Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-11

is an abundance of gaslight, properly dis
| tributed.
THE FoREMAN's ''PULp1r"
The most striking object in the room, and
one that would at once attract the attention of
| visitor, is the big box Immediately opposite
the entrance from the stereotype room. This
box Is about eight feet square and more than
hve feet high. Three sides of the structure
have no apparent breach in them, but admission
TO the interior Is through a narrow doorway in
the rear. This box-termed by the more
deeply pious compositors ''the pulpit''-is the
foreman's throne and from its noticeable alti-
tude the foreman dlspenses equity and COPY
The interior of the pulpit is fur
nlshed with plain, broad-topped table
and a couple of chairs for the use of the fore
man and his assistant. Here they reign supreme
throughout the morning, but generally abdicate
a little III the afternoon, when the managing
editor projects his avoirdupois and his lungs
into the great dlurnal afternoon contest with
time and an overwhelming mass of copy. This
copy, or rather so much of it as the news editor
decides shall be put i'll type, is cut up into the
smallest posslbles takes" and placed in a
shallow tray alongside the table. The compos-
ltors secure the copy by pushing in little
swinging door which is in the front of the pull
pit and Immediately in front of tue tray.
THE PNEUMATIo TUBES.
On the lert-hand side of the "pulpit, and
medium of which conversation is kept I'D be-
tween the business office, the editorial rooms
and the foreman. Here, too is the terminal
OF the system of pneumatic tubes through
which copy" is sent from the Offices below
Steam connections will be fitted to these tubes
to furnish power for producing the necessary
air pressure. These pneumatic tubes are more
than zoo feet long and through them are car
ried the advertising and news matter which
make up The STAR. The old system centered
about the often irresponsible messenger bow
and he was frequently most deliberate in his
movements when haste was most needed. The
rafting. understanding and profanitv-breed
ing copy box" working in a shute with rome
passing over pulley wheel was an ATTEMPTED
Improvement, but there is no room in fHE
STAR officefor anything other than the spec iest
ana best means for attaining given object.
OTHER OFFICE EQUIPMENTS.
In the rear of the .'pulpit' and near the 18th
street front OF the composing room is row of
makeup stones"-used by the experts who ar
range the reading matter as it is to appear
when printed. On both sides of the ..puipit"
but with ample space between, are rows of four
wheeled tables, known to the crafts as turtles"
each OF which supports one page of The STAR
In type. Forming one side of a quadrangle i'm
mediately in front of the foreman's subdivision
is a table and an upright rack ON which are
three rows of hooks. On these hooks the COM
positors place the copy which they have set up.
The other sides Of the quadrangle are made up
OF galley banks and racks, the banks being the
places on which the compositors dump" the
results of their digital agility.
The center of the room down almost to the
west wall is occupied by ''stones" on which type
Is placed for distribution, but the major part
OF the space in front of the pulpit" is taken
up by the frames of half a hundred compost
tors. The frames are arranged in double rows
on the north and south sides of the room with
aisles between the rows. On the west side
where there is less light, there is but single
row of frames. Each workman has plenty of
elbow room and during the hours Of labor,