Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-06-24
PRINTING PRESSES.
Old and New Styles Shown at
Worlds Fair.
Presses that Print and Fold 48, 900
fouf-Page Papers an Hour.
Ihs Daily cslsnbiaa- 0ld Tias Relic
PfiatisS Types.

WORLDS FAIR, June n lSpecial] -
Machinery is always attractive to the pop
alar eye, but machinery that is in motion,
and Is performing the function which it
was intended TO perform, Is doubly 90.
Therefore one need not be surprisedto find
in what the exposition managers call the
palace Mechanical Arts, but which in com
mon pariance is Machinery hall. v,Ist crowds
of visitors from early morn till late at night.
The people cannot be blamed for focking
hither. risk the assertion that nowhere,
It any time. did any one ever see display
IF machinery equal to that to be found in
This vast building, which Il one Of the
most beautiful and impressive structures
On the grounds. 1t is like some modern
lied and industrial cathedral of Milan, and
the work which goes on under Its roof is
he highest type Of the religion of utility.
III the great engines and machines are in
eresting. but particularly 20 those which
are set to work, those which turn out the
goods and the wares Just as they do in the
great machine shops Of the nations which
sent them here.
II we take run through the big hall
ooking for machinery that Il At work We
hall first Of all, very properly, come in
contact with the art preservative Of all
srts, the printing machines. There is
omething very fascinating about the array
II web perfecting presses here. In all
here are dozen Of them, think, repre-
enting all leading American makers.
When we say the American makers are
represented that is as good as saying that
;he greatest presses of all the world are
acre; for ingenious as our friends across
the sea are in many manufacturing lines,
this country has always taken the lead in
printing machinery, and probably always
will. All the important Improvements in
this class of machines during the last fifty
years--and in that time the art of news
paper printing has been revolutionized-
had their origin in this country.
One of the s,ost perfect machines in the
world is fast printing press. 1t is not
very large, nor yet so very complicated,
considering what it does, but it performs
a wonderful lot of work. The head press
man sees that the plates are properly at-
tached to the fast-fying cylinders, that
the tapes are in order and everything
ready, and then he moves lever. Behold
the result. Almost without noise, with
out hustle or confusion, without the touch
Of human hands, 4s 600 completed four
page papers roll out in an hour, printed,
folded, perfect. 1t is not necessary for me
to describe the process to you. II is enough
to say the paper is fed from roll which
n sheet about two miles long, and
that the stereotyped plates are attached to
cylinders which have q very rapid rotary
molten.
These presses are used for the actual
printing of newspapers. The Daily Coluns-
bian is one Of the papers printed here, and
1t is also one OF the most curious papers Of
the world. 1t is a composite paper, being
made up OF three pages of matter prepared
by the managers Of the exposition, and is
to that extent an official Journal The re-
five pages are the first pages Of
the five English morning papers of Chicago
Of that day. This is done by each of the
papers sending down to the exposition "A
cast of the stereotype page, while the three
pages of the Columbian itself are put in
type in one of the newspaper offices and
sent here in the same way. SO that by
a copy of the Daily Columbian
visitors get noo only the official announce
ments of the day, but the first pages of all
the great daily morning papers of Chicago.
An odd looking newspaper it makes, sure
enough, and almost any day one may read
the same item of news written up in five
ways and with widely differing
statements of fact. Some papers contra
lict one day what they printed the day be-
fore, but here Is paper which often con-
.radicts on its sixth page what it says on
It's seventh, and reaffirms the original
statement on its eighth. The afternoon
papers of Chicago, five in number, all print
editions in Machinery hall, each havingits
avn press here and supplying large corps
of newsboys who at once go out selling
copies to the crowds.
The whole display is creditable to Ameri-
can press builders and newspapers, and
visitors seem never to tire watching the
magic presses turning out their thousands
Df papers. Ths press exhibit is by long
odds the most thorough ever made 1t
embraces not only newspaper presses but
presses for commercial work, and some OF
these are new and constructed on princi-
pies but recently discovered. One press is
used all the time for turning out litho-
graph pictures Of scenes in the exposition,
and these colored prints, which are really
quite artistic, find ready sale. A striking
contrast with one Of the fast perfccting
presses is afforded by the exhibit of the
first press used in New Hampshire, which
stands near by. 1t is an old wooden con-
and was built by Thomas Draper
in Boston in ls42. That was 80 years ago,
and you couldn't expect much of a press
built in those days. The old-timer is still
able to turn out fair quality of work, and
a pressuan stands by its side all day, ink
ing the form on its ancient bed with
ard striking of impressions of
u Ifttie circular As fast As he is able. The
circular read as follows:
.............ss-......
Print r,l on prefs Isl years old,
By the