Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-10-10

the cooperation of the other Southern
States, but opposed the separate secession
of the State of South Carolina. The Sc
cession party was willing for the co.opera-
tion of the other Southern States, but in
the event that the cooperation of these
States could not be obtained, they were
willing that South Carolina should secede
alone. The "Miscellany" favored the CO.
operation idea. This rendered it necessa-
nv for the Secessionists to have an organ as
an exponent of their views. AS a result,
Mr.. Thomas J. Eccles returned to York
Vile from L%incolnton, whittier he had
gone in 1913, and in the latter part of July,
1851, issued the first number of the "Rem-
edy." The paper was continued under his
management until June, 1858, when he
sold the establishment to Col. j. Felix
Walker, Gather of our toWnsman, Mr.. j.
O. Walker,) and H. Judge Moore, Esq, of
Charleston. In November, 1854, they sold
out to Wilson Rice, who continued to print
the paper under the title of the "York-
Vile Citizen" until the spring of 1856,
when he sold it to Rev. N. P. Cook, a
Methodist preacher, who continued the
publication for a short time, hen it was
discontinued, never to be resumed.
On the 9Th of September, 1856, MI. T. j,
Eccles having procured an outfit of new
material, issued the first number of the
"Yorkville Chronicle" He continued the
publication until the fall of 1858, when the
publication of the paper was discontinued
at this place. He moved the material to
Rock Hill, and resumed the publication of
the paper on December 2, 1858, under the
title of the "Indian Land Chronicle"
In July, 1869, Rev. Tilman r. Gaines
issued the first number of the "Working
Christian" a very creditable exponent Of
the Baptist denomination. The mechani-
cal work, including composition and press
work, was executed by contract in THE
ENQUIRER office. In May, 1870, MIR.
Gaines transferred the publication of his
paper to Charleston, and it afterward
merged into the "Baptist Courier" now
published by Hoyt & Keys, at Greenvilie.
On the 24th of June, 1879, Mr.. w. M.
Warlick commenced the publication of the
"Yorkvill News" At the end of three
months after the appearance of the first
number, the publication was discontinued:
Since the discontinuance of the News"
no paper has been printed in .YOrkville
except TIE ENQUIRER.
THE ENQUIRER is the outgrowth of the
"Miscellany'' and some of its immediate
predecessors on which the present propri-
etor worked from the time he was a lad.
He began at the business before the COM
position roller was introduced, and has
seen the linking balls" and the '%'buckskin
roller" give way to that discovery for ink
ing type which rendered possible the per-
feet printing machinery of the presentday.
When he first went to the trade h e"Ram-
age" press, similar to the one used by Ben
Franklin, acorrect representation of which
is shown with the initial letter of this
sketch, was the only style of press in use
outside of the larger cities, and the country
printer considered himself fortunate in
deed in the possession Of one. There are
few printers of the present day who have
ever seen a Ramage press. 1t takes that
name from its maker. The frame was OF
wood throughout, as was also the "platen."
Originally, the "bed," was of marble, but
later the press was improved by making
the "bed" of iron. The ''platen" was half
the size of the "bed" which rendered it
necessary to make two "pulls" or "impres-
sions" to each paper printed. Running
the ''bed" half its length under the
"platen," the operator stopped it's motion,
and exerting his full strength and the
weight of his body, the clever" was "pull-
ed" then thrown back, raising the
"platen," under which the bed was con-
tinued, and the second "pull" being made
and the "bed" run out, the printing was
complete.
This rude continuance was used for
printing the various newspapers issued in
Yorkville until the year 1851, when it was
superseded by the Smith hand press. This
was a great Improvement on the "Ram-
age" being constructed of iron and print
ing a full form with one "pull' of the
lever. AS with the "Ramage," however,
two operatives were required to do the
printing-one to ink the form and the 9TH
err to work the press, and he was an ex-
pert pressman who could make one hun
dred and fifty impressions in an hour.
In ENQUIRER office the Smith press
was superseded by the first cylinder press
that was accessible by a country newspa-
per. This was known az the "Princeton,"
and as before stated was introduced by
Miller & Melton. The intention of the in
yentor, to produce a machine within the
reach of the country printer, was l%audable;
but as compared with the machine presses