The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-02-16
HELPING THE CoMposIToR.
A Type-Setting Machine That Greatly In
creaSes His Speed.

creases His Speed.
There is a cOmposing-rO0m at No.
1S9 Broadway that woulI make the
average cOmpositOr turn green with
I envy. A reception was held there YES
terday. In the corner by the window
/ vas case. aud before it a young
| woman was picking up type with both
| hands and dropping it hap-hazard into
a funnel in front of her. The regular
/ ciickings of partially-concealed piece
of mechanism indicated tie Lpgerman
type-setting machine in operation.
Lagcrmau is 4 Scandinavian who
has devoted forty years to the inven-
ton of type-setting machinery that in
some measure would increase the
effectiveness of the compositor, 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
Il typewriter. In this effort he sue
ceeded in achieving Il 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 a me-
chanical contrivance by which he
could set an increased number of ems
in stated period. This attempt, it is
claimed, was prominently successful.
The young woman who gave exhibit
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
she could set $500 ems an houE
The machine upon which the patent
in this country was obtained was made
in Sweden, and was cumbersome, dis
proportioned, and unwieldy in opera
ton. The superior workmanship ap-
parent in all machinery of American
manufacture led the Lagerman Typoth-
et;e Company, having the management
and control of affairs in this country,
to have machine built here, where
the best of milling machinery promised
a lighter, tastier, handsomer, and
easier " Orking machine than they had
yet 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 a bell,
warning the eompositor TO insert
space more than type high, an assort-
ment of which comes with the machine.
Wren one galley 10 full it can be de-
tackled and another attached, and the
setting 90 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 APP
paratus and the power is turned on.
Each line in succession is pushed into
n cOntrivance like stick, where the
necessary spaces can be added or sub
stituted. The compostor does not lift
the line of type ut 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
600 TO $500 ems an hour, while speed
ier hands will do rs high as $500 The
skilled cOmpositor will be still re-
guired, and he need learn no new art.
He. 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 ma.
chimes, though not yet fixed, will be
only about one-tenth that of type-set
ting machines generally employed
NeGO York Times. @oa'@