Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-14

placed on the press. Every place that
TIE chalk was left uncut will serve to
form raised place on the plate and
therefore an indentation in the metal cast
moulded from it. OF course only the
raised lines on the metal cast will print,
so that where the chalk was on the plate
shows correspondingly white in the pict-
ure printed.
This metal cast is now turned over to
the ffinisher, - who saws it to the size
desired, trims and smooths down any
rough places on the edges, and ''touches
up'' with an engraving tool any defects
that may have been made in this casting.
When this is done the cast is ready to be
placed in the ''form with the type, and
must be stereotyped again with it.
Illustrations Of this kind can be made
very rapidly. Far instance a cabinet size
picture of person can be engraved in
half and hour and made ready for press
in another half hour. Larger cuts take
a much longer time, cartoons such as
occupy four columns of this paper often
taking a whole day to engrave, and
sometimes longer.
IN THE PRESS ROOM.
Our tour and observations have con-
sumed so much time that we can take but
a cursory glance about the press room be-
fore the time arrives for starting the
great press to work. The new machine
npon which THE GAZETTE was printed Sat
urday morning for the first time, is what
is known as "'Web Perfecting' press,
SO called because the paper used is long
web, instead of being divided into sheets
as the old style paper is. This web OF
paper is from three to four miles long,
thirty-one inches wide. 1t is wound on
sort of iron spool, and makes a roll
weighing several hundred pounds. To
prepare the paper for printing it must
first be dampened. This is done by
placing the roll on a spindle so that it
will rerolve easily and fastening the loose
end of the paper to another spool, which
Is turned by machinery. As the paper is
wound rapidly from one spool to the
other fine spray of water falls on it
from an arrangement something like
shower bath. When properly dampened
the roll is placed upon another spindle
just in front of the press.
1t is now about $3.50 a. m. the time at
which the press starts, and everything
about the room has an air of repressed
excitement Seven plates, each repre-
senting page of the paper, have been
received from the stereotyper, and are
now in place upon the cylinders of the
great machine, and the eighth is almost
due. The engineer has a good head of
steam, as the loud Kissing of gauges in
dicates, the mailing clerk and his assist
ants have their tafes cleared off and
their mailing machines ready, the horse
and foot carriers are on hand, ready to
take out their quota; the newsboys are
anxious to arouse the town with:
'Here's your morning GAzETTE!' the !
mail wagon is at the door, and the horse
is champing the bit and paving the
ground, eager to make fast run for the
first mail or freight train that leaves the
Union depot; the pressman and his assist
ant feel the rollers, examine the ink
fountain, and pour a few more drops of
oil upon the great machine, and are
impatient for the start
"Here you are!' shouts the stereo-
typer; the elevator starts down, and be-
fore it reaches the floor the plate it bears
Is grabbed off. A short application of a
heavy rasp, and it is ready. 1t fits over |
the cyclinder firm and snug, two screws, |
Neas 40 rrT1ed with the hand, make it |
fast, the end of the paper is pushed down
between the rollers (all this has not taken |
s minute), the pressman grasps the lever
which throws the belt from the already |
revolving pulleys on to the running gear
of the press, and with "whirr' and |
Hwhizz,' which settles into steady |
"buzz' as it goes faster, the great ma
chine takes up the motion and begins to
throw out Fort Worth Daily GAZETTEs at |
the rate of u 200 to II 900 an hour.
The press feeds itself from the roll of |
paper the printing being done by the pa
per passing between the cylinders bear
ing the stereotype plates, and others of |
the same size, covered with rubber or
felt blankets, and revolving with them
Other rollers are furnished with sort of
saws, which cut the paper at the proper
place. 1t is then carried 10y tapes
into the folder whence it comes folded
in the shape i'll which it is received by the
subscriber. 1t goes into the press n lcng
strip of white paper; it comes out printed
on eight pages, cut and folded in conve-
nient form,
This press was built for THE GAZETTE
by the Bullock Printing Press Company
of Chicago, and is one of the finest ma
chimes ever turned out by that well
known firm. The picture presented is
faithful likeness, and those who cannot
visit the establishment and see it as it IS,
can form from this Il very good idea of
what it looks like.
CATCHING THE MAILS.
As the very essence of news is IFS fresh
ness, the forms are not closed and the
press does not start until the departure
of the early trains demands it. The con-
sequence is that when 1t does start the
mailing clerks have to work like mad to
make up the mails in time.
The papers are taken from the foX I'M
der the folder by boy who piles them on
the tables i'll front of the mailers. Here
they are rapidly made into bundles; prop
erly directed thrown into sacks weighed.
pitched intothe waiting wagons and driven
of to tile depot. The bundles sent to
are done up in large wrap
pers which are directed to the dealers
sent to subscribers are directed by
slips bearing the names of the sub
scrihers and pasted on by machine.
These are then wrapped in bundles ana K
simply directed TO the postofiice
for which they are intended
The papers from large office
never go, through the home post
office. That would take up too much
time One of the mailing clerks is sworn
in as a postofiice deputy, he weighs the
papers and Uncle Sam is paid his postage
After the earlier trains are provided for
81, a. 80, ,.,;arc erat their bundles and 90 o0I-