St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-17

The first issue of the GLOBE was
put on the streets of st. Paul the
morning of Jan. IS, 1878. It was a
four-page paper, and the type from
which it was printed directly was
set up by a dozen cOmpositors, out
of wooden leases" resting on old
fashioned frames"
Today's' issue of the GLOBE, sew
enteen years afterWard, is printed
from plates cast from matter set
entirely by machines. The deft
hand of the skilIful operator now
touches the keyboard to bring into
line letters he formerly picked up
one by one with the fingers. Each
letter, or matrice, as it falls from the
channel board" or receptacle that
contains the matrices, takes its place
by the law of gravity, without touch
of finger. To explain the descent of
the matrices from the channel board
after the keys have been pressed
would involve too much technical de-
tail. Suffices to say that, while the
machinery is delicate and compli-
Gated, the operation itself is simple.
When a line has been filled the
operator is warned by a bell. The
machine itself practically ''justifies"
each line, and there is no stick to
dump nor any distribution by
hand afterward. When any given
line has been set it may be duplicat-
ed as often as needed without re-
setting. The ten Mergenthaler Lin
otype machines today in operation
in the GLOBE composing room will
easily set each night in eight hours
an amount Of matter equally to the
work of forty men for the same time
under the old method of hand COM
position. The machine will give alb
SOlutely correct returns, too, If the
operator manipulateS the keys with
out blunder. To misspell, it is nee
essary to press the wrong key. A
''C' will never come by pressing the
kew marked "E." for instance; and
the arrangement for bringing the
matrices into proper place in line
is such that, no matter how rapid
the operator may be, it is impossible
for letters to become transposed in
descent. There is no possibility. Of
false distribution, hence no mixture
of letters.
These machines will set ordinary
heads as easily as straight reading
matter Tabular work, half or full
measure, is also produced with sur
prising hardness. Markets, too,
full of figures and fractions and odd
sorts" are set on a machine with a
specially arranged keyboard. The
GLOBE can be produced with a non
pareil or a minion dress, solid or
loaded, as may be desired. Change
of dress is accomplished simply by a
change of channel board. The solid
ity or openneSS of the matter set is
regulated almost in a moment by the
expert who cares for the machines.
In fact. while these machines look,
and are to a certain extent, compll-
Gated, it is really wonderful how
easily they are manipulated to pro-
impossible but yesterday, as it seems.
While the GLOBE, always abreast
of the march of progress, has added
these machines to it's already eX-
tensive and complete equipment, it
must not be supposed that there is
no hand-composition done in the Of
fee. There will always be a certain
percentage of that. While most of
the frames and cases are to be dis
pensed with, the department for
handling the lads" will be enlarged
and improved. To properly set up
and display the lines of "a advertising for
a metropolitan newspaper requires
in itself very extensive equipment
of type, cuts, border, ornaments
and furniture" All advertise
ments, with the possible exception
of legaIs and similar solid matter
are set by hand and this work re-
quires the services of several men
every day in the year.