New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-16
ROMANCE OF THE ELECTION.

ROMANCE OF THE ELECTION.
rn,..,-r,n. tbousand seven hundred and hfty-four
doIarsi That was the bill Of Martin u. Brown for
printine The 14O00,OOO ballots used at the recent
election In this city. 1t was npe irscuon oi 'i'o
total cost of the election and the romance 81 the s'
of the work done does not lie In these hgnres' nov"
ever they may be regarded as large or small Inc
unexpected obstacles which we're overcome the
anjdity with which the work was done: the ingenuity
dispIayed in printing consecutive numbers by using
ordinary type and yet furnishing better work than
the patent machines could supply at cost ihsie
niicant compared to the charges the machine mixers
proposed the extraordinary distribution Of all their
tickets among nearly thousand polling places witou.
single error the quick invention and manufacture OF
new plant necessary to this work and useless ior
any other kind; and finally as Mr.. Brown himself
generously puts it. the faithful and suggestive ana
untfring help he had from old subor!inates, makes
romance I wish had the full ability to write up so
that every body besides practical printers could com
urehepd IT, But in order to make the story clear to
the general reader shall have 20 omit some technical
details which would be Of interest to printers
The first problem which was forced upon Mr.. Brown
grew ont of the that the trainers OF the Ballot
Reform law were neither printers nor papermaRers'
They designated size and form Of ticket which WAS
unsuitable for any size of paper which had ever be
early discovered that fact and he at once had paper
specially manufactured 10 print twenty tickets TO the
form or sheet There was job to start with a
large quantity was needed Of this particular size IN
short time It was to be Of size not in common
use and not likely to wanted again for year. AZ
least or by anybody but the City Printer 30 has'o
and irreguIarty size had both to be paid extra TOT
OF this paper. made for this occasion only 12oo
reans OF 5Ox3O weighing sixty-f five pounds per rea
and 100 reams, 24y3s. weighing forty POUNDS pei
ream-the whole weighing thlrty-nme tons-"eie "'.
in this Job rcam measured about siA iho'os "
height; consequently II the 800 reans han peeh p
on top of other the pile would have been DO ee
high, three times as high as Trinity s'eepo'
large sheets had to be cut into twenty pieces eac
the size of the legal ballot II these could nave pee
piled up the top would have been lost IN the cio""'
over two and half miles above our heads
The next problem was thought TO be moro dhc'ii'
ord mora COSTLY one to solve but it proved to lie
neither The lawmakers. in order to surro"nu 'io
balN with every security possible. iad haue Pi'
vision for the consecutive numbering Oh '''e "
II was at first thought that this could De oolc Only Wy
the application of twenty Wctter machines W o'
Of twenty presses to be used process which wou'o
bay. bonn very costly Mr. Brown ngeniously de-
vised another method He had twenty sets OF siugs
OF numbers from up to 90 made from type very nearly
like the type required by the law and Win lese io
printed the numbers consecutively III tie ioio"i'e
manner No. l. for instance, was sci up o"eh'. uiIo,
and the first form of twenty tickets was printed of
times thus giving No. 1 numbered ucKe' lor cav"
polling place in the city. 1t was necessary to print I'D
This WAY I'D to 200 numbers and to print tine mum
her on the entire edition Of 1136,4o0 large sheets Do
fore ANY other step could be taken. The NUMBERS h
therefore, to be changed In the forms on each VI e
twenty presses used 1,100 times. linen these huh
bered sheets had to be cared to three large lofts rented
for the purpose and there sorted by girls who han
hirHar MT
each Of 947 bundles contained sheets consecuuVey
numbared on both sides from No. to No. loo.
But the changing of the "slugs' was nothing com
pared 10 the changes necessary when IL came 10 pr''
ing the tickets and their Endorsements. The changes
,c,e mutndinousi To read the list of them would be
ar more tedious than the perus Of omers record Of
the Greek navy In the original tongue. There was OF
course, change for each OF twemy-four Assembly,
districts but the presses had to be stopped s4 tunes
in each Assembly district But all that was slmpi.
enough to Mr. Brown and his men, But the AID rmea ~,
parts only Of several different Assembly and many
election districts and some person had TO waGh
to prevent the bunder Of printing the names OF Con
gress, Aldermep's and Judiciary candidates on INC
tickets Of districts in which they were not running
l wish i could describe the moro intricate OF tie
mechanical appliances which were invented to fac.a,e
this work. but Mr. Brown proposes securing paIehuo
on them so must not divulge or dilafe. one was
new form of chase or block, rather; small, easily
handled and RAPIDLY locked and unlocked by peculiar
ratchet-all manufactured at Mr. Browns FOUNDRY "
these twenty each of two different sizes were usco
in each form on twenty different presses, making
necessary the manufacture OF $50 new blocks OF no
probable use for any other than this work. a
thousand wooden trays 54x35XS inches had TO he
made to hold the large sheets as numbered each tray
holding POO sheets. several tables. feet
long had to be built which to handle these Sheets
The type for each ticket had TO be electrotyped IN sew
era parts, and there several thousand OF these
plates After the sheets cut down to the SIZE
of the tickesAt required nine cutting machines TO DO
this work-they made into 947O bundles OF lIOo
tickets each and then had to be placed In caruDoaru
covers tied with Irvine, and indlarubber bands 10 the
number of 10000 properly directed to the pOlilng-
place at which they were to be used and then Deng
bound with tape were sealed with Mr.. BROWNS seal.
This work of distribution to the police STATIONS was
performed as a matter of necessity on Sunday; IL
took all day to do II. II also took twenty large
furniture vans, with policeman 20 guard each TO
perform IT, And IL was afterward found that not
| q single error had been committed!
cursed at as the Getty Printer" He is occasionally
accused Of having "pull' and monopoly OF city
printing. through every change of local administra
| ton. This romance will explode this falacy. nc
| hasn't pull" monopoly: he only has a " plant
doubt II there is another printing establishment II
| the city which can print "The City Record for
lack of the peculiar plant Mr. Brown has am sur
| no one can do IL as economically as Brown can do IL
not having the great plant he owns. with the add
ton he has recently made to this plant he can Ger
printing-that U.s. II the law is not changed and The
plant he has made for this election Is not thereby rem
| dered useless.
A BEAR OF THE SIZE OF 4 PUG DOG.