The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-10-20
lnK JOLLY cOMrosIroRs.

1HE JOLLY COMPOSITORS'
some Chat About rhUIo Who Toll
when the World Is Sleeping.
Etv York Telegraph
Printers are unlike other classes OF
Workmen. Their vocation imparts to
them an intelligence which does not 70.
suit from any other business. Dealing
with Language exclusively, in combina-
tons OF letters, words, sentences and para.
graphs, they are constantly brought in
Communication with thoughts and their
workings, and thus almost inseDsibly be-
come imbued with the ideas OF those
minds whose creations they help to EN-.
body into thoee forms that give them
to the world. They literally get grammar
Mt their fingers ends, while picking up the
types that form sentences that are gram.
NAUTICAL. Spelling comes 10 them rs ma
turally as breathing, for they fall into cor
rect photography through force OF habit.
The. Of printers are not so IA
vorsble TO personal thrif5as those OF other
professions. They partake Of the nature oil
the artist in certain degree and are gener'
ally liberal to fault, thoughtless Of the
future and frequently improvident in the
present, /" flush" when in good situations,
and dead broke" when on the tramp.
The printers who do not look upon the
wine when it isred are the exceptions
instead Of the rule. They may truly be said
10 be the working BohemianS OF the world
OF industry.
A Tsltorlph reporter took a seat in the
City Hall Park one day recently beside
printer who has "tramped" through most
OF the States Of the Union, working at his
trade in the larger cities and who knows
nearly all the old.time printers in the
United States.
FLOWS work at your trader" the repor.
ter asked.
"Pfetty dull-yery dull, indeed. The
printers trade is growing worse every
year remember ten or fifteen years ago,
when working on Western pspe'B (Cleve.
land Herald, Louisville Courier-Jo Journal,
and Detroit Free Pres among the rest), l
never thought OF drawing less than $35 to
$40 Tor a weeks work. Now, SIS to $25
is considered good weeks work, and it
is hard 10 secure situation even at that.
The halcyOn days for printers have all
passed by"
"How do you account for the depres-
sion2"
an several ways. In the frat place
there are too many printers for the amount
OF work to be done. Apprentices IRE
being turned out too fast. Runaway ap-
prentices hock here to New York and other
large cities and take the bread out OF the
mouths OF men who have spent all their
lives at tho case and are skilled workmen.
A good many offices employ iris instead Of
men, and the New York Tribune and some
other Offices are using type.setting ma
chimes, thus throwing men ont OF employ
ment. And the system OF stereotypipg in
large book publishing houses is an injury
to the printers. II the books were not
stcreotyped each edition would require
the reSettiug OF the types. am old and
grey now, rs you can see, although was
NonCe one OF the fastest compositots in the
country, and do not expect TO see any
improvement in my time. 1t will require
years OF work in our unions to mend mat
tiers"
which are the best cities for printers ?"
"Probably the four cities in America
in which printers can make the most
money are New York, Chicago, New
Orleans, and Denver. There ia no doubt
but that Buffalo is the very worst city
printer can strike, and Cleveland isn't
much better.
"Who in your opinion, is the fastest
workman in American"
"Well McGann Of the New York Herald
has now the credit OF being the fastest
Compositor in the world. In a match race
with Ira Somers, formerly Of the World
for $500 side, he won the match, and
beat all previous records. He averaged
about 1900 ems Of type per hour for three
hours. In order to accomplish this feat
he had to pick over 5000 type each hour,
arrange them correctly in his stick, and
space out the lines. This seems an almost
incredible feat at first sight, but he accom-
plished it. George Ahrensburg now OF
the New York Times, had the best pre-
vious record. The printers employed in
the World Office are trying to arrange
match for $500 side between Barnes OF
the World and Mccain Of the Herald. 1t
is claimed that private trial held in the
Times office few days since Barnes broke
the record made by Mccain by 100 ems
per hour. Among the fast Compositors in
America are "ViCk" I.oomas ofthe New
York World, George Duegood OF the Gin
Cinnati Enquirer, John Rogers ofthe Buff
falo Times, Paul Jones OF the Detroit Free
Press, and White OF the Toronto World.
But so much talking makes me dry"
The reporter took the hint, and the
printer wasntso dry.