Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-09-19
A BIG PLANT.
A Journal Reporter Visits Wick
cry & Hills Establishment.
Recent Enlargement Gives Average
Capacity Of 10000 Papers a Day.


some Interesting Stausues Aoo's I~'Ss s"s
srswiss Industry.
While Augusta people knou that oar local
post Office business Is really enormous, few
of them fully appreciate the means that
bring about this desirable end. All have
an IDEA that Mems. yiekery & HiiFs AMI
Gannett G. Mor.e's printing houses are the
eauses, bat they do not realize the immense
bn-ine-. dose by these establishments
which together print oser 1900 800 papers
q month.
OF late people have noticed that the DIFF
ferent plants have been improved and en-
enlarged The most recent change has been
that Of Vieksry His. their building on
the corner Of Court aud Chapel streets has-
ing had largs extension added TO il. a ner
power AMI heating plant having been pat in
and large press purchased.
REPORTER SATURDAY called at the estab-
iisbment for the purpose of finding out and
informing the .JorRsAL- readers just what
these improvements are and what they
mean.
In the office he found DIR. John r. Hill,
the managing partner and popular senator
from kennebec county. The doctor was
extremely courteous kindly show ing the
reporter all over the building and ah.wer-
iGg all inquiries.
1T g 81
office the upper story Of the new part ~as
frs, visited. This story is divided length
sise by partition, and on one side Is the
composing room here the papers are set
set up. Mr.. David Neal is foreman here.
The other side is given up To the subscrip-
tion list department. which Is under the
charge Of MIR Frank Sprague. Here the
mailing lists Of the two semi monthly papers
are act mp and corrected. Great double
racks line the room and take up much of
the floor space and upon these are hun
shich the lists are printed.
From the new part the reporter was taken
INTO large and sunny room, taking up the
whole of the second floor of the old part
A large number of men and women were ut
work here. Some wriiing wrapper Others
putting up papers and premiums. and stili
others opening letters and working on the
replies large number were engaged in
preparing the papers for the mail. Huge
mail aacks were ali around and piles Of pa
per blocked the way about the room
Mr. George W. Vickery. the general su
perintandent of the establishment, has per
sonal charge of this room. Marcellus
Shaw who was the first person employed by
Nr T. -. Vickery when be started the
premium department.
The next department visited was the press
rom by far the most interesting one. 1t
takes up the entire south side ~ the old
part, the two great presses standing in the
east end
In the west end ARE Blenders trimmer.
and saws for preparing the eiectrotype
plates. from which the papers are printed
for the plates
,,n the south side in an addition is the
steam plant AMI engine.
Bat it is with the presses that We have
most to do. There they stand great noun
tain-likr plie- of complicated machinery
composed Of endless rolls and cylinders.
The presses are running slowly you are
Informed aud yet leo foi'Ied papers minnie
are being turned out by each II speedei up
they can turn out 900 day each. nearly
twice Is fast AS their present capacity.
Both were built by Walter scott 4 Co, of
Plainiield. y. j, and are considered the
most complete and perfect presses of their
kind in the world,
The northern or smaller press is the
Older, having been put mp in lsso. In con
nection with thu, the doctor told an inter
esting fact When the firm decided to take
cut their five fine two revolution fat-hed
presses and put in this single one, it was
thought 1t would largely decrease the mum
1t. own folding But contrary to expecta-
tons il has necessitated the employment Of
more hands for the business has been
greatly increased.
This press turns out Ia page paper cut.
pasted aud folded South of il stands the
great new press " hich has just been put in
and which has been ru ming less than "A
week 1t {. much larger than the obi one,
and runs half a. fast again, as it turns out
complete - page paper while the old
one turns out IT, page paper.
Both presses stand ON substantial stone
and brink foundations, independent of each
other and the building They need to h.
strong. for the new press weighs - tons.
In this style of press the paper is fed in
from large rolls at one end. These rolls
are - inches wide. three feet in diameter
aud weigh about Ntn pounds. Even at the
rate at which they are run, the paper goes
through the small press at a speed of over
5asi feet minute and in the new Que over
tao feet "A minute.
Considerably over four tons of paper are
consumed each day. Nearly 0oo ooo fee,
of white paper 20 through these presses IN
A SINGLE ,lay. Just realize what this means
II amounts To over ls9 miles a day. In a
wear il amounts To 56.-00 miles. Enough
To make a belt twice round the earth at the
equator. ~ inches wide. with enough "a
spare tn make bridge across both the Pa
cihc and atlantic oceans The largest
ship sfoat could not find room to carry 1t
This department is under the efficient
charge of Mr. Alexander Stsmm- The
firm on account of lack of space have
their electrotyping done in New York, but
Mr. Stamm prepares the plates for the two
great type cylinders of each press.