New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-29
THE LINOTYPE AND ITS INVENT0p
MISREPRESENTATION con
RECTED.
COR
To the Editor of The Tribune.

RECTED.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Ny attention has been called 10 the ~.
lowing publication In The Hartford Times,.
1.-THE Springfield Union" says: "ottmar Meryen-
thaler who revoItonIzed the business Of qetiing
suffered the fate OF most great inventors But tSs
stockholders OF the company which bears his nams
There is much misunderstanding OF the relation
81 Mr. nS 6ns4 To the RSyRe an
deceasc The fate Of most great inyentors"-what
IS The fate Of THOMAS Ss Edson? VIA, wsas
fate Of George Westinghouse, jr? What was the
fate Of of England f6eS and sSs Of on
fortunes Mersenthaler only got between 10000
G % Ut q he ' esose to accepts Toyy a.
$50 on each machine instead OF 10 per cent profits
MIR" Nj Mersentbsler was an able mechanic bu, I,
ventor. 4 number Of washington newspaper men
to do away with the setting OF type II was not
composition but In machine composition also
Ihey invested their money and worked for two
of the best mechanic they could find IN Washing
ton. They had become possessed OF great idea
employed him and long before he had finally per-
fected the machine they had paid him a small
ali gone they secured the aid Of WhItelaw Reid,
Melville Stone and others, who brought In large
amount OF capital and enabled success 10 De won.
Mergenthaler got his pay regularly -. ,--.,.
Moreover, with all OF MerSentndierS inventive
ness his machine never could succeed without the
help of other brains than his own II was not
spacer Invented in Cleveland that the linotype
machine became comnerclal success. Most
eSrssry nppearnnce of the matter set up by
the first machines, which were placer M me once
have the Rogers wedge spacer 1t was exactly
like the case Of the Bell telephone, which was not
his iransmitfer which gave him a bigger fortune
but less fame than was gained by Graham I;eu T.,
for all that he contributed to the success OF this
great pad m hem yn9r m ana yea out
while ne made failure after failure. His name Is
not Identified with any srfat VeIg foruas
and an assured income TO his family Ao,,. 49,.
things In our opinion. credit for the development
OF the linotype machine belongs nrst OF all %
jam of NewYork and next to him stilson Hutch
ms, of washington we VIII nor uhGea,anS 70 Jsa
they Carried the linotype machine, but their eour-
Of them was entitled TO a larger reward than was
the mechanic they hired to help develop the ma
chine
This is a praiseworthy attempt to correct SONS
of the current misrepresentation as to the
"fate" OF the inventor Of the Linotype and the
history OF the invention but the writer's In
formation was evidently inadequate TO enable
him to do justice to the subject, The TACT IS
that Mr. Mergenthaler was exceptionally fortu"
nate among inventors. While he was suII
very young tourneyman mechanic a stranger In
a strange land and speaking its language with
difficulty he was employed by certain Washing
ton stenographers, Of some newspaper expert
ence but not then newspaper men,. to con-
struct a printing machine designed by another
inventor, Charles T. Moore This Invention In
tended originally to produce matter for lltho-
graphic reproduction, was transformed by Mr.
Mergenthaler under the direction or his en-
rloyers into q machine for producing a matrix
by indenting into papier mache Then came MS
first original invention. known in the art as
the band machine" and this was followed by
the separate matrix machine, the origlha'
Linotype During the whole experiments
neriod extending through many years MT Mer-
genthaler instead OF occupying the position OF
the proverbial struggling inventor" was sup
pIied literally with all necessary materials ana
assistance and was paid In cash at the highest
market rate for his own labor and time, ana IN
addition he received large bonuses :" STOCK
which afterward became very valuable AS soon
as he had produced a marketable machine nc
began Immediately to share IN 'he pF0N'''
through royalties. and he also obtained con.
tracts for the construction OF several hundred
az the early age of forty-fve. he had ALREADY
received in cash, after his invention hao De-
come productive Including payments on con-
tracts but taking no account OF the large SUMS
paid him during the experimental period more
than 81 100000 Shortly before his death he
sold his remaining stock for between S1ooV'
and 500 600. and his heirs continue to receive
his royalties at the same rate at when 'hey
were paid in his lifetime.
To make due apportionment of credit for tne
DEVELOPMENT OF the Linotype would be DIFF
hcult task, not 10 be attempted here; but on
this subject also. 1.-THE Times" writer obvi-
ously lacks information. or the two gentlemen
he names. the first Mr.. Clephane, was the real
pioneer. and Is entitled to more than all the
credit he has ever received; but the second had
no connection with the enterprise in It's early
and most discouraging stages, or until It was on
the eve Of success.
As with all such revolutionary Inventions INC
introduction of the Linotype was almost as
difficult a problem as it's invention and construc-
ton and the man who did most 10 demonstrate
the practical value OF the machine and to lay
the foundation for it's commercial success was
Mr.. whitelaw Reid. of The New-York Tribune
who while It was still very defective put II ih'o
his office and used 1t persistently In spite OF 'he
great mechanical difficulties and discourage
ments necessarily attending the working OF
new and untried machine In so exigent field as
the printing Of a great daily newspaper. ana
In defiance Of the violent antagonists which
such revolutionary undertaking naturally pro-
voked. Yours respectfully.
ANDREW DEvINE
New-York. Nov. 81. 1890.