mould they are
cut to fit the press exactly, and sent down
into the press room, which is in the cellar
of the building. ..-r
| TIE Pass ROOM.
Here henesth the pavement is huge
steam boiler, Kissing and fosmirg, trodden
over by thousands Of people every day, who
do not dream of the mighty power beneath
their feet. 1t furnishes the propellng pow
er to the swift and noiseless steam engine in
the room, which, in its turn, connected by
straps and pulleys, sets every bit of ma
chinery in the building to whirling and fly
ing around.
At the other end of the cellar stands the
Hoe press, huge mechanical giant, perhaps
in the very throes Of its literary labor, cat-
tering and whirling aud laundering as the
white sheets are poured into it's capacious
NAV. Down they go, swallowed ravenous-
ly, and disappear amid the iron membrane
only to be cast forth covered With the BLACK
characters that teil the story of to-day to to,
mofrowIs world. A glance at this machine
and its complicated net work of iron rods