The Rock Island Argus., 1879-11-14
Buying Steam--An Extensive Business
in New York,


A New York letter to the Bethlehem,
Pa, Times says:
Down beneath the pavement on Spruce
street. there is painting away, day and
night, every hour in the year, huge iron
slave, running his giant arms out beneath
sidewalks, across streets, under massive
buildings and blocks, grinding away,
Samsonlike, in his dark prison house.
perfect marvel of strength. aud without
parallel on the continent, if on the globe.
He grips with one of his long fingers the
presses of Horace Greeley's greatest monu-
ment, and throws off 1000 Tribunes an
hour from each of the tseveral presses
under the famour ttall tower. With
another, he craps the lightning presses of
the paper which shines for all, and
prints 100000 before you have tasted your
morning coffee. Down Spruce street runs
another giant arm which turns out the
monstrous edition of the New York Led
ger; another drives the presses of the
Sunday Dispatch; anothnr runs down into
John Scott's cellars and prints over forty
weekly papers of lesser fame. To both
sides of Spruce, both sides of Frankfort,
both sides of William and one side of Beck
man. vet other arms stretch out and run
hundreds of devices for printing. ruling,
cutting, perforating and binding in that
busy nest of types and cardboards sfront-
ing on and adjacent to Printing House
Square.
His fires never go out; almanacs and
clocks, seasons and cycles, dynastles and
electoral commissions are not tor him. He
heard the booming guns at Sumter and
told the wor Id what they meant. but. his
panting quickened not, Lee laundering at
/ &c lor
ing at App0mattox were one to this slave.
He heard the tramp of armed men above
his head in '6I and listened in '65 to the
heavier thread of thinner ranks bearing
back those tattered, riddled banners, which
made the veriest dotard's blood stingle in
his veins as he looks. Old Time, to whom
we mortals bow most reverentiaily, looks
down through these grimy ,gratings and gets
no more attention than a contemptuous
puff of steam in his face. This is the
| slave of Com u cree not of Time; he knows
| no law but the demands of trade and ack-
nowledges no master else!
Twenty years ago a printer owning a
steam engine which supplied more power
than he needed, began furnishing power to
his neighbors. They quickly found in
cheaper to take a shaft from him than
! buy and operate an engine for themselves
and the business grew rapidly 1hls Is
I the very heart of the printing business of
| Gotham. Within the space of eighty
acres is more capital invested in types and
their accessories than 10 half of all Ameri
ca. It was a rare field for such an enter
prise. A.stock company was formed with
$4,000 capital. every dime OF it represen
ted IN the engines. boilers and shafting.
Great papers, like the Tribune, Sun and
| Ledger, found@it cheaper to buy power
than to generate it, and though they have
engines of their own, they hold them only
/ a. reserves in case of accident. No acci
dent has occurred iheso twenty years. A
| Gre pump of immense poRer has been at
| tached to these engines, a thousand feet
| OF hose are always ready for use; men are
at hand every hour of the twenty four.
repeated have turned the full power oi
those mighty engines upon the pumps,
and put cut dangerous fires before even
cur alert fire department could reach the
spot.