The Meeker herald., 1893-12-09
A MILWAUKEE 1--WE wr,oN.
The Typewriter First Put Int Uae by
e. Latham Shoes

&. Latham Shoes
The inventor of the ty per ritter wa.
G. Latham Sholes of MilVs ukee, says
the Philadelphia Press Although
for years in poor health. he was {
man of great energy. Iii inventive
genius possessed him ~ all times
and his mind was busy WI TIL mechau.
zeal problems day and night. He
had been printer. but at the time
the typewriter was invcn ted was col
lector OF the Port of Milwaukee.
having been some years earlier editor
of the Milwaukee Sent mel. His as
sociatcs in the task of working GU,
his ideal for Il writing machine were
Samuel Soule and Ca'los Glidden.
After the completion of the frs.
practicable machine James rens-
more, of Meadville Penn, be-
came the financi al hacker
of the enterprise Soon afte Il
soule and Glidden withdrew.
The first typewriter was built of
wood almost entirely. aud was crude
enough compared with The machines
Of to-day. 1t was so far satisfactory,
however, that it wrote rapidly and
accurately. although plainly not yet
sufficiently perfected 10 be put on
the market. One veFy noticeable
defect was that sheet could not be
seen until the writing had been com
pleted. and the plan of printing
through the paper against the ribbon
was bad, necessitating. as it did, the
use OF tissue paper entirely.
Htrl MT of h.,
on the patience and energy of tho
inventor 4 machine that was con-
sidered complete was finally turned
out. 1t was put in the hands of Il
stenographer and afterward sent to
James Clephano, of Washington,
whose opinion was considered
valuable. Mr.. Clephane tried the
machine and it gave way. literally,
under the test Another was sent
to him, and in the course of time
several. each having some improve
ment, but all met similar fate.
In 1873 the machine was thought
perfect, and contracts for its manu-
facture were made with the Reming-
ton machine works, of lion. n. y.
1t was even some time after this
that the typewriter as tho general
public know it was put successfully on
the market, for even withstho nicely
with which the finished mechanics
there turned out the parts of the
machine many alterations.yerc found
necessary. Competitors soon sprang
up, but with few exceptions the
general plan of Shole's machine was
adhered to. The method of throw
ing up the types. the printing ribbon.
tho Keyboard and even the frame
were indorscd, so to speak. by the
rival inventors, and seemed to be
accepted as the best that genius
could devise. But Mr.. Sholes' labors
had not ceased. Stricken down with
lung difficulty and confined to his
bed, he employed his timo in making
improvements on his own inventions,
and many of these were incorpor.
atn1-io- ,bs- .-,.,.i i------.L.-
the market. and are still used. Be
fore he died. in February, 1890. he
had constructed models for two new
machines, the last one being in his
judgment complete triumph over
all his former efforts. James Dcns-
more also died in 1890, possessed of
much wealth said to have been real
lied By his labors as agent and in
PRODUCER of the Sholes typcwritcr.
Mr. Sholes died n poor man compare
lively, seeming to have shared tho
fate of too many men of inventive
genius.