St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-29
Description of a Machine
Which Does Away With
Typesetting.
It Is Called the ElectrO-Matrix
Machine, Being Operated
by Electricity.
This Article Produced by the
New ProcesS--Gpeat Saw
ing in Time.

means OF this truly wonderful machine
many thousands of printed sheets can
be run of in an hour and placed be-
fore the public at price that years
ago would have been considered my
biological. AT first the impressions
were taken directly from the face OF
the type; but as time passed the ster-
eotyping process was invented, by
means of which matriX of card
board, prepared by certain process,
received the impression of the type.
The matrix is then placed IN a closed
receptacle, melted type metal poured
in, and asolid plate the exact counter
part OF the form is produced and from
this the sheets are printed. During
the past few years there have been
many machines invented for the pur-
pose of making matrices by other pro.
cesses than the regular one employed
in the Offices of the great dailies. None
of these devices, however, have seemed
to answer the purpose so well as re-
cent invention of Geo. A. Goodson.
This is an electro-matrix machine and
is hanG led by the Minneapolis Electro
Matrix Company. The plan is 10 lease
the machines to printing houses for an
indefinite period for the sum OF $500,
and charge ten cents per thousand ems
for the stereotype plates preparation
the forms. The company will also fur
nish operators for the machines.
By means of this machine compost
ton is entirely done awaywith. The
copy is prepared for the CON positOr
as usual, then turned over to an oper-
ator who makes a type writer copy
This copyis in turn passed on an oper-
ator at the N atriS n achine who pre-
pares a IN atrix board. The hoard is
then placed in a casting flask, metal
is poured in, and a stereotype plate
made the width and height of a col
umn and any length desired. This is
then placed in the forms in the print
ing office and locked up with headlines,
advertising and other m after, and the
stereotype page made in the usual
manner.
The machine is operated by an Ordi-
nary incandescent electric current, by
passing it through a small motor and
making connections by means OF a
small leather belt. In appearance the
machine resembles a sewing III achine
to some extent, being mounted on a
stand about the same size and shape.
The operator sits at one end of this
stand. Immediately in front of the
operator is an index board with cOun-
ter sunk holes representing the differ
ent letters and characters. An align
ment bar or die carriage has a sinGle
key at Oneend and at the other carries
one font of hardened steel dies. This
bar is pivoted in the center and can
he swung backward and forward or
from side 10 side by pentograph mo-
ton. When the key is placed over one
of the counter sunk holes in the index
board the photograph motion brings
the die representing the correspond
ing letter or character directly over a
hole in a steel plate, and directly under
a punch. Just under the plate is the
matrix board, dry, and prepared in
about the same N amer as the board
used in stereotyping. When The electric
contact point of the key is pressed
down into one of the counter sunk
holes in the index bosrd. the ciTUuu is
closed and the mark board is auto
matically fed forward heproper num-
Der OF spaces to receive the die. The
escapement which feeds the matrix
board forward closes another Circuit
which operates on an electric sOlenOid
having q reciprocatinG soft iron core.
Atevery revolution this core is in close
proximity to an armature connected
with pair of tog levers. The current
passing through the solenoid magne-
Ties its core and armaGure, and the
two being magnetized cling together.
The punch is attached to the lower
end of these tog levers, and the mo-
ment the Circuit is closed is driven
down upon the die and forces it
through che hole in the plate into the
matrix board and leaves The impress
sion OF the proper letter OR character.
The Circuit is then automatically
broken and the punch flies up, releas-
inc the die, which in turn is pushed up
ward by a spring, leaving the matrix
hoard free to be fed forward again.
The matrix board is fed ahead by a
differential electric escapement oper-
ated by closing the Circuit of the index
board. The contact points in the
counter sunk holes In the index board
are arranged in six groups, each group
heinz connected with a wire leading
back TO a magnet which limits the es-
eapement to the proper throw.
The width of letters and spaces Is
passed on a system of units. six units
being equal in width to an "em quad.
A Globe column is 120 units in width.
Attached to the typewriter on which
the first copy is made is an electric in
dex W hich indicates the number of
units in line. The operator writes
line and at the end places figure in-
(iieating the number of spaces that
must be thrown in or taken out TO
make the line fill the column. This
figure is ascertained by reading the
dial on which the electric index re-
wolves. To the left of the index board
on the matrix machine is an index
hand and near this is a set of spasing
keys bearing numbers. If no extra
spaces are to be thrown in to justify
the line, the operator simply presses ON
the spacing key marked 20 after each
word. The regular space is then
thrown between the words. When ex-
ira spaces are TO be inserted To fiilout
the line the process is different. Sup
pose the type writer copy indicates six
extra spaces, the operator can then
press down the space key marked 81
after each Of six words. or the key
marked 90 after each of three words,
and the extra spaces are automati-
cally thrown in, the dial indicating
when the process is completed. After
the necessary spaces have been thrown
in the operator keeps on working the
same spacing key with his left hand
until the line is finished, the machine
automatically switching back to thel
regular space. All letters are Quilt ON
the unit system, as for instance lower
case 81 il two units wide. e" is three,