Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-03
AN ADDING MACHINE.
C0ntrivance of = BOokkseper After
Twelve Years Work,
From the Springfield Republican.

Twelve Years Work,
From the Springfield Republican.
c. G. Spalding, who keeps books for
Day d johnson, has perfected a machine
that is designed TO aid brother bOOkkeepers
or accOuntantsin running up long lines
of figures. He has been at work on the
inveEtion since 1873, and had the thing
patented something like year ago. The
adding machine is being manufactured
in parts at New York for him, while he
puts the instruments together himself at
room Z, Ne. GAO Main street. The ma
chine is cased in a light wooden box
about eight inches square and three deep,
and, lifting the'cOyer, the interior is seen
to mold 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 di-
vided 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 hun.
dreds pointer. A little finger play on the
brass keyboard makes the object OF the
.dials aud the reason Of the pointers names
quickly understood.
The nine keys on the board are mum.
beTed from oneetO nine, and are placed in
regular order, but also in two rows . A.
6and 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 toward the lower end OF
the box. The pulling Of each key on the
board sends the unit pointer alongOn its
Journey around the dial as many points
as there are units In the number OF the,
key. Pull the 3 key, and the dial set at o
goes TO .. Pull the same key again, and
the unit pointer moves TO Is. Pull the ]. 2
and 3 keys now, aud the pointer goes
cOnsecutiYely with hop, skip and iump
TO "a. When the unit pointer, keeping
up it's agile athletics, has reached its
starting point again, there is a quick 1t
tie motion on the right hand dial. The
pointer than has dotted and gone one"
The machines internal clock work is
more accurate than a human head can
hope 10 be. IL isn't troubled with mall
aria, nor h Il ever larger In tho morning
than It WAS the night before. All the &C.
cOuntant has TO do is 10 run his eye up
| and down the columns, pulling each re-
spectiye key as he reaches the cores
p0nding figure. A day Is sufficient IN
which TO learn the key board, and the n.r-
ton Of the hand quickly becomes almo Ii
involuntary. The expert can run tins
figures In his head and on the key boafd
simultaneously, thus "proving" his work
by one trip up or down the column.
Carrying Is performed by setting tho
pointer az the number 70 he carried. To
set the unit pointer all that is necessary
is 10 hold down key andturn the pointer
forward to number one less than the one
carried. On releasing the 1 kew 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. 1, and with the
first finger, 4 and o with the second, q and
with the third, 3 and with the fourth.
The inventor claims for the machine I'M
erring accuracy and Surprising rapidity.
lie says an expert cAn add 2i0 isures q
minute Min II.