Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-19
PAST AND PRESENT PRESSES.
The Evolution in Printing Machinery
Strikingly Illustrated.
GRAND PROGRESS PICTURED.
From n Hand Press of 1871 to tho
Perfecting Presses of To-day
The Bees First Motor a
Muscular Richmond.

T'he press on which tho first copy of The
BEE was printed, was Cincinnati hand
cylinder, purchased by Redfeld Bros, some
where in the sixties, for $1,000, cut OF
which is given. The capacity Of this press was
about seven hundred impressions an hour
or about three hundred and fifty complete
four-page sheets per hour. The power first
employed in turning out THE BEE was an
abie-bodied and intelligent contraband by
the name of Archie Richmond. who is at
this time employed in the Bee building, and
whose portrait appears in this issue. AT his
best he was capable Of running off 375 COM
plete papers an hour, so That
beginning about 1 o'clock in the
afternoon he kept on grinding until he man
aged to get out the entire edition of about
eve or six hundred copies This is in strik-
ing contrast with the two lightning presses
of The BEE to-day which turn out AZ, 600 four
page paper an hour or $4,000 eight page pa
pers, cut, pasted folded and counted. Had
Archie Richmond been compelled to run off
to-day's full sixteen page edition
would have taken him fully twenty days
of ten hours hard labor each day. THE BEES
lightning presses prints the edition in 40
minutes.
The old Cincinnati press belonging to the
Redfields was used by TIE BEE until after
the fire in June, 1872. After moving into the
Farnam street office Mr.. Rosewater invested
in u second hand three revolution Hoe press
with a capacity Of $500 to 5000
four page Impressions an hour This Hoe
press was perhaps about twelve or fifteen
years old then, and was in use in The BEE
Office ten years. When taken out it was still
a first class machine. 1t was the first Hoe
press brought into Nebraska. To it was
added in course of time Cottrel & Babcock
large cylinder secondhand press. Then Mr..
Rosewater made another venture and bought
new two-revolution Cottrell & Babcock
press which was considered be marvel in
paper and also for job work. About eight
years ago. soon after the first folding machine
was put on the market by Chambers, OF
Philadelphia, one of these machines was
purchased. This was the first folding ma
chine brought into the state.
Then O double-cylinder secondhand Hoe
press was purchased, and shortly afterwards
Dexter automatic folder. which was fol-
lowed by another. both being attached to the
double-cylinder press. A new double-cyhn-
der press was added about six years ago,
and that was also equipped with two Dexter
automatic folders, thus making the presses
of THE BEE unrivaled in this section OF the
country ut that time. But even these facili
ties were found 10 be unequal to the emer-
gency, as great delay was experienced in
getting off the various editions of THE
BEE, especially the weekly which had
grown to great proportions. Wen
perfectmg press was finally purchased at the
Potter works, Plainfeld, N. j., at cost OF
$4,000 including the dampening machine
and the stereotyping apparatus. rms press
was put in operation September 2S, 1885. A
year later second Web perfecting press was
found to be necessary, and while the loca
contemporaries ridiculed the idea OF TIL
BEE needing press that would print 2,0o(
complete papers an hour, the increase In CIR
culntion actually required two such presses
the weekly having grown closely OF to ,oO'
circulation.