Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-31

after the quiet people of Savannah have
sought their beds.
These rooms are connected with the
Office and composing rooms by speaking
tubes and dumb waiter. The editorial
rooms also have telephone connections
No. 24l } with any part Of the city and also
with the signal station at Tybee. Vessels
arriving at the entrance OF the Savannah
river are Immediately reported to the
marine reporter at the MORNING NEWS
office. The fFst ttdings that gladden. the
hearts in the sailors far distant home
with the news OF his arrival In safe har-
Dor are received through this department
and telegraphed abroad.
The next place in
THE MANUFACTURE OF A NEWSPAPER
if that term may be used-is the
pOsing-roOm, or the place where
the type Is ''set" by the printers and
made up into forms ready for the stereO-
typer. The coInposing-roOm OF the MORN
ING News Is located in the tOpmOst story
Of the building. 1t is a well-lighted and
we'll ventilated room extending the entire
length OF the building. TWenty-siX men
are employed in this department. The
stands where the printers set type are
ranged along the front and sides Of the
room. At one end is an enclosure for the
foreman and his assistant and the proof
reader. Near by are the large imposing
tables, upon which tho type when set
is placed in forms and made ready for
printing. The foreman receives the
copy" that is, any matter that is to be
used ia the paper, and cuts it up into
takes" or pieces of suitable length. This
copy is placed on "the hook" frem
which it Is taken by the primers. It ie
''set up' and pat on "galleys' or long
brass boxes. When galley is full it is
proved" |. e., al impression is tGken oft
as is done on printing press. This proof
is read by the pxeof-reader, who marks
on it such corrections as are necessary.
1t is then corrected by the printer,
each man correcting his matter,
which is designated by a "slug,'
a piece of metal having upon
it his number. When he is done he
''passes" the galley to the man who set
up the next piece, aad 50 on until the en-
tire matter ON the galley has been cor
rected.
A galley contains about as much as
there is in q column of the MORNING
NEWS.
TO THE UNINITIATED IT MAY BE INTER
ESTING
to know that newspaper printers
at work are not known or called by their
names, but are designated by their 'slug"
number. If the foreman wants Mr.. Smith,
whose slug number is 10, he calls out,
'ESlug 10, do so and So" There is no time
to discuss politics, religion or home
affairs in this room at night. Nothing
is TO be heard except the monOtOnous
reading of the proof readers and the
clicking of the type as the cOmpOsitor
drops il in his ''stiCk." Every single type
that you see in the paper in the morning,
except those in a few standing ADVERTISE
ments, are handled during the night
previous. Tie number of times tae nimbIe
hands have to pick up these little bits of
metal can be imagined when we state
that the number of "ems" (the square OF
a type of any measure) set up in a weeks
work on the MORNING NEWS
AMOUNTS 70 100000,
and this enormous quantity only
represents about One-half the actual num-
Der Of separate pieces of metal.
After the proofs are read and corrected,
and the revised proofs are returned from
the editorial room, the galleys of type are
passed to the 'maker up" who complies"
the matter in the "fOrms." 1t requires
considerable dexterity to handle these
little bits of metal, and considerable judg-
ment to get them In their proper places.
Every kind OF matter has its proper place
in the MORNING NEWS, and the reader
would think something was radically
wrong should he find editorial matter
sandwiched in with Geographic dis
patches, or locals mixed in with ship
news, to say nothing of other mistakes
which are possible unless the greatest
care is paid to his work by the maker up.
A NEWSPAPER is BORN EVERY DAY,
aud must be as near perfect as possible
in every issue. If it is not arranged in a
proper manner, 1t is too late to correct it
after it has gone TO press.
After the forms are CLOSED up and the
foreman has made his last inspection to see
that they are all right, the gong is sounded
FOR the pressmen. Presently we hear the
elevator coming UP, and when 1t reaches
the top floor two men emerge from the
opening. They gently lift the form of
type to see II it is properly ''locked up,''
i.e., fastened together, place 1t on the eie-
vator, and then descends with it to the
regions below. We will go down with
them.
The old-time pressman-nOt one 80 far
back in the past as the days of the hand
press, but one OF later days-would not re-
cognize as a familiar place the pressroom
of to-day. The Immense printing ma
chimes, almost
ENDOWED WITH HUMAN INTELLIGENCE,
are inventions Of late years.
The MORNING NEWS pressroom for the
newspaper There are three pressrooms
in the establishments is In the basement
under the corner building. 1t occupies
space 80 by 60 fest. In the corner next
to the elevator is the stereotyping depart
ment,
The forms of type asfhey come from the
composing room in the fourth story are
here stereotyped and the plates prepared
for the press. The plates are reproduced
in solid metal from forms OF type. The
matrix for casting is made by