Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-12-17
WCKERY'S NEW PRESS.
The Only Machine Of its Kind Now in
Use in the Whole World,
And It Is Especially Designed to Print
vickeY's Publications.

To realize the great change that has
taken place in the manufacture of print
! ing presses during the last quarter of a
century, one has only to visit the press
room of the Vickery & Hill Company, ON
Chapel street. Twenty five years ago. a
press that would turn out 1900 impress
sions an hour Was considered a yerv fast
machine.
| Today, however, there are many web pre-.
fect1ng presses in the country that will
print as many as 4S. 600 complete papers
IN single hour. In the old days the paper
mills produced fat paper, cut, and each
sheet had to be separately handled by the
press feeder. Now, a roll of paper or
web, containing from 1000 to IA, 600 copies
OF the publication to be printed, Is used,
and the machine prints, cuts, folds, and,
sometimes, pastes and covers, the publica-
ton with wonderful accuracy and preci-
sion.
| Walter Scott & Co. of Painfield, n. j.,
are manufacturers of printing machinery,
and have just completed a new machine
for the Vickery & Hill Company, which is
a wonderful piece of work 1t is different
from any other web press in the world,
and was built with especial reference to
printing the publications of this Augusta
publishing company The builders term
it three decker, for the reason that it
| will print three times as much as any
press they have ever made.
Messrs. Schierholtz and Bedford are now
in the city, experimenting the setting up
of this press, but it will take two or three
weeks before it is ready for work. 1t is
no simple job to set up a machine of this
kind when it is understood that there are
more than 10, 900 different pieces, and each
piece must be placed in its proper position.
A mistake in the adjustment of any part
might cause tremendous smashup when
the machine Is started.
A solid foundation of masonry is built
under the floor of the buildings, and on
this foundation the press is placed A
considerable portion of the machine is
| beneath the floor, and the highest part al
most reaches the ceiling of the high posted
press room. The machine is really COM
posed of three printing presses placed one
| above the other in parallel planes, the two
| upper presses being used to print the main
body of the paper and the lower part is
| used to print the covers This cover may
he printed of different colored paper and
in two different colors of ink.
The three webs of paper which run into
the machine are controlled by a friction
device and an index showing the strain
on the webs Of paper. After the webs are
brought together they are cut and folded
and the covers pasted on and delivered in
book form. The machine is capable of
producing magazines of II, 16 and "a pages
without covers, and 16, 60 "a, % and 80
pages with covers Its capacity will be
about 800 600 complete magazines daily
The Vickery & Hill Company have two
presses from the same mandatory now
in operation, but when the new machine is
accepted they will dispose of one of the old
presses. Mr.. Vickery and DR.. Hill both
speak in the highest terms of the Scott
machine, and have faith that the new
press will do all that is claimed for it,
Mr. Henry c. Hayden of Newtonville,
Mass, is in the city for few days. Mr..
Hayden is here for the purpose of intro
ducng volume of his poems, The book
is elegantly gotten up and it is difficult to
conceive of more acceptable holiday
gift in the way of book. Mr.. Hayden
verses moreover are of unusual merit,
some of them having received the most
favorable comment of the sevcrest critics
and several have attained IA wide popu
larity, so that the volume is one which
makes valuable addition to the library.
Mr.. Hayden is prominent Mason, has
always taken deep interest in Masonic
affairs, and is past honorary commander
of Gethsemane Commandery, X. 7. At
the time of the great fire in Boston, he
was one of the prominent business men
of the city but was almost financially
ruined by the disaster He has been
president of Ncwtonville for % years and
prominently identified with its interests.
He was one year candidate for mayor of
| Newton, and was on the school board of
that city for many years. Mr.. Hayden
comes here from Portland, where he
secured the names of nearly all the lead
ing men upon his subscription list
Those who have watched the foolish
antics of lads on the east shore of the river
emulating one another In their endeavors
to skate near the open water, have expected
a fatality at any moment. But the Ice on
the west side from the wharf down was
| considered safe until 4. W. Hamlen in
nassing over it, yesterday, on his way to
! onnpSitp StqnIp-