Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-12

ferrous steamer trunk played an important
part in the proceedings, it is said. Speci-
mems of work of the Mergs. were presented
and critically examined by the investiga-
tors with the aid of a powerful reading
glass.
The array of witnesses yesterday was
mostly out-of-town men connected with
private publishing firms whose expert opin-
Ion on typesettng machines the Mergen-
thaler attorneys wished to present. This
was mainly In the hope of confounding the
testimony of Public Printer Palmer, made
early In the investigation of the contract
for seventy-two Lanston machines, to the
effect that the Mergenthaler typesetting
machines were inferior to the Lanstons in
book and tabular work.
In order to hasten to the finish of the in
vestgation three sessions were held yester-
day, as on the day before. Mr.. Clifford Pin
chot chief of the forest service, has been
absent for several days, and is not ex-
pected back for the present. Commission
ers Keep, Murray and Garfield were pres
ent yesterday. In the morning, before
Capt. Henry 7. Brian. the chief clerk, was
recalled the commissioners held execu-
tive session of half hour, at which the
attorneys and witnesses were not admitted.
Capt. Henry 7. Briau's testimony was
strongly in favor of the Lanston side of the
fight. When asked the direct question if he
would have purchased the seventy-tw
Lanston machines had he been public prin-
ter, the captain gave the pat reply, Il
would Then he was asked:
I'm the light of what has transpired at
this investigat ton. would you now award
contract for seventytwo Lanston ma
chinese
Again came the pat reply:
. Il would"
Outside Witnesses.
The first outside witness called yester-
day was Charles Boutwell,, assistant super
intendent of printing with the De Winnie
Company. De Winnie is recognized as the
greatest master printer in America and an
authority on the printing art The COM
pany prints great number of books of all
descriptions. Many of these are books for
publishing companies popularity but err
roneously supposed to do their own print
Ing. Among their patrons. Mr.. Boutwell,
explained. were such well-known firms as
Doubleday Page & Co. and the Century
Company. The De Winnie Company uses the
Mergenthaler machines for book work and
on the de luxe editions, among which Mr..
Boutwell, mentioned the five volumes of Ed
ward Fitzgerald's 1.-The Rubaiyat and
From the Gates of Old Romance"
He said the Mergenthalers were used not
only In the printing of these high-grade
editions. but also by the De Winnie Com
editions of novels of the $50 and 81 class.
On the editions de luxe and similar high
grade work Mergenthaler machine oper
ators. said Mr.. Boutwell,. are able to set
from $500 to $500 ems an hour, while on
the novels of the cheaper class the same
Merganthaler operators employed by the
De Winnie Company set 1000 ems an hour
and upward. Hand compositors on the edi-
lions de luxe could make about 800 ems an
hour. A copy of the Congressional Record
was shown Mr.. Boutwell,. He said a good
operator ought to set about 5000 ems an
hour of that matter.
Saving to Pennsylvania.
Former Superintendent Bush of the public
printing of Pennsylvania presented exhibits
of work done by Mergenthaler machines,
which he said was of high order. He
also testified that the columns of figures
were ruled by a device which he himself
invented. This consists mainly of a saw
that makes a groove between the columns
to about one-third the height of the type.
The rules are dropped into these grooves.
Mr.. Bush invented the device in 1894. pat
ented it. and sold 1t to the Mergenthaler
Company for $4,000.
The witness said he believed the use of
his device on the Mergs in tabular work
had saved the state of Pennsylvania $10.OU
while he was superintendent of printing.
Mr.. Oswald Maune, superintendent of the
Trinity Press Publishing Corporation of
New York. testified that the Mergenthaler
machines used by his company executed the
finest quality of book work Iie also illus
trated the saving made by the machines
over hand work.
In an attempt to confound the statements
of Public Printer Palmer the Mergenthaler
ATTORNEYS next called Mr.. William J.
Father assistant cashier of the Riggs Ma
tonal Bank and member of the Washing
ton Stock Exchange. Mr.. Palmer wrote a
letter to President Dodge June 81. two days
after the LanSton contract was awarded,
saying that Ii had been taken up for con-
sideration within the last ten days" On
the stand the public printer made a similar
statement.
Early in June not later than June 5. MIR.
Flather testified. he was informed by Mr..
T. l.. Hume, secretary of the Washington
Stock Exchange. that Public Printer Pal
mer had decided to purchase seventy-two
more Lanston machines. He said he re-
membered the number very plainly, and
knew the information came to him prior to
June ). because he left at that time for his
vacation at Saranac Lake. N. Y. While
there he read in New York paper the
story that the contract had been awarded,
and recalled that Mr.. Hume had given him
very accurate information
The Lanston attorneys tried to shake his
testimony but Mr.. Father stuck firmly to
1T that the number was seventy-two and
that the information reached him certainly
not later than June >. which was more than
ten days before the contract was signed
Mr.. Vanden Houghton. Philadelphia
publisher. testified that his concern former
ly used Lanston machines. but they after
ward discarded them and installed Mergen-
thalerS
Mr.. Nathan's Suggestion.
A thorn In the side of the Merg people
was Mr.. Nathan. formerly of the Mergen-
thaler Company. and who wrote book de-
scribing the good points of that machine.
He is now a sales agent for the Lanston
CO mpany. and prompted the Lanston at
torneys when questioning witnesses who
testified as to the merits of the Mergs.
At the suggestion of Mr. Nathan, Attor-
ney Larkin of the Lanston side asked Mr..
Hougkten. the Philadelphia publisher, II It
was not true that he had discarded the use
of the Lanston machines because Mr.
Nathan insisted that he should either pur-
chase them outright lease them for a
term of four years, and that, when he re-
fused to dc either of those things Mr.
Nathan took the machines out of his print
ing Office. Mr.. Houghton admitted that
Mr.. Nathan had imposed those conditions.
but that they did not constitute the sole
reason for his discarding them He had
bought two Mergenthaler machines at 3d.
600 each, because he had satisfied himself
that the Lanston machines each requiring
the services of two persons, were at least
one-fourth more expensive than the Mer-
genthalers.
A New York Merg. operator named Nc
Carthy explained how tables were set by
that machine, and Mr.. A. E. Riddle, a clerk
In the office of the foreman of printing