Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1888-12-13
MAKING RAIaROAD MAPS.
A Description OF the Method Now in
Use-The Etchings.

The method of making railroad maps
is described as follows Up to 1870
maps were engraved on stone, copper or
steel. The process was slow, tedious
aud expensive. The plates soon wore
out, aud maps were costly. About this
time the process of making maps on
wax was invented. 1t reyolutionized
one kind of map making, and they be-
came almost as cheap as newspapers.
The mapmaker works in room the
temperature of which cannot go below
80 dogs. Few men work at it longer
than TOUR years, though years of appren-
ticeship are required to make them ex-
pert. The heat becomes unendurab G
in the end, and they go into some other
employment.
Preparatory to making the original
plate melted beeswax and some harden
ing ingredient are poured ON a highly
polished metal table. For fine work the
wax is as thin as piece of paper, but
for the coarser kind the 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 boundaries are made with lit
tie wheels on whose narrow edge are cat
the peculiarly designed lines. All
crooked lines are made by hand, and re-
quire an artists eye. The names of
towns, rivers, countries ana the like are
impressed in the wax in 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 cooler
temperature, which hardens it. The
wax is then covered with black lead,
and the steel plate, with its waxen cast,
is suspended in an electrotyping solu-
ton. The copper in the solution covers
tue black lead and forms a hard plate,
which is called the original. The wax
is then pulled off and the printing sur
face is then presented. The thin cop
per plate is backed up with type metal,
and the plate is ready for use. 1t is
usually preserved, however, for the max
ing of stereotype plates, from which the
actual printing is done.
In the preparation of the etching
great care is required TO keep the wax at
the proper temperature, as a degree too
low would make it hard to work, and a
degree too high would melt and pro-
badly destroy it. Often many hundred
thousand maps are ordered, and from
twenty to forty plates are made from the
original. II the maps are small, SO
many Of these plates as can be convent
emily used are placed side by side on
the presses, and sheet OF maps is print
ed at each impression. The ordinary
advertising map is finished when it
leaves the press, but the others must go
through more hands before they are
ready for use. But this is the smallest
part of the map. The unseen work
preparation of the original draft-re-
presents the time, labor and money ex-
pended upon these articles. The me-
thod of preparing maps for places of
learning and for the use of those engag-
ed in selling property is much more
elaborate and costly, and this fact will
be fully realized when it is stated TINT
map lately finished in this city, measur-
ing sixty-tive inches square, was nearly
six years under way, and when finished,
cost $40, Philadelphia Cal.