Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-25
The Inadcquacy Of Former Printing



Presses.
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: Q the Morning
Chronicle, (2) the Morning Post, t3)
the Morning HerdId. (D the Morning
.Adrertiser. The circulation of the
Times did not then exceed LOO copies
daily. Seven years earlier the daily
circulation of the Morning Post was but
$50 copies, and its progress had been
rapid; vet that of the Times was even
more marvellous during the l0following
wears. From having the smallest cir
culation of any London contemporary,
the circulation of the Times became so
much larger than that of any of them
that the ordinary printing appliances
proved inadequate to provide the cop
les for which there was demand.
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 at
tempts 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 inability to execute what
was required. Mr.. Walter advanced
money to Thomas Martyr, who thought
he had made an important discovery;
but the ideas of Martyr were not real
lied in practice. While engaged in
seeking for a person who could give
scope and effect to his wishes. Fried
rich Koenig, a German. who was born
at Eisleben, in Saxony, IVA, was la
boring to effect improvements in the
printing press, was confident of sub
stituting steam for manual labor in his
new press, and was anxiously 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 finding there
the opening and the support which he
could not obtain in his native country.
He found a 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 in
vited to see it in operation, Mr.. Perry,
of the Morning Chronicle, a very shrewd
man, and the editor of most success
full newspaper, 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 examined Koenig's improved
press, and at once ordered two double
presses on the same model.
Two years elapsed before these press
es were constructed and at work. Ru-
mors of the new invention were circu-
lated, despite the secrecy to which all
concerned 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 vengeance upon the
inventor. The new presses were erec-
ted in rooms adjoining those wherein
the old presses were in operation. At
o'clock in the morning of the Goth
of November, 1914, Mr.. Walter entered
the office with several damp printed
sheets in his hand, and informed the
startled pressmen 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 We're peaceable their
wages should be continued to every
one OF them till similar employment
could be secured" In proof of his
statement he handed to 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 it was a visible
token. Trifling though the speed may
now seem. it was then thought as
founding t...': press could throw of,
as koenig did, LOO copies an hour,
and this beginning is memorable as the
step in series of improvements still
more remarkable than that which was
pronounced at the time to be the great
est that had been effected in the art of
printing since the discovery of the art
itself.-7he Nineteenth Century.