Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-16
How the Work is Done,

nOW tuc -" oIh Is OOue.
When a new book is to be issued a copy
of the current directory is torn apart, each
page pasted on large sheet of paper, all
corrections and additions completed and
then. about five days after the closing of
the book to the public, the sheets sent
to the printer, who "sets up the matter,
incidentally using, nearly, 1O00 pounds of
type in the operation, and returns the page
proofs to the company. After a careful
comparison and the making of such addi-
tonal corrections as are necessary, the
copy is again sent to the printer. after
which the stereotype plates are made. But
the printer before putting the o. X. on his
son made with the company's sheets, thus
insuring a double check on the work and
minimizing the possibility of error.
That there is no lost motion in the is
suance of directory may well be under
stood from the fact that the printer hav
ing the contract-and there are not more
than one two who have ever cared to
undertake the job-must let the company
have the copy for the entire book within
ten days and must furnish 10000 copies
of the directory every day once the actual
printing has been begun. In order to do
this the man who at present has the con-
tract has found that he must keep ten
presses running continuously night and day
for a week. it requires 1,53S, 100 impress
sions to complete the book
The printing over, the pages are taken
from the press, folded, pressed, gathered,
wire stitched, covered, the book trimmed
and holes punched The plates are. how
ever kept intact from issue to issue SO
that the company may call for extra copies
should necessity require 1t.
y Some Suggestive Figures.
Here in Washington 81, coo copies of the
directory are distributed and in Baltimore
45, 600 copies, total of 1900 copies for the
two cities This mass of directories for one
issue alone has weight of nearly 10000
pounds. and the yearly output aggregates
in weight 10000 pounds, or 135 tons The
Baltimore directory contains 360 pages and
thew Washington directory 4SS pages, the
apparent reversal in size being accounted
for by the fact that the names of sub
scribers in the Baltimore book are listed in
double column to bring dow the bulk Of
the volume.
Here is a little comparison that gives some
idea of the size of the job and the bigness
of the output of directories eacH year.
There are 32,64S,G90 leaves in. the current
issues of the two books, which would ex-
tend, if placed end to end lengthwise
distance of 2,3J6:6J miles, or nearly out to
the Pacific coast and the number of leaves
in the three issues of the year aggregate
81, 944 900, and would reach 1,0G9.9J miles. or
nearly one third of the distance around the
world.
1t is quite job just to arrange the list
ings in the books, aside from the fact that
the entire directory must be alphabetically
arranged as far as four letters in each
name, when necessary. In the Baltimore
book of current issue there are 56,1G6 alpha
betical and classified listings, and in the
Washington directory 81, G25 listings. total
for the two volumes of SS,I29.
The work of the directory makers lets up
very little between issues. OF course, there
is nothing to 90 in the printing depart
ment but that. after all. IS only the me-
chanical end Of the proposition. In order
to keep the companys patrons informed re-
garding additional subscribers and changes
", ,bs,,.c a,,I 4 JpNc ID
partment must furnish this information
daily to the Information desks in the two
cities. AS previously mention d, the ch lnge5
betwiXt issues run somewhere around o.
COO, and in order to place these-every sin
gle one of them-within easy reach of every
subscriber the company maintains an in
formation bureau manned by ffty-eisht
employees. There are card catalogues of
the subscribers arranged alphabetically and |
numerically, all of the new phone users |
being in the former class. and. in fifteen
hours at the outside, there is invariably |
before the bureau the complete informa-
ton concerning each change.
Rapid Distribution Task.
To return for moment to the actual
work on the books. it is apparent that the
delivery of the thousands upon thousands /!
of directories of each issue is a mighty |
important matter all by itself The com |
pany has found 1t absolutely necessary to |
place the books in the hands of subscribers |
In the shortest possible space of time and |
by the busiest sort of systematic effort % |
per cent are usually delivered within five !
days. In Baltimore, 1900 books have been |
put out in one day in the business district |
and 12.O00 old books gathered up for re-
turn. In that city the delivery of the BOOKS !
involves the all-day labor of fifteen double |
trucks and teams and fifty-fve men. while |
here In Washington thirty teams and forty
men are sufficient to do the work within the /
prescribed time
Subscribers often do not understand why |
the company is always SO anxious to obtain |
the old book when new one is issued and !