The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-17

N SATURDAY. APRIL Il
These are presided over by girls, who seem
by the way, to be very extensively employed
in all branches of industry here, as we'll as in
stores and shops. Ascending one flight O
steps, we found ourselves in the department,
where the finest colored title pages are exc
cuted. This work is most all printed +,
hand, as no machinery has yet been contrivet
which is capable of doing it with the requisite
degree of nicely and precision. The mos
elegant designs are engraved on the face Of
the stone with fine steel or diamond point
and to print from them, the operator rubs an
ink. ball across the surface so as to fill thu
lines with ink, after which he takes mois
rag and rubs the supeihuous ink from the I'M
engraved portions OF the surface and then
laying the paper on very carefully with piece
of smooth pasteboard on top, he runs the
whole through the press by hand, SO that the
ink held by the engraved lines is transferred
to the blank sheet. There il another plan
BY which the design is drawn on the stone
in a peculiar kind of ink, and the whole
afterward treated with some corrosive acid
BY which the bare places OF the stone are
eaten away, leaving the drawing in relief
from which an impression can be printed
much in the same manner as an ordinary wood
engraving, the difference being that aftel
every impression the face of the stone must
be moistened with water in order to prevent
the ink from adhering to the blank portions
of the surface for this ink being of an oily
composition will not stick to wet surface,
and the water on the other hand will not wet
the ink lines of the design, SO that by going
over the stone altern .tely with water and with
ink, the proper result is obtained. On another
floor we saw the process of engraving and
drawing. The plan pursued with their oper-
atoms is a. follows:
A page of manuscript music to be printed is
placed before an engraver. who takes plate
of the soft metal whose manufacture has been
above described, and after scratching the five
lines of each staff in the proper place, he pro-
ceeds to copy the notes. This he does by first
drawing them lightly with sharp point, and
then with variety of punches he stamps all
the characters into the soft metal, the notes,
sharps, fats dots, etc. and, if the piece is a
song, the words also. The slurs, stems and
bars are cut with a pointed instrument and
with degree of rapidity that is surprising.
After completing the plate proof is taken.
and if there are any errors to he corrected, he
simply turns the sheet of metal over on it's
face and hammers the back in opposite the
error, by which the part that is wrong is
raised on the other side, and then the surface
is scraped smooth and the necessary correc-
ton Can be made.
They do not usually print directly from
these plates, as they are rather soft, and by
repeated pressure would be liable to become
injured; but an impression is taken on Chi
nese paper, and by laying this while the ink
is yet wet upon lithographic stone, and,
passing it through the press, the whole de-
sign is transferred 10 the latter. The second
impression is then touched up a little and
fetched with acid, after which the plate is
put away for future use, and the required
edition is printed from the stone, and the
stone in turn can be ground smooth again
and used for other pieces But they do some
times print directly from the metal plate.
This process refers only to the notes, while
for the title page quite different process is
These can only be done upon
stone, and, Of course, the stones must be
as there is no chance of renewing
IN impression, as is done from the metal
plate by means Of the Chinese paper.
The publisher or composer of piece tells
9. G. Roeder what sort Of title-page he wants
and how much it is to cost, and the latter sets
IN artist to work to got up suitable design.
For those deliberately colored title-pages with
varied scenery, Il wers and trees, there is,
irst, drawing in water-colors made, which
- COpicu Will COuSuuu ShAlA Wy GAO 1itAO.
graphic dreughtsmen, every color requiring
separate stone, and, Of course, the greatest
care is necessary to have all the diff srelt paris
it exactly together. Plain title-pages are
simply engraved upon the stone with cut |
ing tool, or else drawn in ink and etched |
With an acid. Much of this drawing is done |
~ boys, who seem to be only about fifteen or |
seventeen years old, bat such clever boys as |
hey are They sit there and copy out the
most intricate drawings or designs by eye
lone with a degree of skill that seems abso-
utely astonishing. and this in great factory
where the noise Of machinery and the chatter
# printing presses resound from morning to
light After seeing all these various presses,
BESIDES a number of others less important,
UGH as the preparation and cutting of paper
nd so on, we went down into the cellar,
vhere the immense stock of plates and stones
8 kept.
Hero all these are stored after being used,
ach work with its appropriate number, and
,hen it is desired to bring out new edition
t any piece they have only to order up num-
er p, $50 or Sc, 9SS. or whatever it may be,
nd in day or two the whole thing is done.
his vast establishment only prints music by
ontract. For instance, publisher here of
he name of Peters, has them to print all his
lusc. and when he has piece to produce he
merely sends Mr. r ,eder the manuscript and q
escription Of the style in which he wishes
he work done, and the latter "puts it
Trough" for him.
The plan is remarkable one, for, as rule,
very publisher prints his own music, but
ere is a place where they do nothing at all
4 their own name but all for others. 1t
GEMS also that the working of the system is
cry satisfactory, at least to judge Of the i'm
tense amount Of work the house in question
oes. They print music for every portion of
le civilized world, some for Russia, some
" South America for Turkey, America,
ngland everywhere, in fact, that music is
layed. Altogether have seldom had more
and instructive visit, and it is
ne that will long remember.
Yours, etc, STAHLFEDER.
Cool supper for hot weather-Shadines.
Louisville car-drivers are an emaciated set,
i from excessive blasphemy. It is rarely
lat Louisville girl drops her foot upon the
lib )ard of a bob-tail car without lifting the
ont wheels off the track. and this wears on
le driver. Louis Globe