The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-04-19
RACING AGAINST TIME.
Some Really Marvellous Fsa!s oiRapId Production
By Eneprsng Firms.

Many astounding feats have been
performed I'm races against time, but
probably never anything more wonder
ful than that OF producing a printed
newspaper from trees, which were
growing two hours and a-half only be-
fore the papers We're in the hands of
their readers. says Tid Bits.
This feat was performed by a firm OF
paper pulp manufacturers at Eisen-
thai, In Austria. At 1885 i'm the morn
ing the three sturdy trees were cut
down and carted 10 the paper mills.
The bark was stripped from them.
they were split and pulped, and sent 10
the dehbrators, where they were quick
ly converted into paper pulp. At 20
minutes OF 10 the trees had been con-
verted into sheets of paper, which wero
quickly taken to the newspaper office,
and at 10 o'clock thousands OF copies
were I'm circulation.
An American publishing firm not long
ago achieved a feat of rapid book pro-
duction. which is not only unrivaled,
but almost incredible. An order reached
them late on Saturday TO produce 2OOO
copies OF an illustrated book OF 800
pages by the following Wednesday
evening. The task was begun on Mon
day morning, and before the day closed
the entire book had been reduced to
type. and electrotype plates prepared
for the presss. On the following day
printing began, and a number OF
presses were so busiIy at work that by
noon of the following day all the 200O
copies We're printed. The bookbinders
had been equally expeditions In prepar-
. ing the covers. and the whole edition
was bound and delivered by Wednes-
day evening.
A short time ago the Prussian War
Department made very interesting
experiment in the rapid manufacture
of boots under war conditions. An
army of 1900 bootmakers was collected
in Berlin from the Eighteenth Army
Corps. and commenced a course of four
weeks work under the supervision OF
a number OF commissioned officers.
The men were divided into two Sec
tions, one section working from "a. m.
To 2 p. m, and the other taking up the
work from y. m TO a. m, with two
intervals of half an hour each i'm each
period OF twelve hours. The men
worked, ate, slept in the bar
racks of the First Field Artillery Reg
iment OF the Prusssian Guards. In
the four weeks the men made no fewer
than 10000 pairs OF boots, each man
thus completing 80 pairs within the
month.
The most remarkable feat in bridge
building stands TO the credit OF Messrs,
Handyside who substituted new
railroad bridge for an old one I'm the in
credible time of four hours. The new
bridge was one of steel, weighing over
POO tons. which replaced an old bridge
spanning the Stroud Green road, near
the Great Northern Station at Fins
bury Park.
Commencing operations i'm March
last. the contractors built by the north
ern side OF the old bridge a new one
resting on six carriages. which ran on
a tiny railroad under the ends of the
Orders. At 3 o'clock one afternoon
enormous cranes removed the girders
OF the old bridge: its SUCCESSOR was
hauled along the lines into it's place by
means Of steam crabs: and within four
hours the bridge was made firm, the
roads connected and traffic was re
sumed e-r,
An engineering feat still more re-
mafkable was performed not long ago
at the Stratford works of the Greau
Eastern Railway. The engineers had
set themselves the task of building a
luggage engine and tender i'm the quick
est time on record
All the components parts had been
carefully arranged and placed at hand
and when work commenced early i'm
the morning the engine quickly began
TO assume shape. by dinner time it
was practically completed. with the
exception of painting, and within ten
hours The engine and tender i'm all thu
glory of new paint and perfect in
every detail, were taking a trial spin
on the line.