Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-05
THE SONG OF THE PRESS
THE wHIRR OF MACHINERY AND IT'S
EFFECT iron THE NERVES.
The Motion ard Noise of Peculiar
Fascination to Some PeopIe-In-
structive object Lessons.

do you know" said an elderly gentle
man standing in front of The Star building
on 18th street. in which the press rooms are
situated. "that the whirr and motion of ma
CnInery has peculiar attraction to some
people?
Il often spend few leisure moments be-
fore the plate glass windows which sepa-
rate me from those huge pieces of whirrng.
roaring things of mechanical life, and 1
watch them devour the white rolls of paper
with tireless, rapacious energy with as
much delight child.
An Optical Illustration.
"A great printing press, such as we see
before us, gives forth, when in motion. a
sound individual to Itself, and with COM
bination of four. roar that exerts a sim
guar effect upon my nervous system; one
Of pronounced stimulation. When one of the
presses is stopped by its foreman to smooth
a wrinkle in the paper, or for any other
cause, | particularly enjoy seeing it start
again at its mighty task of turning out its
finished, folded product at the rate of
1u.WaI an hour, as though it were taking a
holiday and liked the work. The marvel
Gus accuracy ard rapdity with which it APP
pears to bite off the paper in the form its
readers receive IT. neatly folded is a strik-
ing exhibition Of the complete mastery of
man over the mechanical arts.
The only other paper in this country
that / know of which furnishes this in
struCtiVe exhibition TO the public is the
New York Herald in its new building at the
corner of Broadway and :jJth street.
The Broadway facade is supported by
cclJnnade into which the people enter and
stand against railing where a full view
Of the basement. in which the presses are
situated, may be had. As the Herald is a
morning paper. this spacious room is illu-
minated by electric lights, and at night this
portion of the building presents striking
sight.
AS each afternoon during the week the
plate g.aSS windows of The Star press
rooms ar surrounded by a crowd of inter-
CSted Sietta tors, so during the night and
well into the morning are the spaces in the
Herald building thronged with sight seers.
The Fascination OF Glowing Machinery.
The general public, except in these two
Instances, has no opportunity to witness the
mechanical process by which the news of
the day is impressed from the matrixes
upon sheets of paper for their benefit. The
press rooms of a paper are places from
which they are rightly excluded. and those
who have been accorded the privilege as a
token of favor are fortunate. Naturally.
such knowledge as they may have on the
subject must Of necessity be derived from
printed accounts. and however lucid these
nay be. they fail 10 convey to the mind
the scene ana the noise as is here represent
ed and heard.
Here the entire process, from the time
the forms OF type are received from the
composing rooms until the paper itself is
delivered INTO the hands of the men in bun
dies ready TO be carried to the delivery
wagons for general distribution. may be OBJ
served by the spectator, and Il most instruc-
tive ana interesting sight it is.
The fascination / nave referred to in
watching the operations of rapidly moving
mac hIuery and the effect of the noise upon
the senses is difficult of description. as our
nervous systems are variously affected For
instance: When one Of the presses is started
IL gives forth Il sound which may perhaps
be termed MALT grOan, half shrek, and
then settles down TO that peculiar resound
ing grind am rattle that distinguishes a
printing press from other machinery, and
which may be detected unseen at once by
those who's. ears are attuned to the music
Of mechanical contrlvacces.
The Song the Press sings.
Il like to hear this shrek, Ike the muffied
wall of some huge captive monster and il
1t were not for The delay ensuing I'd order
if had authIrity-the presses to stop every
ten minutes while / watched them. and then
start up again. as the noise sets my nerves
on strings and plays upon them as does the
wind upon the strings of an aeolian harp
1t acts as a tonic. My imagination leaps
ana bounds into space with uuwonted &C
tivity. l conjure up all sorts of creative
pictures my eyes glue themselves upon
the revolving cylinders and well-oiled parts
of the press, which appears 10 be talking
especially to me. There is something weird
and uncanny in the lightning movements Of
its mysteriousiy intricate internal mechan-
ism, and it sings a song which finds a re-
spunSive chord in my breast.
Il have heard others speak of the effect
of the noise of machinery to which they
Were unacC ust1med. and l have before ex-
perienced it in a less degree in a cotton
mill with its spindles and looms. But the
song of the printing press is written in an
other key, and one which appeals more
strongly to my senses"