The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1900-01-25

Inc distinguished scientist Alfred nus
gel Wallace affirms, but if so, the world
has been on the long side of that orbit,
30 far as remaining records attest, If
measured by our metewands, until
within q period spanned by two or
three life-times to us, and the present.
That the art preservative Of the arts
has been the most potent of all the en-
zines of progress, there can be little
question; and by way of retrospection
! want to take you back beyond the
lives of two gray haired men and open
The door to the print shop the elders
lather knew.
FIRST NEWSPAPERS.
The first newspaper in America (the
States now was the Boston News-Let-
Ter, established in 1904. 1t was two
column two-rage folio; this means, as
comprehend it, that the two printed
pages were opposed by two blank ones
"a style of printing followed in China,
from art or necessity, at the present
time. Fifteen years later the second
paper, the Boston Gazette, was estab-
lished, and Andrew Bradford launched
The American Weekly Mercurie, at
Philadelphia, the same year. The
fourth newspaper venture was by
James Franklin, elder brother of Ben
Iamin, at Boston in RIA weekly,
ityled the New England Courant. 1t
Uas in this Office Benjamin Franklin,
lhen youth of fifteen years, was first
lprenticed to the trade, under inden
iure-candle-i and cutlery not being to
ais liking.
THE OLD PRESSES.
The printing press of that time was
Of a type which with a few slight
changes was in vogue for over two
hundred FEARS; the kind on which
Franklin, later on while working for
Keimer, printed paper money for the
colony of New Jersey. They were
constructed almost entirely Of wood by
a printers joiner, as press-bu.lders
were styled in those days. The car
rage consisted of a coffin in which the
bed, stone slab, was Embedded in
bran, plaster paris, or heavy brown
paper. 1t was carried under and from
the platen by girts around the rounce-
barrel winding and unwinding.
The impression was effected by
means OF wormed spindle working in
q threaded opening in the head and |
acting against seating-plate in the
platen; the spindle being actuated by !
a lever, exactly as the common jack
screw known to us. The head of the |
press moved in slotted ways, or NOR
tees within the cheeks or side frames,
and when the form was under the |
platen for impression the upward mo-
ton of the head was arrested at a
point to give the desired squeeze" by
In rIyft h thn
BILE thickness Of felt, cardboard or
wood; this was termed justifying the
head.
SLOW PRINTING.
The platen was only half the size of
the press bed, and for full forms two |
were necessary to print |
The sheet; a chalkmark on the carriage
rail and the carriage serving to guide |
The pressman as to proper impression |
points, in each operation. 1t was
hung in its position against the lower |
end Of the mpression-spindle by |
means of stout cordage; hooks being |
provided at the four corners to lash |
1t to similar hooks upon a block |
through which the spindle passed,
called the hose.
CRUDE Ar Airs.
The tympan frame was hinged to the |
carriage, and the frisket to the tym-
pan frame almost exactly as on the |
old Washington press, familiar to
many of us. The outer and inner tym-
pan frames were covered with skins
vellum, parchment or sorrels; and
these materials were thus used for
many years. The packing between
them was blanket, and 1t had to be
freshened up occasionally by soaking
and rubbing to meet requirements at
that state of the art. The frame when
up to receive the sheet inclined back
wards to transverse bar called the
gallows; and the frisket up and back
to office wall, or cleat of wood from ,ne
ceiling. Indeed, many of the presses
at that time were erected with such
as to predetermine the
office wall the frisket-stay.
The forms were locked in chases
with hard wood tapered quoins, and
secured to the press bed by similar
means. Chases were made in dupli-
Gates, barred for convenience In vara-
BILE book forms-eighths, twelves, etc.
linking DEVICE.
The inking-ball stocks were cones OF
wood, whose hollow ends afforded re-
ception for the wool with which they
were padded; the opposite ends being
shaped to comfortably fit the hand OF
the ink man. They were faced with
pelts or sheep-skin, selected with care
as to grain and texture. Like the COM
position roller known to us, under GER
tain conditions of weather they re-
CURED "doctor.ng"
IL too dry, damp. oily or cold, they
would not work. The accidental spill
Ing of treacle upoa a set of these
which had been cleaned up for the aft
ernoon work. opened the way for the
'potter's-roller" to the print-shop.
This was as late as 1926; though some
Of the earlier power presses used a
leather faced roller; not long how !