The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-11-13
THE LINOTYPE MAN.
MERGENTHALER, THE INVENTOR, Us
DYING OF CONSUMPTION.

setting Machine-How He Got a Start
and Made "a Fortune.
Otto Mergenthaler, the inventor OF |
the linotype, is passing the winter III |
Deming, n. NJ. and. sad as the intel |
ligence is, perhaps his last days Con-
sumption has laid its 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 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 house equipped with such
surroundings away out here on the
great desert 1t is large, square, brick
structure Through the center is wide
hall large enough TO accommodate
billiard table that is much enjoyed by
the friends he has gathered around him
and the members of his family. Wide
porches surround the big house, and
| broad lawns. kept green by liberal
| sprinkling, are the Fairgrounds OF his
| children
When Mrs Mergenthaler showed me
| to her husband S 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
that is TO newspaper making what the
telephone and telegraph are to CONNER
cial life-was of course the first topic
of conversation Referring TO his inven-
ton, he said he never expected to see any
typemaking device cheap enough to be
within reach OF the smaller class OF
country papers
"Do YOU expect to give to the world
any new labor saving device?" ] asked
him mo, 4" he answered slowly, mo,
not right away, but probably within
year.
"What will it be?"
Il cannot tell you. No one knows
what it is The world must wait and
see [ remember a time, he continued
refiectively. when was boy In the
old country, that l saw the need OF al
improved chuck for lathes. l worked
ON it diligently. and when l thought
had it completed took 1T to nelghbor
a machinist, and showed it to him. III
gave it such careless glance that 1T In
iured me and without saying wor
reached under his bench and brough
out identically the same thing so, 20
see. il is not best to tell what you IL
tend to do until you have accompllshe
it."
At the age of lS years Mergenthalt
arrived in America penniless and wit
nothing else but his brief experience
mechanics He went to Washington an
during the succeeding four years workt
ON the mechanism of electric clocks al
bells ard signal service apparatus 4
the goy,fun.ent In the last named
mad. AMY improvements and invent'
severa. -, w ines. At the end of the
four y,aI, he went to Baltimore, VINE
he thought he saw a wider field for I
u talents lie has made that city his hor
:, until more than a year ago, when
came TO the southwest to seek health.
1t was in 1876 that the history OF
linotype begins From then until IL
~ -four years-he gave his every thong
to the creation of his machine. He to
40 little rest and toiled night and day
ei Finally, at the end of four years,
had a machine that would, by action
3 a keyboard something like typewrit
20 set a line of key dies or types, just
- them to the exact width of column
en any required measure and cast from tn
a solid line of lead or type metal
GU his work was not done, for after he
10 accomplished all this and had seoul
- his patents another obstacle seemed
~ battle him. Men of money discredi
'n his machine even after they had seer
AZ work. Publishers said it was impra'
is' cable They were willing to TRY"
- ~ device if he could show that it wo
40 do the work of five or six men sett
III type from the case, but not until Il
'eu did they care to take any risks. By C
0oS slant pleadings, however. he at
Ia. succeeded in organizing company W
ne small capital, which in the next tn
'n0 years was consumed in efforts to pl
, LII the linotype in the composing room
~ some daily newspaper.
..n With money all gone, the mach
io' turned down, his physical system 81
tered, he passed the next three years
q struggle to live But day dawned
him at last In 1886 Whitelaw Reit
-. the New York Tribune agreed to tt
,he machine 1t proved a success, and
Ia. equipped his office with them. Il
-, the Louisville Courier-Journal, thro'
81. the foresight of Mr.. Halderman, ont
,or its owners took them up. and from
80 time fame and golden reward "
80, his Since 1885 $500 machines, I
800 represent a value Of $40, 800, 600, b
,ad been sold or leased
asy He is able to enjoy the dry and al
49, tic atmosphere Of this region as
Nos Wills, but part Of his time is giveI
the work of writing history OF the
oeption. development and completion
his invention in connection with 81
of his personal experiences
:, Mr. Mergenthalsr first came ives
80 year ago last June to benefit his he'
49, and went to Prescott, A T., where
md roughed 1T for four months Cool