The Indianapolis journal., 1886-01-10
iced 1t wculdl Cause, I tell you. chile, Aunt
Dinah's hearn white folks talk. Laws us!"
JAN. s, 1886. LOUISE ANDREWS
AN ADDING MACHINE.
Contrivance of a Book-Keeper of Springfield
After Twelve Years Work.

Contrivance of a Book-Keeper of Springfield
After Twelve Years Work.
Springfield Republican.
c. q. Spalding, who keeps books for Day &
johnson, has perfected a machine that is de-
signed to aid brother book-k keepers or account
ants in running 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 adding machine is being mannfact
ured in parts at New York for him. while he
puts the instruments together himself at Room I,
No. 345 Main street. The machine is cased in a
light wooden box about eight inches square and
three deep and, lifting the cover. the
interior is seen to hold an enam-
eled white surface, on which are two
dals and which shows the brass key board in
the lower left-hand corner. The larger dial OF
the two is on the left of the machine and Is
divided into 100 sections. The rim of the smaller
dial is likewise cut into twenty sections. Ihe
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 play on the brass key board makes
the object Of the dia!s and the reason Oh the
pointers names quickly understood.
The nine keys on the board are numbered
from one to nine and are placed in regular or
der, but also in two rows, two, four SIX ana
eight 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
toward the lower end of the box. The pulilng
or 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 number of tine key. Pull the 8 key and
the dial set at 0 goes to g. Pull the same key
again and the unit pointer moves to Is Pull
the |. 2 and keys now and the pointer goes con
secutively with hop, skip and jump to "a
When the unit pointer, keeping up its agile
athletics, has reached its starting point again.
there is quick little motion on the right hand
dial The pointer then has dotted and gone
one." The machines internal clock:work is more
accurate than a human head can hope to be. 1t
isn't troubled with malaria, is it ever larger
in the morning than it was the night before. All
the accountant has to do is to run his eye up and
down the columns, pulling each respective key as
he reaches the corresponding figure. day is
sufficient in which to learn The key board and the
motion of the hand quickly becomes almost in
voluntary. The expert can run the figures IN
| his head and on the keyboard simultaneously,
thus proving" his work by one trip up and down
the column. Carrying is performed by setting
the pointer at the number to be carried. 10
set the unit pointer all that is necessary is to hold
down key and turn the pointer forward. to a
number one less than the one carried. On re-
leasing the key the pointer is on the desired
number The hundred pointer can be moved in
either direction. The hand easily operates the
nine keys thus: Nos. l. 2 and with the first
finger, and with the second, and with the
third. and 9 with the fourth. The inventor
claims for the machine unerring accuracy and
surprising rapdity. He says an expert can add
240 figures minute with it.