Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-08-23


able and systematic manner in which
the work is done in the news com
posing room. There are some thirty
compositors at work sticking type, and
two devils are busily taking proofs
and doing other necessary work. A
the copy comes up, the foreman cuts
it into small pieces, numbers each
piece, and then sticks a number on @
copy file. This is then placed in 6
sort of drawer with small opening
in the top. A compositor comes along
inserts his hand in the hole and ex,
tracts the top piece which he takes to
his case and sets what is written there.
on in type. The next composition
takes the next piece of copy, and
this is continued until all the copy on
the file is used up. Another pile Of
copy is then placed in position, and
thus the work goes on until the paper
is set up. When the comp has sci
his copy up, he brings the type to the
place where the galleys are placed
and this is SO admirably arranged
that the compositor can tell from the
number on his copy on which galley
to place the type and what part Of
the galley. When the galley has
sufficient type on it, one of the devils
seizes it, takes proof, and inserts the
proof through hole in partition
where the proof reader can get it
When the type in the galleys has
been corrected it is taken to the place
where the forms are made up, and is
then put in its proper page by the
foreman or his assistant.
As soon as page is made up, it is
sent to the stereotype department
A sheet of prepared paper is laid on
the type and then hammered with a
stiff brush; the result is that one
side of the paper is fac smile OF
of the type. The type and hammer
ed paper is then placed in a press and
by means of steam pipes the paper is
dried. This paper, or matrix, as it
is called, is then placed in a circular
mould, the cover of which is so ar
ranged as to leave a small space be-
tween it and the moold. Melted type
metal is then poured into the mould,
and an exact imitation of the face of
the types and cuts in the page is thus
formed in half circle shape.
The Free Press contains from eight
to twenty pages, and thus from eight
to twenty plates have to be made.
In order that these plates may be all
Of the same thickness, they are placed
in q planning machine and planed to
an equal size. The ends of the plates
have to be trimmed, and sometimes
chisel has to be used to remove
metal where there are blank places.
. The composing room is kept very
neat and orderly; everything appears
to be in its place, and the materials
are arraisged so as to be the most
convenient and handy. 1t is impos-
sible to give full details of the man
ner in which the work is done in the
composing and other departments, as
it would require far more space than
we have at our disposal.
The stereotype plates are then sent
to the press room in the basement, and
fitted to the type rollers, four plates
being on each roller. AT one end of
the press is large roll Of paper, some
four miles long. One end of this pa
per is placed SO as to pass between
two rollers, one of which has the cir
cular type plates on. These plates
have previously run under an ink
roller, and as the paper passes between
the two rollers, it is pressed against
the linked type, the result being that
four pages of the Free Press are print
ed on it, all on one side Of the paper.
The paper now passes on and goes be-
tween the other linked type roller
and an impression roller, and four
more pages are printed, the last four
being on the opposite side from the
first four pages, and thus complete
Free Press Of eight pages is printed.
The paper passes on. and soon knife
comes in contact with it, severing off
the piece printed. Passing on farther,
it runs under a wheel, one half of
which revolves in a box filled with
paste. This wheel running across the
center of the paper, leaves narrow
paste track; and the paper next pass
es half way round a roller, is then
bent double, and passing between two
rollers, is folded once and pasted. 1t
is then forced between two more roll
ers and receives another fold, and then
continues until the paper has received
the required number of folds, after
which it is cut by machinery. 1t is
then sent down shute into the mail
ing room-the latter continuance be-
ing an invention of the pressman.-
The paper can thus be printed, pasted,
folded and cut, if necessary, at the