The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-01

| type was not remarkable for re gular spac-
! ing and alignment, and by no means ar
| tfStic or even perhaps neat in general ap-
| pearance, while its rate of speed would
| now be accounted decidedly slow, but it
was revelation in those days and the
first demonstration of the possibility of the
| typewriter. This machine like all that
| had preceded 1t, was intended primarily
for the use of the blind. The idea of a
| typewriter to take the place of the pen
! at that time would have been looked upon
| as ridiculous
| After Thurber, Beach. Pratt. and a
| score of others spent large sums of money
in improving the invention, Mr. Pratt 8
machine exhibited before the London
| Society Of Arts in 1851, and attracted an
| immense amount Of attention from press
and people. This event acted as a great
incentive to ambitious inventors. Among
these was c.. Latham Sholes. OF Wiscon-
sin, who completed the work left undone
by Thurber, and, supplying the deficiencies
In the latters continuance. produced
machine which appealed TO popular ap-
preciation and the commercial market
Sholes and his partner in the enterprise,
who supplied the capital, entrusted the
manufacture Of their typewriter to a COM
pany in lion. N. Y. For the first nine
years after the placing of these ma
chimes on the market not more than 1900
were sold per annum, while at the present
time a finished typewriter is being turned
out Tor every five minutes of the working
day. OF course the first make of machine
is now but one among something over a
hundred different varieties of typewriters,
each Of which claims pre-eminence over
its rivals.
Perhaps the most notable feature In the
manufacture of typewriters today is the
"a M n Of h. t,1,
the United States. Englishmen especially.
seem unable to comprehend why their Gov
eminent can or will not encourage and
foster such valuable branch of trade
but the reason for this is probably &c be
found in the respective commercial laws
Of the two countries. AS it is. this cour
try practically supplies the world with
typewriters. and, in some cases, has eXecut-
ed orders for crowned heads and other
distinguished foreigners, who often require
machines remarkable for their eccentric or
costly nature
Perhaps the most elaborate typewriter
produced was made lately for the
Czarina of Russia All the enamelled por-
tions Of this machine were treated in Rus
sian blue, and the frame work was inlaid
with mother of pearl. The keys were Of
African ivory, and the bright parts Of solid
gold. A like order was executed for the
as a wedding present, and another was re-
Gently made for the Khedive of Egypt. The
Queen of England possesses an elaborate
bar lock" typewriter. 1t is ivory-keyed,
gold plated throughout, and very beauti
fully engraved.
Perhaps the most remarkable machine In .
existence is that lately made for Ii Hung
Chang the willy Chinese diplomat. Among
the things which struck the fancy of Ii
during his tour of this country was the
typewriter, and he determined 10 have one
for his own personal use. Accordingly IL
left orders for this wonderful machine,
which is fitted with twenty sets of charac-
hundred in all-each of
which had, of course. to be designed by
Chinese engraver. owing to the general de-
iciency of Americans in that classic Ian
,uage. 1t is rumored that the operators OF
his typewriter have understudles, who
take the former operators places
lpon their committing suicide or going III
,ane an event which is likely to occur at
my date from their first operations on tho
Machine.
The Chinese, for some reason, seemed to
AXE kindly to the invention, and rs in
reduction into Pekin was followed by the
appearance i'll London of Celestial agent
or 4 native company, DESTROYS of placing
nacr q, IS on the Chinese market, Accord
rg IT this agent, it was possible to write