The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-03-23
A NEWSPAPER OFFICE.
"Old Timer" Writes of a Visit to
The Herald.

Wanderer' Rest, March 2O.-WOn-
ders will never cease to an old coun-
tryman who stays at home, watches
the forest, field, and flowers, and lis
tens at the soft murmur of the pines
as the wind gently sways them to
and fro, and the birds as they sing
these early spring days.
He cant refrain from telling those
who have not had the pleasure of a
visit to your modern printing office
and see the presses as they turn out
copy after copy of The Herald ready
to be mailed.
The first thing to greet his eyes is
the neat book store in front; seeing
no one there he passes on towards
the noise and hum of machinery in
the rear. On entering there to his
left was a press running and printing
full copy of a paper and placed
accurately and neatly one on the 9TH
er, never a mistake, and as the broad
sheets of white paper is placed in
front it is caught and run between
the rollers and almost in moment
it is all four sides printed and ready
for the folding machine. To his right
the machine is running and the
broad sheets now printed are placed
in it's turn is caught Now begins the
folding-at the proper time a little
wheel runs the length and at this
part of the operation is pasted in the
middle, now folded in proper form
for reading, then the edges are trim
med, then folded again the right size
for mailing, is caught in a frame be-
low, until many copies are so caught
and in this process are pressed in
form ready to be mailed. Never
touched by human hands only three
times from start to finish is the
recollection of the old farmer.
Here he is joined by the kind and
genial editor and many Of the COM
plex machines are explained, to the
great enjoyment of the old man, who
feels never too old to learn and de-
lights in machinery that is doing so
much for the welfare of men. Soon
he is taken further down the line
and shown the other presses, now:
idle, but ready to be harnessed at the
proper time.
Now the linotype machine Is reach
ed. That to the old mans mind per-
forms wonders, for in front of it is
a man with a copy busy touching lit
tie keys much as type writer. The
letters are cut on little metal plates
and as they are finished that one is
thrown by the machine to the left
and another one is cut of from a pot
of molten metal in a pot on the ma
chine. These little lettered blocks
or plates drop in with surprising
rapidity and all travel to the left un-
til the end of machine is reached
then they turn around the end onto
the back of the machine where little
slots are cut, and each little plate
goes until the right one is reached,
when down It goes, takes it place In
the frame where the type is made up
for full copy of The Herald. Now
the strange part is If these little
plates do not fit from any cause it
goes again to the front, the deficit
made good, and is taken along with
the others until it's place is found,
and down it goes in it's place with
it's fellows. When it's mission is done,
The Herald sent to it's many subscrib-
ers, the plates are placed in the pot
mentioned above, melted, and ready
to be cut again and the letters cut
on them for the next copy, all done
by this machine, and never touched
by the hand of man until it is COM
plete.
All this is a revelation to the old
farmer, who had only read of them,
and he wants to congratulate the men
who placed this plant, also the town
and county that has so well equipped
machinery to print the ever-welcome
visitor that comes from it each week
and 80 eagerly read by all in every
hamlet near it's home and from other
States as we'll. Success to it's ef-
forts, is the wish of OLD TIMER.