The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-08-26
THEY HAVE HISTORIES
Some Oklahoma Printing
Presses of Note.
FOLLOW THE FRONTIER
And Speak Ever to Newer
Younger Pioneers.


ing the old German printing press dis
covered al Hardesty, o. T.. by Billy Boil
ton of the Woodward News, viii arouse
considerable interest among the news
paper men of this territory and viii IN
doubtedly start a train of printing office
"reminiscences that will give pleasure to
many an old time newspaper maker. For
the rural newspaper man this subject
has vastly more interest than ii has for
the men who make papers in the cities
In the country towns of the west the
newspaper man and his press are more
closely related than in the larger cities.
In rural communities the editor is gener-
ally his own pressman. while in the
larger cities the work is done by special
ISIS, and in nine cases out of ten. the edi-
ter, not only does not see his press work
ing once month, but does not have the
least understanding of its operative
mechanism.
There is probably no part of the world
so rich IN the legends of printing presses
as Oklahoma, or that has a greater va
riety Of them. In some respects printing
presses are like men-the most unique
ones find their way into a new country.
And as Oklahoma is the newest country
under the sun, there are more novelties
in presses, as we'll as in men, within its
borders than anywhere on earth.
The first paper published in Oklahoma
was the Cheyenne Transporter published
nearly twenty years ago at the Cheyenne
agency now know as Darlington, within
few miles of Ell Reno 1t was owned
by George A1affat and edited by a young
man named Lafe Merritt. 1t was a four
column quarto and was printed on an
Army press. j Frank Dean, who called
himself the watch tinker" and now liv-
ing at Ell Reno, inserted the first adver-
tisement in it. It's advertising rates were
81 per inch and it did a good business.
Can anyone tell the prehistoric associa-
items of that little Army press that first
brought the gray dawn of civilization out
of the dark savagery of what is now the
Territory of Oklahoma? 1t might have
burdened some patriotic American mule
in his patient journey with the American
army to the City Of Mexico, or it might
have been the agency through which
General Grant directed the movement of
those great legions who crushed the Con-
federacy and made this a compact and
united country. Few Army presses can
now be seen outside Of Oklahoma and far
western Kansas. They were made for
armies and were so constructed that they
could be packed on the back Of a mule
and transported the same as any other
equippage or accessory of war On one
side of the mules back was the press
and on the other side was its equivalent
in type. The Army press is not much
larger than a common clothes wringer.
and when the war ceased the country
especially the new western Countrywide
came deluged with them. They were
mighty handy to the pioneer editor. be-
cause they could be placed in a tent or
under a tree and grind out his edict to
some distant desperate or his irridescent
prophecies that the municipal baby just
born would be the future Chicago of the
plains. Both in war and in peace the
Army press has been handy and proba-
bly, no press has ever been made that has
remained so close to the affections of
those who, by stress of circumstances,
have been compelled to use them. The
history and the prosperity of Ell Reno
are based on an Army press VIII
Diven, who graduated from the compos-
ing room Of your office, the Wichita
Eagle, drifted into the new town with
1t and began the publication Of the Ell
Reno Eagle. 1t was he who wrote the
boom articles that attracted attention TO
the new town and made 1t famous, and
IL was through an Army press that he
issued them. He circulated 1000 copies
Of the paper, in the form of boom edi-
ton, in the early days, and II required
night and day work from Monday morn
ing till Saturday nigh, to complete job
that can be done now with a perfecting
press in from two to five minutes. 1t is
said and there is ample reason for be-
lieving il. that the press work was the
best ever turned out in Oklahoma. There
are great many Army presses turning
out papers in Oklahoma. but they are
rapidly giving way to the power presses;
for speed IS becoming an essential in the
work Of publishing a paper.
Next to the Army press. or rather side
By side with IL. comes the washington
hand press in rural popularity. The
Washington hand press is an evolution
from the original press invented BY Gut
tenberg. Il originated in the brain OF
BENJAMIN Franklin and was first used by
that great inventor, scholar. diplomat,
statesman editor philantroph!st and
philosopher. 1t differs from the original
printing press-that found az Hsrdesty-
only in the fact that lever is used %
turn the big screw. In the igfnsI press
the screw was turned as Il Is turned r.
the common letter presses OF today n
Kansas an attempt vas made 70 make a
slight improvement IN the application -
the force OF the press. but 4 did n5t sue
coed. Old man TlbbIts, who used 20 r3n
a paper IN Harvey county, vas the man
ton hard press into power press. He
had his Office on the second floor u one
q the early buildings and he fixed up 4
rigging 70 his press something after the
manner &C . hay press. He trzize9 a
donkey 70 Talk - ard down The stair
way and on press days he hltchsd The
donkey % ias rigging and rent 70 press
HIS scheme worked with aSsolgts salts
fsedoa . himself. bot Cd rot spp~al
very strongly - the otzey e5i.9rE- When
Tiobcts went cut q ths rsws7agsr offce
shs donkey ceased 70 b a factor - ths
publication q 5eEspzp Per. ADout hffsen
years age p T.. swsrtogt orsEirstss
scheme % utilize z7uis u the Yz6.lez-
tion of tbs Czl5E<.l J81rnzL boz Re
aba 9nss animal ooTsr after "A -
Jozes aut n rs Eyztezn q Sstsrxarss
Tasrs are ferry or sftT wsshEzEss-
presses IN Oklahoma aaA aouss = ssere
&. -. - .As-- -sfsr4-s- = ras.-s-a- ss,-~ -.