Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1886-02-18
AN ADDING MACHINE.
Contrivance of "a Rook-Keeper After
Twelve Years. Work.

From the Springfield Republican.
G. G. Spalding, who keeps books
for Day & johnson, has perfected a
machine that is designed to aid broth
er book-keepers or accountants in run
ming up long lines of figures. He has
been at work on the invention since
1873, and had the thing patented
something like year ago. The add
ing machine is being manufactured in
parts at New York for him, while he
puts the instruments together himself
at room 7, No., 345 Main street. The
machine is cased in light wood
en- box about eight inches square and
three deep, and, lifting the cover, the
interior is seen to hold an enameled
white surface, on which are two dials,
and which shows the brass keyboard
in the lower left-hand corner The
| larger dial Of the two is on the left of
the machine, and is divided into one
hundred sections. The rim of the
smaller dial is likewise cut into twenty
sections. The hand which moves about
the first dial is called the unit pointer.
That which moves about the smaller
one is called the hundreds pointer.
a little finger pla, on the brass key
board makes the object of the dials
amp the reason Of the pointers names
quickly understood.
The nine KEYS on the board are
numbered from one to nine, and are
placed in regular order, but also in
two rows, 2, /, 6 and s being above,
and the odd numbers below. The key
is brass upright, and as the finger
draws on it, a spring allows it to slip
back tovarcs the lower end Of the box.
The pulling of each key on the board
sends the unit pointer along on its
journey around the dial as many
points as there are units in the mum
Der Of the key, Pull the 8 key, and
the dial set at goes to 8. Pull the
same key again, and the unit pointer
moves to IS. Pull the /, , and :
| keys now, and the pointer goes con
| secutively with Il hop, skip and {
jump to a. When the unit pointer
| keeping up its agile athletics, ha
: reached its starting point again, there
: is a quick little motion on the righ
e ldul Qtttl 1uC i)OIuIC1 llICIl HIS 'toL
ted and gone one. The machine
internal clock work is more accurat
than any human head can hope to be
1t isn't troubled with malaria, nor i
e it ever larger in the morning than
was the night before. All the &C
countant has to do is to run his ey
f up and down, the columns, .,ullin
5 each respective key as he reaches tn
corresponding figure. \ day is sufi
k cient in which to learn the keyboard
, and the motion of the hand quickl
: becomes almost involuntary. I'll
e expert can run the figures in his hea
v and on the keyboard Simultaneous.
Q thus "proving" his work by one tri
up or down the column. Carrying
= performed by setting the pointer ;
o the number to be carried. To set II
y y unit pointer all that is necessary is
= hold down key l and turn the point'
g forward to Il number one less than tt
- one carried. On releasing the | kt
. the pointer is on the desired numbe
:, The hundred pointer can be moved
u ! either direction. The hand easily o
q crates the nine keys, thus: Nos.
{ 2 and 3 with the first finger, 1 and
VI with the second, 6 and Z with t
III third, 8 and 9 with the fourth. L
-e inventor claims for the machine u
io erring accuracy and surprising rapl
ity, He says an expert can add =
fiugres minute with it.