Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-02-25

IL TequiIedto correct us own errors. This done.
| another proof is taken and returned to the
| proof-readers, where it is read BY gentleman
| known as the "revsor," and all errors remain
| ing are marked 10y him. Meanwhile the type
| has been making gradual progress westward
| from shelf to shelf and from table TO table
| Wh8n the corrections Indicated by the reyisor
have been made the type II laid on another table
| or stone and arranged en- q new galley. This
galley is two columns i'm width. and holds Just
| the amount OF type required to ill page of the
| Record Another proof impression is taken
from the type then. and it is reviewed again in
| the proof-readers room for the last time before
making its descent to the region Of the press
! room.
The type finally reaches
| THE LAST STAGE
on the imposing stone. Here il is made up in
fiat forms for the press. the forms being so ar
ranged as to hold eight pages of type The
| headlines and numbers of the pages having
been inserted in their proper places the chases
| are firmly locked. A truck is wheeled up to the
imposing stone, the form is laid upon it and
| rushed away TO the elevator where il is lowered
| 10 the press room. The first sheet from the
| press Is brought Immediately upstairs and il is
| thoroughly reviewed by the proofreader max
ing the fifth and last time that the matter passes
under the eye of the reader before publication.
| THE PRESSES.
The number Of presses employed on the work
depends on the size of the Record to be printed
The first two presses set to work print. at each
! impression, l6 pages of the Record The other
| presses, and sometimes several of the large
presses in the office are used on the work, print
signatures of pages After the daily Record.
OIL Which 5000 copies are printed. has been run
| OH the presses the forms returned to the
composing room. Here the type, after being
| released from the chaseS. is handled by no less
than SIX different men before it finally goes to
press again to print the permanent Record which
| appears In the bound volumes. The type is
| released from the chases. If any Representative
or Senator has ordered as is frequently the case.
copies of his speech in pamphlet FORM his speech
is taken out and the type rearranged
for such special publication. After this is at
tended to the type is tied up and land away ON a
large platform To take its turn in being correct
ed All the errors and omissions i'm the daily
publication having been mended, the type is
| again made up in forms, and sent to the stereO-
typing foundry, where the plates from which
The bound editions are printed are made. The
type is then returned to the composing room
and placed on the dead board whence it
makes its way back to the boxes i'm the printers
cases.
| TONS OF TYPE.
| BY the time the reporter who had been guided
through the intricacies of the office by Mr.. Ford
reached the west end, a truck bearing two of the
forms Of the last edition of the Record was sent
back from the press room, being hauled in from
the elevator. Two men taking hold of a form to
lift it upon the ''dead-board," staggered under
Its weight. THAT weighs three hundred
Every page oftype" said Mr.. Ford, wei hs %
pounds. What do you think the last new dress
! of type We got weighed?' The reporter not be-
ing able to make an estimate, Mr.. Ford con-
tinued, '"S 600 pounds. The last dress of type
! we had lasted seven years. which is doing pretty
In ord in ,l,r TO
suggestion from the reporter. I'VE will have to
nave larger Office. The Record grows every
session. 1t has been heavier this session than
ever before. OF course as the session grows
older, the Record will grow larger"
REVISING SPEECHES.
One great source OF annoyance to the printers
In getting out the Record is the fact that nearly
every anwhOwants to revise his speech
deems it necessary to keep the manuscript or
proof out of the Office until after midnight 81
think we have them now" said MIR. Ford,
| speaking of this, ''by the IL o'clock rule If a
member does not have his speech in now by l2
O'Clock we put in line Withheld for revision,
or something to that effect, and let it go.
That makes them get in earlier. OF
course when such thing happens,
the speech appears in its regular place
IN the bound edition" Very often members fur
nish the manuscript of their speeches. much TO
the disgust Of the typos. among whom Congress
sonal ehirography does not bear a very good
reputation for leybty. The copy furnished by
the reporters and their amaauenses is written
m bold, plain characters, on alternate lines and
is very easy to decipher.
THE REFRIGERATOR"
"There said Mr.. Ford. pointing to a large
wooden cabinet or box sis our refrigerator"
Refrigerator" said the reporter
eyes, our refrigerator. When a member
sends down his speech in advance to have it set
in type, as to savetime, the galleys are locked
up there. Sometimes a member wants to get
proof slips of his speech to send to the newspa-
pers or something of that sort The type is
locked up in the refrigerator until the speech is
delivered Then, as the speech becomes public
property, 1t is taken out, and any one can
see ii"
ODDS AND ENDS.
Mr.. Ford said that if the copy was furnished
uninterruptedly from six o'clock in the evening
he could send fifty-six page Record to press
at two o'clock in the morning. He has now
fftY-four compostors at work. When CODY
runs out they are fed with document room,
copy. of which there is always an abundance so
the government is not charged with s'wating
time" AS the demand On the Record increases
towards the end of the session. the force will
be propOrtionately increased. After the Record
Is printed, the COPY or manuscript Of each edi-
done up in bundles and deposited tn pigeon
holes. where they are kept for several weeks,
to be referred to, in case the accuracy
of the Record is brought into question. Such a
perfect system is in operation in the Office that
not only can any piece of copy be found at any
moment, but by reference to the record kept by
the assistant foreman when he gives out the
copy, any paragraph that may be called for can
be rescued from the sea Of type in a mo-
ment Of time. When the reporter left the
Office and emerged into the night air. the
light in the lantern in the dome was shining in
the southern sky, sign to the world indi-
eating that the legislators were extending their
lahors into the night. In few hours the roar
and ciang Of presses announce that the weary
printers work is ended. The next morning a
copy Of the Record. fresh, crisp and clean.-con-
tanning complete photograph of the session OF
the previous day up to the time of adjournment
late at nights laid upon the desk of each
member, who, probably, as he glances through
its pages, gives no thought to the skill and toll
OF hundred hands. and the mighty energies
that have worked during the night to bring it
into existence.
LETTER FROM FLORIDA.