Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-03-20
HOW A GREAT NEWSPAPER IS PRO-
DUCED.

the manner OF mailing and distributing
the n. Y. HERALD, and the celebrity
with which these are done, will doubt
less be OF interest.
As soon IA the cOmpOsitOrs have
finished their work and the type
matter has been properly arranged in
the forms, these forms are taken TO
the stereOtyping room in order that
duplicate copies may be cast in metal
for use on the presses, for it IS not
from the type itself that the paper is
printed, but from plates which are
fac-similes OF tho original forms, but
arc partly rounded so as to fit to the
cylinders of the presses. The way in
which these plates are obtained and
the quiclness with which they are
turned out by the stercOtypers are
almost marvellous. First an impress
sion Is taken from the type by means
Of q composition. The matrix thus
made IS then placed in a semi-circular
iron mould, molten metal is poured in
and the plate is formed 1t is then
taken out and the rough edges are
trimmed and planed off, so that it
may truly fit on the cylinders Of the
presses. The main sheet OF the paper
containing the Intest news, kilograms,
editorials sand other matter, Is not put
TO press until three o'clock in the
morning. This requires eighty stereO-
type plates and the work of five
double Bullock presses in order that
the edition may be printed in time to
be sent off by the early trains and
| mails.
For a quintuple sheet. such as was
published April 9th, 2}o plates have to
be cast each weighing thirty-lve
pounds. Thus the metal necessary for
the whole number Of plates, weighs
over four tons For the outside shet
forty.eight plates are required, and
they are made in one hour. The re-
mainder Of the plates are cast in three
hours, or on an average Of ono plate
per minute. From each matIiX
| twelve castings are made.
One minute only IS required 20 lock
these plates in the presses and start
the machinery. When q Quadrupl0
sheet Is printed lG0 stereotype plates
are made for five Of the seven presses.
These plates are sent TO the press
room in quick succession, and are at
once placed in position. The roar Of
! the presses commences and copies Of
the HeraH are now being printed at
the rate Of 1900 an hour by each Of
the five large "Bullocks," and by
twenty minutes to five \. NJ, or one
hour and forty minutes from the time
OF commencement on tho main sheet,
over 100000 papers have been rolled
out. as is indicated by the register
attached to these presses. As the papers
come from the machines they are
gathered up in huge piles and carried
TO the floor above, the mail room,
where they are counted and made up
into bundles for the country dealers.
At the same time that some Of the
mail clerks are making up their par
GELS others are equally busy IN folding
and wrapping single copies TO be sent
| by the mails % individuals and
clubs throughout the country. This
part OF the work is truly marvellous
sight. SO expert arc the men employ
ed to count the papers that II would
seem impossible to a bystander who
watches the operation forthe first time
that they could be correct; yet It is
seldom that any mistake is made.
While the bundling and wrapping are
going on, other men are kept busy IN
! furnishing the various news companies
that call for thousands Of copies. The
employees Of these companies, in turn
have TO take them TO their own offices
and distribute them thence 10 their
customers. As the parcels for the
trains and for the mails are made up
they are placed in bags ready at hand,
and are then quickly carted TO the diff
ferent depots. These bags are OF var
! ious colors, indicating TO the baggage
and mail masters the packages they
need first TO arrange for delivery at tho
nearest stations. This work Of supply
inc the mails and news companies IS
completed in forty minutes, and then
comes the business Of making up the
bundles for the branch Offices at Ihir-
ty-second street, Broadway and Sixth
avenue, in Brooklyn and in Harlem.
Several thousands ofpapers'are requir,
ed at these offices, in order 10 furnish
the dealers, who for convenience 20
| themselves give llitll VI anu 'tsLl
for their papers at these places in pre-
ference to going to the main Office.
Next comes the furnishing OF the gen.
eral dealers, and it IS a sight worth
witnessing TO see the crushing. crowd
ing and fighting Of these men in their
endeavors 10 be the first served. No
money is taken at the counters from
which the papers are delivered, but
simply checks, which must have been
bought and paid for in the general
office. So perfect is the system and
management that by five o'clock
nearly al! the demands have been sup
piled, but in order to provide against
contingencies when the publication Of
important news creates an extra de-
mand, one press and It's attendants are
kept ready to turn out any quantity
of Herdlds that may be called for. On
Sunday mornings the time occupied in
issuing the paper is necessarily some
what longer, owning to the increased
demand for copies
The paper on which the Herald is
printed is at first in the form Of rolls,
and is :cut into single papers as it
passes through the presses. Each roll
is one mile long and sixty-threeinches
wide. One hundred and ten OF these
rolls were used on Sunday April g.
equal to 10 miles Of paper. As the