Evening star., 1899-03-25
WITH IT FROM THE START.
Timely "Reminiscences of MIR. Leves OF
The Stnr's COmpOsing Room.

Mr.. Charles E. Leves, who is still en-
ployed on The Star, and though well up in
years is yet able to do a fair days work
with the younger typos, was one of the
original force of the paper, and for several
years assistant foreman
1.-The first number Mr.. Leves says, 81
believe was printed on press In the old
Olympic Theater building, located on 9th
street, opposite the Baltimore and Potomac
depot, and L am sure it was but a week or
SO after the first issue of The Star when l
was asked by Mr.. VIM. r. Mclean, the
foreman, to take a position under him. /
was working on the Congressional Globe at
the time; it was winter, the latter part of
December, 1852. 1 can't recollect the exact
date. The office was on D street near 18th,
wnere the engine house now stands; it was
two stories nigh, two rooms, and had been
used as wagon factory and blacksmith shop.
The wide doors the first floor front were
taken away and a single door and window
substituted, the floor cleaned, the walls
whitewashed and a small counter put up,
over which Stars were delivered and other
business pertaining to newspapers tram
Sacted. There was no inside communica-
ton between the upper and lower floors.
In order to reach the composing room the
printers were compelled to pass through
narrow alley between The Star building
and Flinn's blacksmith shop, into back
yard, thence up rough board steps to a
large platform on the outside, and then in
to the composing and press room.
THE force employed to get out the little
Il by 20 paper, under Capt. TAFT consisted
of Mr.. VIM r. Mclean, father of Mr.. Rich
ard A. Mclean, the present foreman of The
Star-and these are the only two fore
men The Star has had compositors,
Samuel Matlock, now of Rockville, Md;
one named Waite a young man named
Haller and myself. The three appren-
tees were Henry Stuart, Billy Pow
ell and one named Wise. The two first
named afterward made their mark in the
world. Powell, when the war of the
beilion broke out, joined the Washington
which has led to the command of the 9th
Infantry, and is now Col. VIM. H Powell.
L. S. A, en- route to Manila. Henry Stuart
finished his trade at a Star case. and, going
to New York, entered the theatrical profess
sion as supe, and has since risen far be-
yond mediocrity as Stuart Robson, the
comedian.
We had a Washington hand press, by
means of which for while the entire daily
editiOn-not over a thousand-was worked
off by Frank Sage. Bill CW W. Tucker
was the reporter, and Rev. Chas. w. Dem
nIson MISC furnished copy under the head of
'Twinks.' Capt. Tate attended to the Of
flee business. and G. W. Swain and Jos.
Fowler assisted behind the counter.
''Those We're rough days for The Star, the
success of the enterprise being doubtful at
times. Sometimes we did not get our full
weekly wages, having to wait until some
one came in and paid for advertisement.
"Messrs. Wallach and Hope purchased
the outfit of Capt. TAFT about six months
after, to the best of my recollection, in
July, and the paper took a new lease of
life, and from that time on has pros
pered that at the present time it is looked
upon one of the best and most reliable
publications of the country.