The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-05-03
TcM lN TEE PRESS.



How n Philadelphia Evening Paper Lost
One of Its Editions.
Newspaper Office cats hayo beer
fabled for their yoracity and miscief.
making propensity OF getting into for.
bidden places. "l,cn," tho brindle
mouscr of the Evening Bulletin, outdid
any OF his predecessors, however, by
stopping the press the other afternoon,
says the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Unluckily. for himself, he accomplished I'd
this feat only by sacrificing his own
life. There was no four-o'clooh edition
of the Bulletin, and, instead, subscrib-
ers received the fivc-o'clock edition. IT
nll came about through frightened
cnt's escapadc. ben" was just year
old. lie is SAID to have been namod
after ono of tho prcssmcn. ben" (thc
cat) was noted ratter, and kept the
prcss-room cleared of tho vormin which
might otherwise havc preyed on the
paste and tho glue used in making the
press rollers. His favorite spot for an
afternoon nap, "bctween editions"
was on foot-board alongside OF tho
four-cylinder Hoo press.
The forms wero lifted on the press
and locked securely. Pressmen Thomas
McSorlcy, John Conner, Frank Conner,
benjamin Eslcr and Thomas liopson
took their places prepared to feed the
sheets to tho press, and Engineer
Jacob Lodge started the machinery at
ten minutes to four o'clock. "Ben,"
startled from his dreams OF possible en-
counters with myriads of rats, sprang
to his foot and attempted to make a
short cut across tho lower foot-board of
the press to reach the opposite side.
Voracious tapes carried cat and sheets
OF imprinted paper together downward,
and then upward. There was q quick,
sIdden jar that shook the press; the ink |
rollers appeared to spring from their
journals, and were bent by the obstacle |
they had encountered, ana then hard |
er jar followed as mass of paper |
emerged between the main and smaller
cylinders, and thcro was flung out by |
the flies on tho opposite side of the
press very much ilattenod-out edition
Of "Ben," about u yard long and rcsem-
bling a small floor-rug. Tho shock
throw off tho driving-belt and the press
The forms had to be lifted from tho
cylinder and carefully scrubbed to re-
move the adhering fur and fragments OF
Ben" 1t was also found that the ink
rollers had got bent. As u result, alto
gether, tho Bulletin lost an edition.
"This is not the first cat that lost Its
ife in that press" remarked Business
Manager w. L. McCully, after enduring
. cloud of puns about catastrophe"
'cataclysm," and tho like. Twenty
,ears ago another cat went to sleep in
ide of that big cylinder, and awoke
Ifter the press began running. Sho at
onpted to escape and was beheaded.
Ter gore rain over the paper and spoiled
he whole edition. Our Mr.. Peacock
lad rat-terrier which chased rat
lndcr the press one day and got on tho
elt. The dog was carried around tho
elt and killed.
During the war I worked as night
FRESHMAN on tho Inquirer. Wo used to
rint of one side and then wait o couple i
I hours to print off the second. During
ho interval between running off the
rst and second sides rat got into the
ig cylinder to gnaw bone. When the
ress started he tried to get out, but
as caught by the tapes and carried
round the cylinder and mashed Us
at as pancake. He spoiled any guam
ty Of sheets of paper. We had to pick
ut tho remains from the type with
eedles, and it was irightfully tedious
,b, remember.