The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-19

Yesterday in she st-TnteIitgercer Of
Tee NJ n Baker. q linotype operator.
successfully attacked tire woria's record
Tor eight hours composition upon q ma
chine. The highest previous recorded
speed test upon a linotype machine fer
e1xnt hours composition was made IN ST.
Louis about q year since BY Barney Men
sig wae. BY the way, is former exaploye
OF tbs Post-Inteliigencer. The record
made yesterday by Mr. Baker was Il 81
ems solid nonparsil. or i.s7s ems more than
the best previous record.
There were 10 especially favorable cfr-
curnstaacss surrounding the test IL vas
done n tas ordinary course CT q GAYS
work Mr.. Baker Is at present engaged
Ia composition upon the new hook upon
the mines and mineral resources OF Wash
ington- The copy which he handled IN his
phenomenal feat was the manuscript for
this book. just as II came INTO his hands
IA the ordinary course OF the days work.
II was almost entirely In manuscript. a
portion only being typewritten. Further
than this. q considerable portion vas
made Up o. forms for locations, mining
deeds. etc. and q few fluctuations OF ng-
ures, the work on which was necessarily
much slower than on ordinary straight
matter" All the composition vas done In
solid nonpareil TIE measurement was
standard. but by careful line count Of
every line set; so that the result was alb
solutely and uuquestEonably accurate. The
matter was what Is technically known as
lean" There were very few break rnss.
Harry Connor, also os the post-Tntelli-
gencer force. held the watch on AIR.
Baker. and with others made the type
measurements from hour 70 hour as the
type was set. and the final measurement
a. hA afaz - =
caution was taken 20 secure the utmost
accuracy. both in keeping the time and
IN the measurement Of the type.
The following is the exact record by
hours: First hour. lsSs ems: second. 10
70. third Us: fourth. u. $50: afth. o.s2s:
sixth. 1904: seventh, fa.9s4; eighth. Il. SOS:
or total in eight hours OF Ss.sTe ems.
Mr.. Baker. as machine operator. IS
entirely s. Seattle product. He was the
first man who went 10 work on the FIRST
Aergenthaler linotype machine. which was
Installed in the Office Of the old Telegraph
four years ago. He has been In the en-
ploy OF the Observation-Disclosures ever SINCE
the machines were installed in this Office.
From the first he has been considered a
phenomenaliy fast man. and bis friends
have confidently predicted that he would
soon or late beat the worlds record. a
prediction which the result has abundant
tons for the contest.
An examination OF the record By hours
shows two particular instances In which
the amount set fell far below the average
for the other hours. These were the par
ticular times when Mr.. Baker encountered
the technical terms IN the forms Of mining
blanks given and the tabulated figures.
Had IL been straight composition. On or
binary matter. a; those points. he would
ss-fwr 49, . q
more than he did As il S. however. ne
has made a record which he Is under no
necessity for improving upon until some
one else reaches the same or higher fig
urss.
To those unsa miIiar with the technical
tiles OF the printing trade. IL may De stated
that the amount Of composition which Mr..
Baker did IN his work yesterday On the
machine would require eight hand com
p0Sitors Of considerably more than the
average swiftness 10 equal In the same
length OF time