Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-08

From Tho Mobilc Aavertiser.l

lew minutes just uoN-idNllB pcci an
editor himself once, he likes nothing better
than pile Of fresh exchange papers-and
remarked on going out that he must 'look
after that press of his-he keeps two or three
excellent ones always going or ready for the
steam TO be turned on-as it had to make
1000 additional revolutions before 1t
stopped for the day.
This incidental remark Of the "head-press-
man." which he uttered while he held in ms
teeth venerable pipe filled with the gen
uine Perique"-he lived in Louisiana for a
time before the war, and of course thinks the
only kind Of tobacco fit for gentleman to
smoke is PeriQue-has set us a-thinking OF
the wonderful improvements that have been
made in the printing-press within the last
half a century.
IL DR.. Franklin could revisit the Gimp
ses Of the moon" to-day, and see one of Hoes
cylinder presses in operation, linking the
type, placing the sheets to receive the i'm
preston, and then piling them up when
printed, he would look upon his whole
career as a printer in the light of a misera-
bic failure. The press on which he printed
his paper in Philadelphia was made of wood
most probably of mahogany. II took him
a dav or SO 10 strike off one edition of his
lilllG NHEklYs MutGB SDuid nav WI
sisted of more than 900 copies, each about
the size Of sheet of ordinary foolscap. de
linked his type with two large balls made of
sheep-skin and stuffed with wool. The whole
operation was wretchedly slow, if Poor Rich
ard had only known it bu. he didn't know
il, for then, as now, everything was fast or
slow by comparison only, and there were no
comparisons turning up in that line to rem
Al IT.,.a tla faIrp
stances, he would have been perfectly justifi-
able in feeling as sorry for Faust and Gutten-
berg 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 were not thought
TO be the nc Plus ultra of that sort Of mech
anism, the world at large was not aware of
the fact. SoIle forty years ago, the two po-
litical parties in North Alabama were
headed by the Winstons and the Foote's.
The most prominent and influential among
the latter was a young gentleman destined TO
become United States Senator, the Cover
nor of neighboring State a member Of the
Confederate Congress, and the author of
"War of the Rebellion; or Scylla and
North Alabama at that period, and young
Foote thought that printing press at Tus-
cumbia might be made an instrument Of
much good to his party. Besides, like many
other men at his time of life, he had an am
bition to become an editor. He accordingly
went or sent to New York or Philadelphia,
and had press brought out. The name of
the newspaper printed upon it has long since
been forgotten, but the press itself, which
was made chiefly of wood, and was
not materially different in construc-
ton from the one used by Benjamin
franklin, still stands in the Office of the
North ALabamidn, at Tuscumbia-or did
few years ago, at which time it was made to
turn out as neat specimen Of jobwork as
YOU would care to see. We may add that
Mr.. Foote'S recollections of his editorial
career cnn hardly be the most pleasant of
his life for although that career was very
brief lasting but three or four months, 1t
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
memorable in the annals Of the art preser-
vative as the day on which the first news
papee was printed by steam. That paper
was the London Times, of which John Wal
ter, 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, aud was more than willing to encour-
age every invention in this line. And thus
| il came about that the power of steam was
brought into requisition and mighty revo-
| luton in the art of book and newspaper
making was inaugurated.
An ingenious printer named KONG had
| invented a press TO go by steam, and in 1914
| Mr.. Walter consented TO test its value. But
such was the hostility of the pressmen in
the Times Office to all such inventions, that
il was necessary 10 make the experiment In
an adjoining building. The patentee and
his assistant worked quietly for several
months, getting their machinery ready for
the final test. The night of the 29th of No
vember, 1914, was one of much anxiety to
Mr. Walter, for his pressmen had threatened
violence to any one whose inventions should
throw them out of employment.
Ii was about six o'clock in the morning
when Mr.. Walter went into the press room,
and astonished its occupants by telling them
that the Times was already printed by steam;
that if they attempted any violence there
was force ready TO suppress it; but that If
they were peaceable, their wages should be
| continued till employment could be procur-
| ed. He then gave them copies Of that NOR
nings Times, and they had the pleasure of
reading the following announcement in its
columns:
"The reader of this mornings Tunes,
holds in his hards one of the many thousand
impressions of the Times newspaper, which
were taken of last night by mechanical
apparatus A system Of machinery, almost
organic has been devised and arranged
which, while il relieves the human frame of
its most laborious efforts, far exceeds all hui
man power in rapidity and dispatch.
After placing the form upon the press,
little more remains for man to do than watch
the unconscious motions and keep it supplied
with paper.
Itself places the form. inks it, adjusts the
paper to the newly linked type, stamps the
sheet and gives it forth to the hands of the
attendant, at the same time Withdrawing the
form for fresh coat Of ink, which itself dis
tributes TO meet the ensuing sheet now adj
vancing for impression; and the whole OF
these complicated motions are performed
with such velocity of movement, that no less
than |, 100 sheets are impressed in an hour"
The pressman Of any popular daily news
paper OF to-day would look on Mr. Walters
system of machinery" as a miserable slow
coach, if he were compelled to run 1t; but
fifty years ago it was justly considered won
derfully fast, for the lightning presses now
in use were then undreampt of in the