Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-09-01
HISTORY OF
PRINTING PRESS
Cculd Not Be Used Here on Account
of Font BEING Short on As and
KS fer Hawaiian Language.

To settle controversy regarding
the printing press whith was on ex
hibition In the rooms of the Oregon
Historical SO iety. as the pioneer
printing press OF the West. n deep
deiying into the past has been
brought about.
George w. Smith. who recently re-
turned from Puget Sound. saw the
press and states that the placard
hanging to the press sets forth that
IL was sent to Honolulu from Boston
in 1919, consigned to the board of
missions. and was sent TO the Sound
In 1889.
Mr.. Ballou and Mr.. Smith had q
| talk yesterday concerning the dates.
| and Mr.. Ballor states that when he
saw the same press and placard in
| August the placard did not contain
the dates mentioned By NJ. Smith.
Mr.. Smith has written the oregon
Historical Society to ascertain wheth-
er or not the placard from which
he obtained his dates was there
where he is certain he saw It. and IL
another placard was on It when MIR.
BallOu visited the rooms. Mr.. Bal
! LOUIS statement is as follows:
The facts concerning the little
| printing press In the rooms Of the
Oregon fllstori al Society In Port
land. described by George w. Smith
in sesterday's Advertiser. were as
certained by me from original docu.
ments In the archives OF the A. u.
| c. +. NJ. in Boston and set forth In
the fourteenth Daper of the Hawai-
ian Historical Society. published in
| 1908.
THE impression had always pre-.
vailed that the pres was the original
Hawaiian printing outfit, brought by
the pioneer missionaries on the
Thaddeus and set up in August,
1920, in one of their grass houses,
and It was exhibited rs such at the
Portland Exposition.
AS described by +. o. Hall In n
press was small hand card press.
Il donation to the mission. which
came out to Hawaii with the sixth
reinforcement In the ship Hellespont,
arriving June O. 1896.
1T was never used in Hawaii, hut
In 1899 was put IN order and. to-
gether with a new font OF type, of
little use to our missionaries through
lack of sufficient number of the
letters "a and * for the printing OF
Hawaiian, was presented to the Ore
gon mission.
Mr.. Spalding had suggested that
he should send on man from Ore
gon to be instructed In printing, but
II was finally decided that as the
health OF Mrs Hall necessitated her
temporary soiourn In coo,er eli
mate. and as Mr.. Hall could well be
spared for while, that It would be
best to send him to Oregon for a
year to set up the printing establish
ments there and instruct those deS'
ignated to carry on the work.
lie left Honolulu March 2. 1899,
arriving at Fort Wallawalla. May 5.
on his way TO Mr.. Spaldlng's station
at Clearwater River. 1875 miles iug-
Their on. which he reached March u.
The press was soon set up and q
little book OF twenty pages, five and
one-cighth by four and three quarter
inches. whb,h had been prepared by
Mrs. Spalding. was printed In the
Nez perces language. the first book
printed on the continent west OF the
Rocky Mountains.
Copies OF THU little book, which
is entitled. 'Nez perces First Book (;
designed for children and new be.
ginners. Clear Water: mission press
1888, are known to me only In the
libraries OF the A. u. G. +. NJ. In Bos-
ton. Mr., Il. Il. Aver of Chicago and
Mr.. Wherefore Eames OF New York.
The Oregon Historical Society unfor-
tunately does not possess one.
Though not the first Hawaiian
press, II is undisputedly the pioneer
press OF Oregon Territory and well
deserves its honored place among the
many relies of the early days of Ore
! gon that have been collected In the
rooms of the Oregon Historical So
ciety."