Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-26

Probably no man of the present age il
more universally known than Richard ~.
! Hoe, the inventor and perfecter OF the
printing presses, who died in Florence,
Italy, June 8, Of heart disease. Mr.. Hoe
had gone abroad for health q pleasure.
and was apparently in his usual good
health when stricken down. His invention
| Of the rotary press, and later Of the wen
| printing machine, made his name familiar
! ono t%hrouahout the civilized world. Mr..
| Hoe was born in New York City, Septrm
Der IL, 1912. His father, also an inven-
tor, was at that time makingfame and for
| tune BY the manufacture OF the Smith
! presses. Richard early developed a taste
for his fathers business. He spent most OF
his time, when not in school, in the fac
tory, where he watched the men at work.
and in the course of time became as expert
as the best workmen. His education was
purely practical. and much of it was OBJ
tanned by observation. When he was 20
years old ne had familiar1zed himself with
the details of the business; could Get up
and take down q press; understood the
mechanism of each part and was vir-
tuaily at the head of his fathers
business. In 1882 the discussion OF
printing by steam was attracting the
thought of inventors and scientists and the
arguments pro and o we're discussed in
Mr.. Hoes shops, in which the young mas
ter intelligently participated. In. 1929
Mr.. Adams, OF Boston, perfected the
Adams' press, and the following year the
Napier press was turned out by a British
factory. The Hoes were called upon to set
up one of the last named presses, and it
worked TO such advantage that it set them
to thinking. They made models Of it's pc
culiar parts, and studied them carefully,
and then in accordance with q plan sug-
gested by Richard, a member of the firm
was sent to England for the purpose Of
making inspection of the new machinery
and to secure models for future uee. On
his return the novel two cylinder press,
which became universally popular, was
projected and turned out, and it soon 81.
perseded all Others, including the Napier.
Soon after this the health Of the elder Hoe
began to fail and he retired from business,
and a new firm consisting OF Richard and
his brother Robert and his cousin,
Matthew Smith, wasformed. The announce
ment that Hoes double cylinder press, cap
able Of making 5000 Impression an
hour, had beeu completed. attracted general
which ceased snd praise began after the
promise was fulfilled. This press supplied
the journals OF the day with all needed
facilities, but as their circulation increased,
speed in printing was demanded,
and the inability to supply this demand,
caused q complete change n Mr.. Hoe'stem-
permanent. He became distant and restless.
cared nothing for society, and less ~for-seIf-
indulgence. he became Respondent and his
feared for his health. One night as
be tossed from side to side in his bed, being
UNI. BILE to sleep. he got up to walk about
the room. As he rose, as with a fash, the
vista opened before him, and he saw clearly
q solution to the long vexing problem. It
was a plan for securing type on a horizon.
tai cylinder. Rushing to his desk he
drew the diagram, which, after the de-
tails were perfected, resulted in the
lightning press. But, IS in the case
of the two cylinder press. it soon became
apparent that the four cylinder would not
answer the demands of the daily press, and
Mr.. Hoe, now a rich and prosperous man.
to develop the possibilities OF his
adding cylinder to cylinder. until
in 1866 he brought out his wonderful ten
cylinder press, able to strike of twenty-five |
thousand copies an hour. As ten men were
one for each cylinder, as feeders,
the expense OF running the press was very
great and led to the invention OF the Web |
press, which with it's self-ieeding apparatus
much cheaper to maintain. Personally
and socially, Col. Hoe was q companion.
able and enterprising person.