Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-09-10
Washin9tou STANDARD
EDITOR WHO HAS NO HANDS.
Yet fie GETS Along Very Well With
out ANY.

Yet fir GETS Along Very Well With
out ANY.
Occasionally the anomaly is pre-
scented OF an editor managing to exc
out living without brains, but we
have never heard before Of one who
could perform all the duties of the
>anctum" without hands. Alabama
lays claim. however, To this odditv,
which illustrates the oft-repeatcd
claim that nature compen>ates for the
loss OF any of her usual qualifications
Ivy IN increase OF other means for min
istering to human wants. This editor
in Alabama performs his full part in
editing a daily newspaper, minus both
hands.
The march Of science and invention
and the energy of William J. Blan,
editor of the Troy (Ala.) Daily Messen-
ger, have combined to produce this
apparent phenomenon Mr.. Blan is
not only an energetic but very able
man, and his paper cxerts a powerful
influence in the southeast quarter of
the State, it being the only daily that
Is published in that section. Mr.. Blan
is great favorite with the editors of
Alabama and has served several terms
as Treasurer of the Alabama Press As
ISOLATION. He also has held the Of
fees of City Councilman and County
Treasurer.
Mr.. Blan served in the Confederate
army and came through without a
wound. But twelve years ago Con-
federate Veterans Reunion was held at
Troy, and among other things the old
ex-soldiers INDUCED in a sham battle.
Mr.. Blan was detailed to load and fire
one of the cannons. During the mock
battle the cannon exploded premature
ly and the heavy charge OF powder
and wadding blew both of his hands
of-the left just above the wrist, the
other several inches further up the
arm.
At this time Mr.. Blan was owner of
the Weekly Messenger, which he had
bought in 1873 and had succeeded in
putting it on its feet by hard work.
He had large family of young chill
dren, and, like all other newspaper
people in that part of the land, he had
lived pretty we'll up to his income. He
knew no line Of business excepting
newspaper work, and man without
either hand is ordinarily not very
available about a newspaper Office.
He determined not to allow his USE
fulness to depart with the loss of his
hands, however, and as soon as he had
recovered sufficiently from his injuries
to give the matter his attention he
had made an artificial right hand and
half forearm.
1t is simple but ingenious contriv.
ance. The artificial part of the arm
is arranged so as to be securely fast
ened to the stump of the right arm
left by the explosion. The hand
which is covered by glove, appears
perfectly natural in shape and holds a
pen or pencil as gracefully as any edi-
tors natural hand. A stranger seeing
Mr.. Blan at work at his desk would
never imagine that the hand was not
q real one, with blood circulating
through it., so thoroughly has the edi-
tor gotten its operations under his
control.
By means of a cord, which passes
from his artificial hand up his right
coat sleeve, then across his back, then
down his left coat sleeve, to the end of
the remainder of his left arm, Mr..
Blan is enabled to close the fingers of
his artificial hand and grasp his pen.
BY keeping his left elbow bent the
tension on the string is continued and
the artificial fingers hold the pen
tightly, while the editor controls its
course over the white paper by a move
ment of the upper arm and shoulder.
By this means Mr.. Blan has learned
to write with the greatest ease, and
more rapidly and legibly than the av-
erage man of his age who has two
good hands. For ten years he has
written with his mechanical hand
practically all of the editorials and a
very large amount of the local and adj
vertising matter that has gone into
his paper. About six years ago Mr..
Blan developed his weekly into daily,
and has been successful beyond his ex-
pectations. The daily entailed more
work, but the editor and the artificial
hand proved equal to the emergency.
Coffee as Disinfectant.
New York Ledger.
The use of coffee as disinfectant is