The times., 1899-10-29
sUNDAY. ocToBER p. Igg9
Ottmar MergcnthaIer.

SUNDAY. OCTOBER %, 1899.
Ottmar HergenthaIer.
II the history Of the art preservative of
arts, two names. we think, viii stand forth
pre-eminent and peerless. They are those
OF Gutenberg, who, according to accepted
belief, invented printing from type about
the year A. d. l43S. and Ottmar Mergen-
thaler. the perfector Of the art, and the
creator Of the typesetting machine. To
the parent stock OF the great Teutonic
family. of which the Anglo-Saxon nations
are branches, and are proud Of the fact,
is due both the original invention in the
fifteenth, and its perfection in the. nine
1eenth, century. MeTgeuthaleT, like Guten-
berg. was born a German. But. unlike his
medieval forerunner, he developed his abIi-
ities and genius in a foreign land. in al
environment more favorable 10 the evolu-
Jion OF new ideas, methods. and devices in
connection with the applied science Of me
chanics, than any other in the world
The story OF oumar Mergenthaler's ca
reer and achievements IS set forth in an
other column Of The Times; suffice it here
10 say that he was born in Wurttemburg
May 10 1854, and. hence, was in his forty,
sixth year at the tine Of his death He
early showed a strong mechanical bent. and
mis- capacity in this direction developed
rapidly during his apprenticeship TO the
clock and Matchmaking trade. at the end OF
which he emigrated to the United States
Here in Washington, and later in Balu-
more, as an expert mechanician employed
on the electrical devices Of two decades ago
he acquired new ability to handle. con-
struct, and 20 conceive and design com
plicated and delicate machinery.
Il was during Ottmar Mergenthalers
earlier residence in Baltimore that his at
tention was first drawn 10 the subject Of
Improvements in the methods for produc-
ing printed matter from type. As everyone
knows from the earliest period Of the art
TO his day but little advance had been
made, and, in principle, none It is true
that the character Of type had been revoIu-
tionized; that coarse wooden blocks had
given place 10 metallic letters and spaces.
and that the composition Of type metal
had been improved. But the tedious and
laborious single character basis Of type
setting had never varied, and up to the
year the Linotype machine made its ap-
pearance, the art Of typesetting had re-
mained in exactly the condition which ex-
listed when Benjamin Franklin learned the
trade OF a printer.
j is aIwsys instructive to contemplate
The occurrence Of those episodes in life.
commonly known as accidents. which are
often so pregnant Of results in stimulating
native genius to high accomplishments,
and through them, in endowing mankind
with the possession Of new enginery Of
economy or progress. Such happy accident.
e We may so call H. happened 10 Orimar
MergenthaleT when he was brought in con
Iacy with the comparatively crude inyen-
ticu OF another, the object OF which was
by special typewriting machine, to print
z page as the same would appear if pro
duced in the ordinary way The idea was
10 reproduce the work indefinitely by the
htaograDhic process. The scheme did not
work satisfactorily, although, with changes
and improvements effected by Mr.. Mergen-
thaler, il scored a partial success. IT car
RED other and important consequences
however Itsuggested the feasibility OF
typesettlng by machinery 10 the master
mind, and The whole world today is richer
for The thought and its development.
We viii not, in this place. attempt TO
review the mechanical. structural. and
scientific difficulties and Instructions
which had 10 be encountered and over
come before success crowned the en-
terprise, and the perfected machine
which is now in general use throughout
The countries Of high civilization was pro
duced and introduced. The great basic fea-
lure Of the invention was contained in The
Mergeuthaler conception Of a line Of type
no be SET and cast at once, Sc that a column
Of matter in metal should consist Of SO
many line units. instead Of forty times ol
more as many single letter and space units
as was the case under the hand-setting sys-
TEN The production, proper spacing. and
Justification of d whole line of type. as the
Mergenthaler machine produces il. and the
rapid repetition OF this feat ad Ubitum is
justly considered to be one Of the highest
triumphs Of mechanical art. Through All
time the name Of Oumar MergenthaIer
VIII rank with that Of Gutenberg. and
perhaps above f.; for what the latter did
was inconsequenuaI compared with III
amazing accomplishment OF the great in
ventor who died in Baltimore yesterday.