The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-11-24
THE LINOTYPE MAN.
urRGENTHALER, THE INVENTOR.
f. DYING OF CONSUMPTION.

His struggle For Recognition - After
Years of Toll re Completed Ills Type
setting Machine-How He Got a start
and Made Fortune.
otto MergenthaIer, the inventor of
Ha linotype, is passing the winter in
Daming, N. NJ, and, sad as the intel
lgence is, perhaps his last days. Con-
sumption has laid it's hand upon him.
Despite this menace, however, he is
cheerful and does much work each day.
He is counting upon giving to the world
another invention within a year.
! called upon him in his beautiful
Deming home on the outskirts of the
town No one in the east would expect
to find such a house equipped with such
Surroundings away out here ON the
great desert, 1t is a large, square, brick
1 structure Through the center is wide
hall large enough to accommodate a
billiard table that is much enjoyed by
the friends he has gathered around him
y and the members Of his family Wide
q porches surround the big house, and
& broad lawns, kept green by liberal
4 ,DruELng, are the Fairgrounds of his
Il children
81 When Mrs. Mergenthaler showed me
10 her husband 5 library, the inventor
sat working at some mechanical prob
lem at his desk. He is pale and thinner
than when the people Of the east last
saw him, and his cough annoys him
frequently The linotype-that machine
tlarIs to newspaper making what the
telephone and telegraph are to CONNER
lal Lfe-was Of course the first topic
conversation Referring to his inven-
bon, he said he never expected to see any
ypemaking device cheap enough to be
kithln reach Of the smaller class of
ounry papers.
DO you expect to give to the world
By new labor saving device?" | asked
im No, he answered slowly, no
ct right away, but probably within
bar
What will it be-"
4 cannot tell you. No one knows
hat it Is The world must wait and
remember a time, " he continued
fectivaly when ! was a boy in the
country, that saw the need of an
proved chuck for Iathes. | worked
it diligently, and when I thought
II it completed took it to a neighbor,
hachinIsC, and showed it to him He
Fe it such q careless glance that it in
ed me and without saying word
ched under his bench and brought
uenrlcally the same thing So, you
1t Is not best to tell what you in
70 do until you have accomplished
the age Of IS years Mergenthaler
7Ad III America penniless and with
ing else but his brief experience in
lanlcs He went to Washington and
lg the succeeding four years worked
Pc mechanism of electric clocks and
and signal service apparatus for
gWerument In the last named he
many improvements and invented
Pal new ones. At the end Of these
Years he went to Baltimore, where
Ought he saw wider field for his
Us he has made that city his home
more than q year ago, when he
70 The southwest to seek health.
Was IN 1876 that the history Of the
Epe begins From then until 1880
yea-s-he gave his every thought
creation Of his machine. He took
TEST and roil6d night and day.
~.ly 1T the end of four years, he
machine that would, by action Of
.oo-d something like a typewriter,
me Of key dies or types, Justify
3 20 The exact width of a column or
11Ied measure and cast from them
,IAe OF lead or type metal. Yet
m. was not done, for after he had
"a15d all this and had secured
11Js another obstacle seemed to
,ro -'A Men Of money discEedited
In --Ae even after they had seen it
bs, 1Io-ls1ers said it was impracti-
ies 11ey were willing to try" his
ne could show that it would
rn 'ot0 OF five or six men setting
l'st y" .Ae case but not until then
.bf -'te 10 take any risks. By con-
7 r54al1ss, however, he at last
II III ar2anlzing a company with
r. 2's"~ which in the next three
" consumed in efforts to place
Pc Iii the composing room of
nh newspaper.
I'M ro"ey all gone, the machine
= w. MS physical system shat
ra Fed the next three years in
W .ITe But day dawned for
| A 1886 WhiteIaw Reid of
- r.A tribune agreed to try a