The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-02-22
THE LONDON TIMES.
Something About the Great Paper-Ihe
Wonderful Machinery Employed and
FL al EaEce.

Wonderful Machinery EmpioSeo anu
the Great Editorial Force.
The American visitor who for the
first time looks at the building where
the Thunderer is printed. says a
London correspondent of the Times
Democrat, is impressed with the
solldity of its character. 1t IS typl-
cal of the great newspaper that has
often been called the Jupiter" Of
the press. From time immemorlai,
or at least from time SO far back that
the present generation was In its
swaddling clothes, the Thunderer has
exerted more influence than any
newspaper ever published. 1t has
had its ups and downs; its season Of
prosperity and failure. Kings and
Queens have bowed before it, and
even the Little Old Lady OF
Threadneedle street." has on more
than one occasion been compelled to
sue for mercy at its doors. Ministers
have cajoled and petted it. They
have snapped their fingers at it in
turn and pretended not to care for
its utterances. 1t has made and I'M
made more men than any other
newspaper in tie world, and wher-
ever the English language is spoken
or in whatever land the Englishman
finds his home, the Times is revered
as one of the institutions of Great
Britain, and among the rural popu-
lation is held in as much respect and
veneration as Westminster Abbey or
the Tower of London.
Armed with letter from John &.
Macdonald, the publisher of the
Times, we present ourselves at the
door Of the Office at 9 o'clock in the
evening. The chunky little English
man who stands guard at the inside
door reads the letter carefully, rings
an electric bell, and in few min
utes the Junior clerk from the publ
cation Office leads the way to an in
spection of the building, and ex-
plains the manner of getting out an
issue of the great newspaper. We
are first shown into the publication
office, big, roomy place, only dimly
lighted now, and where thousand
CLERKS are busy receiving advertise
ments. Mr.. Macdonald's Office is
vacant. He has gone home for the
night. One of his numerous assist
ants is taking things easy in an ad-
joining Office.
The editorial room is cut up into
various little offices, where the edi-
torial writer's and the various subor
dinate editors, reviewers, correspon-
dents and reporters do their work.
This floor is devoted exclusively to
the editors and writer's who are not
intimately connected with the news
service. It is cheerful apartment
to work in. Electricity throws a
food of light in all corners. At one
side of the big apartment is a COM
fortably furnished council room. in
which there is big table, plenty OF
chairs, a bookcase, some files Of
newspapers, and the walls are decor
ated with valuable engravings and
etchings. It is in this room that Mr..
Walter and Mr. Macdonald meet the
chiefs of the staff and consult with
them upon various matters relating
to the paper.
The floor above is the most inter
esting. It is the compOsing-room.
It is lighted with electric lamps, and
there is an abundance of room, even
for the small army of men who are
employed there. Opening out of the
composing room is the news-room.
Here there are quiet Offices, where
the parliamentary reporters are re-
ceived, and where the local news is
edited, and adjoining is the special
telegraph-room, with wires running
direct to Paris, Berlin, Vienna, St
Petersburg and many parts of Eng
land, Ireland and Scotland.
There are a dozen or more tele-
phones in a connecting room, and
these the parliamentary and news
reporters use with great freedom
Indeed. I was surprised to see that
the telephone has been more gener.
ally brought into use by the Eng
lish than American newspapers
During the sessions of Parliament
all the night reports are sent to the
office through this medium. A
stenographer sits at the table just
below the telephone transmltter and
takes the notes as spoken from the
Times reporter in the Commons
There are score or more of these
reporters who take turns at receiv
ing reports. Instead of transcribine
them as we do in America, they are
taken in turn to men who operate
type setting machines and are read
off to them as the machine reels out
the type. set and ready to go into
the form. The telephone is used tc
facilitate the work of getting out
! the Parliamentary report. But tc
prevent errors the reporters in the
Commons take their notes as fully
as usual and repair to the Office after
adjournment, where they read the
proof, not from the messages SEN
over the telephone wires, but from
their note books. This checking
system prevents errors of dictation
By the side of the room where the
special wires are is another type-set
ting machine, and the Paris letter O
NJ. de Blowitz is put into type no
from the wire. These type-settins
machines are quite feature of thu
, Times office. There are, perhaps, ;
! dozen Of them in use. The foreman
of the composing room told me tina
they would set up from five to sever
columns Of matter in night.
Oae man is in charge of all tn,
: special wires, and he has a wire il
ireot communication with Renter
office. Without any tiattery, it ma.
| be said that this man can, at hal
, hours notice, place himself in com