Telegram-herald., 1889-12-13

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~ss ths writer. this xrtscle Vii os E~zc
<irh interest A wax through the
printing roozs q ms largest masic pat
hshkng house IA boston. un@sr he rote.
age of is oo9rps01s foreman, = r1l u
Interesting instruction.
Is Sas nsO one of the nzEy ''lotts- h
which tie establishment sSOunds th2l
TIE reporter VS. taken One door ~as
flei with q VsTiLzbis l4cs~Ork Of long
voles. PLACED horizontally. which weFe
l1a.ded out q sighE Win shset muse
hung upon them - dry. The wh0ls
place had the air II washing day a.
home, and the reporter involuntSriiy
glanced around II peFchance nc NIGH
get a glance q cold dinner lying about.
As fast as tbe sheets are printed ws
hang them here over night. said the
foreman, ''and then place them OesweeB
PAsSs6oarcs and press them hat- Thea
they are ready for market Come uI
into the pres rOOms.
The press rooms are very unlike their
NEWSPAPER prototypes Not a sound
loud enough 70 interfere with converse
ton IS heard IN them, FOR sheet music Is
printed AL by hand.
Two binds Of presses are used; the old
style plank press and the improved OF
I'D" press. The latter consists OF a slid
- fsat4I hloh
are two raised blocks just the size Of a
sheet OF music, on which are placed the
plates from which the printing is done.
The plates having been inked and the
paper laid on them. the printer gives a
turn 70 an immense wheel, 81 feet In
diameter, the sliding table slides under a
large roller covered with belt, and the
paper is forced against the plate. thus
giving the impression; and another revo-
luton of the wheel brings the apparatus
back 10 its original position. The plank
press Is like the other, except that In
using it the plates are mixed on a bench
and laid on the blocks every time an i'm
preston is taken, while with the "D'
press the plates are not removed from
the blocks until the edition is run off.
Now, here is man printing title
pages" said the foreman. "We print
only one sheet at time, and man can
take from 800 70 1,S00 impressions q
day. This plate, which looks exactly
like silver, is composed OF zinc, lead and
britannia, and is made almost exclusively
in New York. Every publishing house
manufactures it's own ink. 1t can't be
bought. 1t is very particular stuff and
must be made just so, and ii is very
delicate matter 10 make and take care OF
it. This title page has been engraved BY
hand. The design is sJInken, you see
When engraved the plate is put on hot
block, and beeswax is melted into the
| design. That, too, is a ticklish matter
/ II we wipe it off too soon, we spoil it
and if we let it get too hard it orumbles
and won't hold the ink. Once bees
waxed. plate can be used for printing
for years.
Engraving the music plates is diff
ferent process, however, from that used
in making the title page. The engravel
has 10 bSve a separate tool for every kinC
| of note--half, whole, quarter, rests, etc
/ His OUTFIT costs S400. He does not carve
into the plate as wood engravers do, bu
stamps out each note separately with &
| hammer. You can imagine what nice
work it is to adjust the tools just right
and how hard it is to enerave sheet oi
| music"
The reporter watched the process oil
! printing, and saw something like this
After the plate had been fastened to it:
block on the press the printer inks il
with hood roller, Just as other printers
ink their type in taking proofs. He theI
wipes the plate carefully with a cloth
the ink sticks to the beeswax, which
covers the design or the notes, and the
rest of the plate is comparatively clean
A second wiping with another rag leave.
all but the design shiningly clean. tn,
paper is laid on, and the great wheel, re
volving soon takes the impression anC
returns the printed pages to the printer
hand. The plate is then wiped again
reinked, rewiped twice, and. in fact, un
dergoes the same process between eacl
impression.
1T is a curious fact" ccsEinued th'
foreman, "that although this work is al
done by hand the printers never touch
the paper. A piece of pasteboard i
folded double and used as n holder, anC
with that the printer handles all hi
sheets, and never lets his inky hand
come in contact with them"
Isn't music printed from type some
times?" asked the reporter.
Yes. When we want to run of
large edition Of some cheap stuff, book
OF something OF that sort, wo set tn
music up in type. stereotype the pag
and print from 1t. just as you newspape
fellows DO. But the work isn't as hand
some. and, besides, there is some musi
written that can't be set up with type"
All music plates after being used ar
stored in freproof vaults and indexed 70
possible future use. The foreman state
the curious fact that in the great collec
ton Of which he has charge there ar
more pieces Of music whose names beEi
with than OF auv other letter, Will
the Ms are close second. Boston Globc