The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-03-26
PRINTING PRESSES.
The Inadequacy of the Old Press and the
Way 1t Was Remedied.a

Way 1t Was Remedied.s
At the beginning of the century the
Times was at the bottom of the list Of
London morning journals as regards
the numbers sold, its contemporaries
being ranked as follows in proportion
to their circulation: % the Morning
Chronicle, (2) the Morning Post, (3)
the Morning Herald, a. the Morning
advertiser. The circulation of the
Times did not then exceed 1000 copies
daily. Seven years earlier the daily
circulation of the Morning Post was but
$50 copies, and its progress had been
rapid; yet that of the Times was even
more marvellous during the ten follow
ing years. From having the smallest
circulation of any London contem-
porary, the circulation of the Times be.
came so much larger than that of any
of them that the ordinary printing APP
planes proved inadequate to provide
the copies for which there was de.
mand. When the number bought was
1000 it was easy enough to supply them
with a press which turned out between
800 and 400 copies an hour; but when
many thousands were called for such a
press proved wholly inadequate. Mr..
Walter had made several attempts to
effect Improvements in the printing
press. He consulted Marc Isambard
Brunei, one of the great mechanics
of his day, who gave his best attention
to the matter and then intimated his in
ability to execute what was required.
Mr.. Walter advanced money to Thomas
Martyr, who thought he had made an
important discovery; but the ideas oi
Martyr were not realized in practice.
While engaged in seeking for person
who could give scope and effect to his
wishes, Friedrich Koenig, a German,
who was born at Eisleben, in Saxony, in
IVA, was laboring to effect improve
ments in the printing press, was conf
dent of substituting steam for manual
labor in his new press, and was anx-
iously waiting for an opportunity to give
scope to his views, and for patron to
countenance and advance them. He
had visited England in the hope of find.
ing there the opening and the support
which he could not obtain in his native
country. He found sympathizer in
Thomas Bensley, with whom he entered
into an agreement in 1907. Two years
later, when working model of Koenig' S
improved press had been completed,
Bensley brought the matter before Mr..
Walter, who, for the moment, was SO
fully occupied with other engagements
that he could not entertain a new
scheme. In 1912 Koenig had finished
one of his new printing presses, and the
conductors of the principal London
journals were invited to see it in opera
ton. Mr.. Perry, of the Morning Cbron-
icle, very shrewd man, and the
editor OF most successful news
paper, would not even accept
the invitation, declaring that,
in his opinion, no newspaper was worth
so many years purchase as would equal
the cost of the new machine. Mr..
Walter accepted the invitation, care
fully examining Koenig's improved
press, and at once ordered two double
presses on the same model. Two years
elapsed before these presses were coz.
structed and at work. Rumors of the
new invention were circulated, despite
the secrecy to which all concerned had
been pledged, and the Times pressmen
who believed that their means of liveli
hood 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 wherein the old presses were in
operation. At six o'clock in the morn
ing of the 29th of November, 1914, MIR.
Walter entered the Office with severa
damp printed sheets in. his hand, and
informed the startled pressman at work
there that the .'7Imes was already
printed by steam! That if they at.
tempted violence there was a force
ready to suppress it, but that if thew
were peaceable their wages should be
continued to every one of them till
similar employment could be procured
In proof of his statement he handed tc
them copies of the first newspaper
which had issued from a steam press,
The readers of that days Times were
informed of the revolution of which il
was visible token. Trifiing though
the speed may now seem, it was then
thought astounding that press could
throw off, as Koenig's did, 1,100 copies
an hour, and this beginning is mem
orable as the first step IN a series of i'm.
provements still more remarkable than
that which was pronounced at the time
to be the greatest that had been effected
in the art of printing since the discovery
OF the art itself.-Nineteefath Century.