Catoctin clarion., 1888-05-03
HELPING THE 1'OMrpNiTOR.
4 n fypc-Sett!ng Machiut That. Greatly In
VI t3 creases Eis Speed.

n tVTC-SetC!iiss NAds'HIVf hVHos UhD"sAJ AA>
n f! creases Eis Speed.
There il ~ compcsing-r"om at NO.
1S9 Rroa,iway that ould make the
average compos tor turn green with
envy A reception vas held there yes
terday. In the corner by the window
was case. and before it q young
woman was picking up type with both
hands and dropping it hap-hazard into
II funnel in front of her. The regular
clickings of pnrtially-concealed piece
of mechanism indicated e Lagerman
type-setting machine in operation.
Iaeerman is scandinavian who
has devoted forty years to the inven-
ton of type-setting machine. 7 that in
some measure would increase the
effectiveness of the compos;tor, or,
perhaps, do away with him altogether.
The greater part of his effort was de-
voted to the perfection OF some maga-
zine arrangement of type to be set
free by keyboard similar to that OF
a typewriter. In this effort he sue
ceeded in achieving mechanical sue
cess, but the machine was of compli-
Gated character, expensive, and liable
to get out of order, so it did not i'm
prove on the compositor. Failing in
The attempt to do away with the COM
positor entirely. Lagerman conceived
the idea of providing him with me-
chanical contrivance by which he
could set an increased number OF ems
in a stated period. This attempt, it is
claimed. was preeminently successful.
The young woman who gave rxhibi-
tions of her agility yesterday said that
she could set 700 ems of ordinary type
an hour by the primitive method still
prevalent, and by the ambidexterous
method made possible by this machine
!he could set $500 ems an hour.
The machine upon which tho patent
in this country was obtained was made
in Sweden, and was cumbersome, dis
proportioned, and unwieldy in opera
tion. The superior workmanship ap.
parent in all machinery of American
manufacture led the Lagerman Typoth-
ete Company, having the management
and control of affairs in this country,
to have machine built here, where
the best of ofmiliing machinery promised
lighter, tastier, handsomer, and
easier working machine than they had
vet succeeded in producing-the ideal
machine, in fact, of the inventor.
This was the machine the company
yesterday had on exhibition. A simple
little electric engine supplied the
motive power, but any power,
available can be employed. Both
hands are employed in feeding the
funnel, and the skilled compositor will
retain his rank in the profession as
well as without this machine. After
the type enters the funnel the machine
takes care of it, reversing and turning
where necessary to set the type in cor
rect position on the line, and sliding it
into the galley as neatly as the intelli-
gent compositor could do it himself,
but ever so much quicker and without
danger of "pi." The near approach of
the end of line is heralded by bell,
warning the compostor to insert
space more than type high, an assort-
ment of which comes with the machine.
When one galley is full it can be de-
tackled and another attached, and the
setting 60 on until such time as the
compositor feels that he " would like to
Justify. Then there is an ingenious
apparatus to assist this operation.
The filled galley is fastened in the ap-
paratus and the power is turned on.
Each line in succession is pushed into
a contrivance like stick, where the
necessary spaces can be added or sub
stituted. The compositor does not lift
the line of type at any time, and the
justifying line holder is as convenient
as the stick would be. There is no
distributing apparatus. That part of
the work needs still to be done by the
compositor.
1t is claimed for the machine that
newspaper hands of ordinary ability
will be able to set and justify from q
900 to $500 ems an hour, while speed
ier hands will do rs high as $500 The
skilled compositor will be still re-
quired, and he need learn no new art.
Ho dispenses with the stick and gets
in its stead the justifying machine as.
sistant. Each machine will set three
sizes of type. The expense of the ms
chimes. though not yet fixed, will bs
only about one-tenth that of type-set
ting machines genarally employed.