Morning journal and courier., 1885-01-23
The Inadequacy of Former Printing
 Presses.

From the Nineteenth Century,
 l At the beginning of the century the Times was at the bottom of the list of London morning journals as regards the numbers sold, it's contemporaries being ranked as fol- l lows in proportion to their circulation: Q) the Morning Chronicle, @ the Morning Post I (3) the Morning Herald, (4 the Morning Ad- | vertiser. The circulation of the Times did
 not then exceed one thousand copies daily Seven years earlier the daily circulation of | the Morning Post was but $50 copies, and it's I progress had been rapid; yet that of the | Times was even more marvellous during the
 ten following years. From having the small
 est circulation of any London contemporary, the circulation of the Times became so much larger than that of any of them that the or | dinary printing appliances proved inadequate | to provide the copies for which there was 8 | demand. When the number bought was one | thousand it was easy enough to supply them with press which turned out between three and four hundred copies all hour; but when l many thousands were called for such press proved wholly inadequate. MT. Walter had made several attempts to effect improve | ments in the printing press. lie consulted I Marc Isambard Brunei, one of the great me chanics of his day, who gave his best atten- 1 ton to the matter and then intimated his i1l- ability to execute what was required. NIT. Walter advanced money to Thomas Martyr, who thought he had made important dis covery; but the ideas of Martyn were not re- alized in practice While engaged in seek ing for person who could give scope and effect to his wishes, Friedrich koenig. 8 German, who was born at Eisleben, in Sax ony, in 1774, was laboring to effect improve l ments in the printing press, was confident of substituting steam for manual labor in his new press, and was anxiously waiting for an opportunity to give scope to his views and for a patron to cou1tenance and advance them. He had visited England in the hope of finding there the opening and the support which he could not obtain in his native coun- try. He found sympathizer in Thomas Bensley, with whom he entered into an
 agreement in 1907. Two years later, when working model of Koenigs improved press had been completed, Bensley brought the
 matter before Mir. Walter, who, for the mo
 ment, was so fully occupied with other en-
 gagements that he could not entertain new scheme. In 1912 Koenig had finished one of
 his new printing presses, and the conductors
 of the principal London journals were invi-
 ted to see it in operation. Mir. Perry, of the
 Morning Chronicle, very shrewd man, and
 the editor of a most successful newspaper,
 would not even accept the invitation, de-
 claring that, in his opinion, newspaper
 was worth so many years purchase as
 would equal the cost of the new machine.
 Mr. Walter accepted the invitation, care
 fully examined Koenigs improved press,
 and at once ordered two double dresses on
 the same model. Two years elapsed before
 these presses were constructed and at work.
 Rumors of the new invention were circula-
 ted, despite the secrecy to which all con
 cerned had been pledged, and the Times
 pressmen,, who believed that their means
 of livelihood would be at an end when
 steam was applied to printing, vowed ven
 geance upon the inventor. The new presses
 were erected in rooms adjoining those where
 in the old presses were ill operation. At six
 o'clock in the morning of the 29th of No
 vember, 1874, Mir. Walter entered the office
 with several damp printed sheets in his hand.
 and informed the startled pressman at work
 there that the ''Times was already printed
 by steam! that if they attempted violence
 there was force ready to suppress it, but
 that if they were peaceabls their wages
 should be continued to every one of them
 till similar employment could be procured" :"
 In proof of his statement he handed to them
 copies of the first newspaper which had is
 sued from steam press. The readers of
 that days Times were informed of the revo-
 lution of which it was & visible token. Fri
 fling though the speed may now seem, it was
 then thought astounding that press could
 throw off, as Koenig's did, 100 copies an
 hour, and this beginning is memorable as the first step in series of improvements still
 more remarkable than that which pro nounced at the time to be the greatest that had been effected ill the art of printing since the discovery of the art itself.