Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1868-10-23
SfIfftfd aalisffIlauv.
The Alden Type-Setter.

THIS was first devised by Timothy AL
den, an immigrant from Massachusetts,, in
1910. He had little workshop
in this city-we think in the old
Harlem depot-where he planned
and worked till 1857, when the Alden ma
chine was patented. He had so devoted
himself to his idea, that it finally got the
better of him, wore him out, and in 1859,
two years after his success, killed him. A
nephew of his, however Mr.. Henry w.
Alden, took up the matter and formed
company, which still exists. Mr.. Charles
f. Liverrnore, is the President; Mr.. Josiah
Low, the Vice President; Andrew V.
Stout, Secretary and Mr. Alden, Treas
urer. Since Mr.. Timothy Alden's death,
many mechanical and most important i'm
provements have been made by Mr.. j. t.
Slingerland, who has brought it to its
present state.
The present machine, one of which is
on exhibition at the mandatory of the
company on Tompkins Square, is entirely
horizontal in plan and presents the appear
ance of table about three feet high. The
compositor sits at cylinder keyboard,
on which four rows of keys are arranged
vertically. These communicate directly
with eight rods, and by means of "per-
mutation" every type is corresponded to
by a different combination of some of
these rods. Thus one letter-key pushes
the seventh and eighth, another only the
fifth, another the first, third, fourth, and
seventh, and so on. These rods act on
the revolving wheel at the back of the
machine, which is armed with one hun
dred (verticaD rows of eight movable pins
each. One row of the pins is pushed out
to correspond with the communication of
the rods at each touch on the keyboard.
Around this wheel, in three quarter cir
Gle of six feet diameter, are rows of type
arranged in radii of the circle, under each
of which is. key corresponding to the
Formulation of the pins for that letter.
When a certain letter is called for on the
pins, they strike this key and the letter is
pushed out from its channel and taken up
in its proper order by little fingers on the
revolving wheel, and with long row of
its fellows is pushed out just behind the
key-cylinder at the front.
In the old machine the type had TO be
made of thirteen different thicknesses and
especially for the machine. By this ma
chine the ordinary type are used, after
having been nicked on one side to cores
pond with the respective combinations on
the pins. The old machine contained
merely in its key board over thirteen hun
dred pieces; this key.cylinder contains
one hundred and thirty, while the whole
apparatus at present contains only twelve
hundred pieces, all told. The machine,
with one person at the keys and one to
iustify-that is, arrange the words in lines
of the proper length and put the necessa.
ry space between-runs oH four thousand
ems an hour, meanwhile distributing as
much. This is the work of five ordinary
compositors.
The distributing process is almost ex-
actly the reverse of composing, but is alto
gether automatic. The "dead" matter is
placed on bed to the right of the key
cylinder, and is taken up line by line as
each is exhausted. The types are taken
up by distributing transits in the revolV-
ing wheel, and by means of the hicks,
registered as before, transferred to the
channel whence each started. Extra
spaces, ETC., placed in during justification,
are tipped out at the end of the channels.
All unnicked type are thrown out into
separate box, italics into another.
A full font of type, accents, italics, small
caps and all, contains 355 pieces. OF these
the machine sets up only the ordinary
small letters, and full capitals, the figures
and signs. 1t is, therefore, scarcely avail
able for newspaper work, but will prob
ably some day be generally used for books,
where there is plenty of time and good
deal of uniformity. Several books have,
indeed, been printed thus for the Messrs.
Appleton. The machines at present cost
$4,000 each. The great objections are
first, their expense secondly, their com
plication; thirdly, the difnculty of supply
ing fresh type when one letter is especially
called for. Mr. Slingerland, who keeps
up wonderful thinking about these
things all the time, proposes to obviate
these difficulties by building two machines,
one for composing and one for distribut-
ing which will be much simpler and will
cost but $1,000 for the pair.
STEREOTYPE MACHINE.
A crude machine, which, however, con-
tsins the germ of process by which most
of our printing will some day be done,
was exhibited year or two ago in Grand
street by man named Nelson. An appa-
ratus on the same principle was also ex-
hibited by some one at the Paris Exposi-
tion. In this but one type of each sort is
used, which is arranged at the end of a
key lever, and imprints itself in the proper
place ON a bed of clay moving automati-
cally. This, when completed, is served as
the ordinary plaster casts for stereotypiEg
tho liquid metal is poured in, and in a
few moments we have complete stereotype
plates. The work turned out was not very
good, but as the idea has not yet been
worked up, and the machine will be cheap,
simple and quick, we think there is con-
siderable ground for our prophecy above.
-Neio York Mail.