The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-26

To meet the requirements of modern
newspaper work, the Standard has re-
moved the traditional cases from its
composing room and has substituted
therefor the latest marvel in machinery
known as the Mergenthaler. Four of
these machines have been stationed in
the composing room, and the daily edi-
tons of the Standard are the product
of their ingenuity. When first con-
structed, practically in it's present
form, the Mergenthaler machine was
almost universally condemned. Ii
seemed to be a good toy, but Ii was
deemed to be utterly impracticable in
the judgment of printers. while bust
ness men looked upon it as device of
more than doubtful commercial value
The aim of the machine was to as
semble a certain number of types in
line. Justify them, secure perfect
alignment, and then cast a slug there
from with type faces in relief and re-
turn the type to its proper receptacle
to be used again.
The inventors of this machine had
faith in IT and they struggled patiently
TO overcome the obstacles which they
met in their earlier ventures. Mergen-
thaler machines were operated. in the
office of the New York Tribune as long
as eight years ago, in fact II is said
that some of these original machines
stand in the Office of the Tribune to-
day, performing their daily round of
work Newer machines have received
improved attachments, but the general
principles of operation have been main
tained from the first until the present
time. The mechanism of the key board
has been improved and made more
rapid and certain. The adjustment of
the molds has been improved and the
casting box so constructed that, unless
a line has been perfectly assembled, 1t
cannot be cast. The ingenious method
of distributing the type has been sim
plified until that part of the process
may be said to have approached per-
lection.
The principal features of real merit
in the Mergenthaler Linotype machine.
as now constructed and operated, are
its remarkable speed, satisfactory re-
suits of its product, and the commercial
value of the machine in practical use.
The very fact that an expert operator
can seat himself at its key board and
by a simple indication of the required
character keys assemble a line of type
and the machine automatically justify
the same to the fixed measurement.
cast metal slug therefrom with the
type characters in relief, properly dis
tribute the types back into their re-
spective receptacles and lay the metal
slug down before the operator for his
inspection, and do this and continue to
do II, as has been attested by frequent
trlals, as speed equal to the attained
and maintained swiftness of four of the
fastest hand composition records COM
bined, establishes its qualities and fixes
them beyond dispute.
The keyboard mechanism is so con-
structed. and can be operated. as al
most any practical engineer will attest
upon examination, at a rate of speed
equal to, If not greater. than 10 900 ems
or composed matter per hour. The fact
that about $50 printing offices, includ-
Ing many Of the largest and leading
daily papers of the country, have
adopted the. machine is sufficient evil
dence that its results are satisfactory.
SOMETHING ABOUT SPEED.
Touching the question of speed, the
Inventive Age says:
Some of the speed records made by
expert operators on Merganthaler ma
chimes would seem almost incredulous
to the ordinary printer. The fact re-
mains, however. that such expert ope-
rators as Reilly, Smith and McCarty
Uhe latter in charge of the machines at
the worlds fair), have given repeated
exhibitions of their ability to surpass
all expectations as to machine compo-