The Hawaiian gazette., 1899-11-10

Gilman Mergenthaler's fame as the
inventor OF the typesetting machine
that bears his name will be long lived
The story of his patient study and work
for years on his great machine and
his long struggle to have its value re-
cognized, achieving success when pen
niless and broken in uealth. Is pathe-
tic one. At the time of his death Mr..
Mergenthaler was only As years old.
He was born in Wurtemburg and while
still boy was apprenticed to q watch
maker, but he did not serve out his
time, owing to his desire 10 escape
military service. At the age of Is he
arrived In America penniless, and with
nothing else but his brief experience
in mechanics. He went to Washing
ton, and during the succeeding four
years worked on the mechanism of
electric clocks and bells and signal
| service apparatus for the Government
In the last named he made many i'm
provements and invented several new
ones. At the end of these four years
he went to Baltimore, where he thought
ne saw a wider field for his talents.
in the Monumental City, that the his
tory of the linotype begins. From then
lss0--four years-he gave his every
thought to the creation of his ma
chine. He took little rest. Night and
day he toiled, and gradually put into
his work the gold of his brain and the
Drawn Of his body. Only such men as
Morse, Field, Gray. Bell or Edison
could tell what such toll and appli-
cation means. Finally, at the end of
these four years of struggle he had a
machine that would, by action of n
keyboard something like typewriter,
set line of key dies or types, Justify
them to the exact width of column
or any required measure and cast 1t
into solid line Of lead or type metal.
Yet his work was not done, for after
he had accomplished all this and had
secured his patents. another obstacle
seemed to battle him. Men OF money
discredited his machine even after they
had seen 1t work. publishers said 1t
was impracticable. They were willing
to try" his device II he could show
that 1t would do the work Of Ave or
six men setting type from the case, but
not until then did they care to take any
risks. BY constant pleadings, how
ever. he at last succeeded In organic
ing a company with small capital,
which in the next three years was con-
sumed in efforts to place the linotype
in the composing room of some daily
newspaper. With money all gone, the
machine turned down, the despair OF
failure, of seven years of wasted toll
of death almost was upon him.
Moreover, his physical system was
shattered, and he passed the next three
years in a struggle to live. But day
dawned for h. m at last. In 1886 White
law Reid of the New York Tribune
agreed 10 try machine. II proved
success, and ne equipped his Office
with them. Then he Louisville Cour-
ier-Journal took them up, and from
that time fame and a golden reward
were his. Since 1856 machines that
represent value OF many million dol
lars have been sold or leased.
Broken down by the hardships and
struggles OF his early life. when sue
cess and wealth came he was unable
10 enjoy them. The past three years
he spent In an endeayor to regain
health by visits TO Arizona, New Mex
leo and similar climates, but In vain.
lie leaves widow and cnildren,