The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-04-17
THE TYPEWRITER
a Labor-SaVIn2 Machine which
Sprung Immediately into
Popularity


About ten years ago the first Typewriter
was invented. 1t was patented by two
Detroit men who soon sold their rights to
the machine, but drew royalty omit for
some years. One of these men was a prin-
ter by trade, and for years he had been ex-
perimenting with writing machine to
supplant the pen. He first invented n
machine for numbering automatically tho
pages Of books such as ledgers. When the
type writer was first upon the market il
was y crude machine. very different from
what 1t is to day. The foot WAS brought
into operation in Il 70 pull back the car
riage upon which She paper was rolled,
somewhat like q sewing machine. There
were various other clumsy appliances con
nected with it, and the mS1hine was re-
garded by the public more - = curiosity
than as a practical writing instrument. <
few large Offices, however began to use
type writers, and the Instruments wers
seen where large number of manifold
copies were required and II was desirable
to have very plain md easily deciphered
copy. Improvements were made from
time to time IN the mechanism, and as the
machine wss gradually being perfected It
became more md more popular.
Meantime it, success prom pied other in
yentOrs to spplJ themselves to the sub
Ject of writing machines. One OF the frat
to come out was invented in Sweden and
The principle of this typc-writer was
radically different from that OF the
American machine. Instead Of the type
being arranged in q circular pocket and
flying up to hit the paper, in she foreign
machine the type and keys were arranged
Ike pins in pincushion and she instru-
ment was in The shape OF . hsmisphere
With the keys sticking ont al over its
surface II very much resem bled pOr-
cupine. This machine was very small and
could almost be carried In the pocket It
had many advantages over tho American
mscht0e, and likewise many disadvsn-
ta9es.
Hardly hsd the foreign roacains been
upon the Eerkcf than another American
InsChiEe cAno out upon souns Of the pTin-
ciple5 OF tho first machine, the patents
upon which had expired. This WAS fol
lowed BY another on an altogether different
plan. the type being made OF rubber and
all together on a littl9 pad. Whom writ
ing the letter IS brought over = small hole
In . plate and through this hits the paper,
oil Other typos n the same time taking U D
q supply Of lax. On the other machines
an linked ribbon Is brought between the
type and the paper. and the ink takes
the shsps Of the letter pressing against
it.
This was followed by still AZ other ma
chine wherein 6s type. Tasds OF hard III b.
ber in the form Of = cylinder. revolved in
a horizontal cavity and the paper was
driven MP aEAlE EsL the type by the release
of 3 small bAElIlsr avery time letter
was struck One OF the advantages OF
this latter machine Is that an infinite
number OF characters can be used in it.
aud type for writing iu German and
other foreign languages can be Inserted at
will
A member Of the Turkish Legation in
the United States not long ago expressed
his EdmiTatiOn Of the typewriter and his
intention Of having one mSds that would
write ia the Turkish language There
are thirty-thres letters in this language,
in, ~ ha.r
and gave 1t 70 an engraver to make Il set
of letters for the typewriter. 1t was only
at the last minute that he discovered that
all type-writers work from left to right, rs
the English language Is written, while
Turkish IL written from right to left. The
excessive coat OF altering q machine 70
write ia this direction decided him not 70
get one A tyPs-~ writer for writing in any
language can be made, however.
The manufacture Of type-wTiters Is now
an important American industry. Nine
tenths of all the type-vriters used In the
world are made in this country. The
traveller can now find the American
machines In daily use in England, France,
Germany, Russia, and indeed il all the
European countries. The English govern
ment, which Is very slow to make changes
of a radical or progressive nature, has
adopted the American typewriter, and in
all the Government Offices in India as well
az those in London and elsewhere the ma
chine is now in constant use.
The Chinese are about tho only people
who will be left out of tho typs-writing
nations. There are 80 many thousand
characters in their language that II would
be impossible to construct machine ca
pablo OF doing the work
There are many thousands OF type
writers in daily use in New York City,
and the instrument has long since ceased
to be q curiosity. With the telephone,
the Wall street ticker and the type writer
part of every well appointed office, the
duties Of clerks hsve indeed been reYOlu
tiOniZed within the last half century.
Very many authors now write all OF
their books and magazine articles on the
type writer, among these are W. ID. How
ellis aud Mark Twain. The Declaration
OF Independence was not written on 2
type writer, but if Thomas Jefferson lived
in this age he would probably have tickeC
of his immortal document upon one Ol
these little labOr-saving machines. a le
gal decision has been rendered 10 the eiTecl
that although type written manuscript !:
printed il is writing all the same, and th,
Postal authorities regard It ~ writer
matter which must pay full postage.
One Of the openings for women that art
constantly somiug up Is copying manu-
script on the type writer, and very CIanl
girls and young women now find It
pleasant and remunerative business
Shorthand writers have also found tn,
type writers u valuable aid, and lawyer:
are beginning to use it for writs and othe
legal documents.
There are now nearly a dozen differsn
type writers on the market, each, o
course. claiming TO be the best. Tn
prices range from S35 to SlUO. The sale o
the machine Is large and constantly in
creaSin2.