Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-12-05
TYPE-sE7TlNG MACHINES.
The Latest Devices in Tbt, KIM oe ,v,..,.
-success Is Already Attained.

AfrE-SETTlNG MACHINES,
A"e LATEST Devices in This Kind of Work.
-success Is Already Attained.
Inc art Of type-setting by machinery
has reached such state Of periect;on
now that it is thought it will not be- lone
pe,ote many newspapers of prominence
Will pretty nearly abandon the old
method of setting by hand. The latest
invention, one which promises r. ha
generally adopted, if the rush of orders
received by the company is evidence of
H. u, Is known as the Rogers Typograph.
Inc machine has been working in the
Pulitzer Building, in Printing.House
square. for nearly month, aud al
though but little publicity has been
given to it through the newspaper press.
hundreds of people have visited the
omces OF the company to witness the
operations of the machine.
The typograph is wide departure
from all previous attempts at type-set-
ting machines in slmost every respect.
Its size is four feet by four feet on the
ground, four feet six inches high, and it
weighs $50 pounds; the floor space &C.
cupied by it being little more than that
taken up by an ordinary sewing-ma-
chine. 1t can be run by foot, hand or
machine power, and only one-eighth
horsepower is required. The speed of
the machine is limited only by the capa-
bility of the operator. On a sixteen-em
plea line, minion machine, setting on
memorized matter, speed of 1000 ems
per hour has been attained, but this
would be impossible in actual work.
The Oldest operator of the company has
set from copy as high as 400 ems per
hour, and it is declared that the average
capacity of the ordinary operator on a
daily newspaper would be from 5000 to
$500 ems per hour. The company
claims that its machines will, in the
hands of capable operator, do the
work of about four men and at about
one-third of the cost.
The typograph is simple in construc-
ton, and the matrices from which the
type is cast slide into their places by
gravity. The finished product of the
machine is solid line of type ready to
be placed in the "form" to be printed
from directly, or to be used for stereo-
tipping. The lower half of the typo
graph contains the receptacle for the
melted type metal, the casting-box and
the machinery for trimming the line of
type. Above this and connected with
it is the frame upon which the matrices
are hung. This frame is Ikea rounded
arch, with space devoted to each ma
trlx in font of type. The matrices
are hung on steel wire. which run to the
castlng-box down an incline of about
forty-five degrees. The matrices are
released as they are wanted, aud run
along the wires into places when the
key responding to them is touched.
The keyboard controlling them is exactly
like that of the Remington typewriter
and works in the same way.
When the matrices have been assem-.
bled in their place the spacing is done
by rotary wedge which makes the
words exactly the same distance apart.
The machinery is started, and one rev.
olution ola wheel forcing melted lead
into the casting-box, makes the line of
type before it solidifies, and sends it be-
tween pair of knives which trim it
into proper shape. Then the keyboard
is raised, the matrices slide back to
their places. by force Of e-sv;tJ, = is
lowered again, and the operation is con-
tinued. circular stand on one side of
the machine contains matrices. which
can be put in rapidly by hand. so that
italics, ETC., may be used when neces-
sary.
The companys officers say that al
ready over 900 machines have been
manufactured at Cleveland, o., and
that it is far behind its orders. In New
York City contracts have been entered
into to supply the Eveniaag Post, Sun,
World, Times, Mail and Express,
Commercial Advertise,', and Star, the
Boston Globe and Herald, nearly all the
daily papers in Philadelphia, and in all
the large Western cities. Tho ma
chimes are not sold but are rented at 81
per day to daily newspapers and $500
yer year to weekly newspapers. For
this the company keeps the machines
in repair. York Evening Post.