The record-union., 1895-04-11
TYPEWRITERl'S REVOLUTION.l
Odd Devices of the Past and Ingen-
ious New Inventions.
some Curious Contrivances That the
Present Effective Machines
Superseded.


aalIy successful machines are thick as
&utnmn leaves in Vallom brosa, and
looked at from the practical standpoint OF
to-day they seem nearly as tutlle as az
tempts to attain perpetual moIloh' ol
the Keely motor. There are scatlerea
about in this city, principally IN Ihe
offices of dealers in secondhand type
writers, some very curious machines
which were introduced and which dleo
without possibly thousand people ever
passing on their merits. One OF the most
curious of these, says writer IN the
New York Sun, was called the book-
keepers writing machine. 1t was IN
tended to be used by book-keeper ID
posting his books. This machine was
like a turtle to look at, having a smooth
under surface and an upper surface
slightly rounded, and speckled with
twenty-six upper holes and sixteen
lower ones which controlled the alphaDet,
numerals and punctuation. Ihe SIZE
was about four inches by three, and TO pc
used the ledger or day book mad TO De
placed on desk and clamped Win TWO
bands of steel, which reached from slae
to side of it to make the leaves lie hat.
Another narrow strip OF metal ran across
the page, and this was to be adjusted SO
that the lower edge should be on Ilne.
Then, when the turtle was slipped into a
spring groove on the upper euge, Inc the
lettering was produced on line OF the
book above.
To operate the machine the book-keeper
covered the shell with his right hanu,
while his left keft tab of the record book,
and pressing a finger on the tiny excres-
cences he produced the desired letters
as the turtle crawled along, but 1t tailed
To a pOnnlQr naCanSa actual use Inc
work was irregular, and it took more
time to supply the dropped letters and 10
move the clamps around than it did to
write the entire entry by hand. Since
then a machine has been invented which
is designed to produce IypeWrltlng IN a
ledger, and it is said that before long IL
will be upon the market.
One of the first machines to supersede
the old pointer machines that ruined so
many peoples eyes was the Columbia
wheel, and although It was the forerun-
ner of the Odell, the Bar-lock, and other
similar types, it had not a lasting career. 1t
consisted of a wheel of meal type. stand
ing on edge over bar or roller OF rubber
which carried the paper. The wheel mad
to be turned round to each letter desired.
and then 1t was pressed down to make an
impression. The type being metal, 1t
was claimed that this machine was able
TO do manifold work, and to certain de-
gree it did, but the center Of resistance
was too weak to stand the'sJraIn, and 1t
soon got out of order. 1t had speed of
about 600 words an hour, while good
writer can write 1000 an hour with the
pen for several hours at stretch.
Then came an ingenious machine
called the Danish writing globe, which
had many good points TO recommend 1t
as Il step forward at the time OF its intro
duction. Every part OF 1t. except the
type and springs, was OF FURNISHED brass,
= ra-saEs a n
ported on a square frame of brass.
Through the top of the globe projected a
NUMBER of rigid wires, having disk at
the top. on which was marked letter,
and when one of the disks was pressed
downward by the finger, il printed let
ter on the paper beneath. The wires
were spread all over the globes top like
pins in pincushion, but all were con-
centrated at point beneath, below which
point type ribbon worked between the
letters and the paper on the same prin-
ciple as in the present machine. The
paper was carried on rubber roller not
much thicker than mans finger, which
was moved along by an eccentric oper-
ated by the action OF using the type.
While extremely ingenious, this ma
chine was not a practical success.
Another curious machine which just
missed success was the Lascar; it was
born and died in st. Louis. 1t was half
as long again as the present type OF ma
chine, and had high front board at the
back of the keys. At the far side OF this
were grouped the rods carrying the type,
which were pressed against felt pad
damped with ink. W hen q key was
struck the corresponding letter left the
ink pad, turned around and struck down.
ward upon the rubber roller around which
the paper was coiled, which then moved
along by the usual eccentric, automatically
operated by the key. The paper was
1aryi Of
by hook which might have done duty
AT the business end OF a shepherds crook.
This machine failed for its want of di-
Tectness ond the force lost from the key
to the paper. Then came the so-called
Rapid, born and buried in Ohio, which
never fulfilled even the promise of its
name. The keyboa was something
like that at present in use, but the key
wires were stuck through a solid piece of
metal instead Of being open and free, and
the type itself, instead of striking the
paper when used, was thrust at it as a
bayonet might have been.
From such machines was evolved the
three-piece lever, with the direct stroke
of the machines of to-day. The advance
Is so great that some enthusiasts wonder
If the devices considered so perfect to-day
will in the next few years be relegated to
the same gallery Of back numbers. One
of the most recent improvements now
being considered is to obviate the neces-
sity of stopping to turn the paper round
and push the carriage back for another
line. This is to be accomplished by a
very simple eccentric which is operated
automatically just after the bell rings,
and Immediately locks the keyboard for
perhaps two seconds, automatically turns
the paper, and rolls the carriage back for
the next line. The most curious part of
this invention is the way it was evolved.
A gentleman owning a typewriter was
lraI 20 land To fria vl,r hox,
never worked one. The machine was
lent, and few rudimentary lessons were
given. Two weeks later the machine was
brought back, and the borrower had in
vented little device which is likely to
put good many dollars into his pock ct
will be very great. Attempts are also
making to harness the typewriter to the
phonograph. There is already patented
attachment for telephones by which, if
the person called up is not OH hand, the
person at the other end of the line may
press button and dictate his message to
phonograph.
Another new invention is intended to
obviate the difficulty OF making a letter
Just where IL is desired and to do away
with the necessity of raising the carriage
80 see what the next letter is and where
1t comes. This it is sought TO accomplish h
by means OF glass prism. This should
prove boon TO those who have tabulat-
ing work to do, the most distressing and
most nerve-racking work on the machine
to-day.
1t may be said in conclusion that the
first typewriter was a machine with
raised letters, invented by Henry Mill of
England, in l7l4, for the use of the blind,
but, beyond marking the era of mechani-
cal writing machines, it was of no value,
and for nearly 40 years no step forward
was made. Nearly all the improvements
and certainly the credit of the general in
PRODUCTION of the typewriter, belong to
America. To-day there is one firm in