The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-12-21
MAKING RAILROAD MAPS.

A Description Of the Methoi Now in Use.
The Etchings.
The method of making railroad maps is de-
scribed rs follows: Up to 1870 maps were
engraved on stone, copper or STEEL The Fro
cess was slow, tedious and expensive. The.
plates soon wore out, and maps were costly.
About this time tho process of making maps
on wax was invented 1t rcvolutioned one
kind of map making, and they became al
most as cheap as newspapers. The map
maker works in room tho temperature OF
which cannot go below so degs. Few men
work at it longer than four years, though
years of apprenticeship ere required to make
them expert. The heat becomes unendur-
able ir the end, and they go into some other
employment.
Preparatory to making the original plate
melted beeswax and some hardening ingrcdi-
ent are poured Oh highly polished metal
table. For fine work the wax is as thin as a
piece of paper, but for the coarscr kind tho
waxen sheet is an eighth of an inch thicker.
Rough pen and ink drawings Of the work to
be done are given the operators. They draw
the hair lines with sharp pointed instruments
by the aid Of straight edges. The dotted
lines indicating county or township bound
aries are made with little wheels OIL whose
narrow edge are cut the peculiarly designed
lines. All crooked lines arc made by hand
and require an artists eye. The names of
towns, rivers, countries and the like are i'm
pressed in the wax i'll type, letter by letter.
Every impression must cut through the wax
to the polished steel plate beneath, for the
map is made face down. When all the lines
and letters are in the wax is placed under a
cooler temperature, which hardens it. Tho
wax is then covered with black Lead and the
steel plate with its waye.l cast is suspended
in an clectrotyping solution. The copper in
the solution covers the black lead and forms
a hard plate, which is called the original.
The wax is then pulled Off and the printing
surface is then presented. The thin copper
plate is backed up with type metal and the
plate is ready for use. It is usually pre-
served, however, for tho making Of stereo-
type plates, from which the actual printing
is done.
In the preparation of the etchings great
care is required to keep the wax ut the
proper temperature, rs degree too low
would make it hard to work, and degree
too high would melt and probably destroy it.
Often many hundred thousand maps are Or
dered, and from twenty to forty plates arc
made from tho original. If the maps are
small, so many Of these plates as can be con-
veniently used arc placed side by side on the
presses, and q sheet of maps is printed at
each impression. The ordinary advertising
map is finished when it leaves the press, but
the others must go through moro hands be.
fore they are ready for use. But this is the
smallest part of the 11ap The unseen work
the preparation of the original draft-rep
resents the time, labor and money expended
upon these articles. The method of prepar
ing maps for places Of karning and for the
use Of those engaged in selling property is
much moro elaborate and costly, and this
fact will be fully realized when it is stated
that map lately finished in this city, meas
uring slxty-fivc inches square, was nearly
six years under way, and, when finished, cost
SEQ, ,Oc0.-PEiladelphi Call.