United labor bulletin., 1911-01-19
(cecil Bembridse, in Technical World
Magazine.)

(Cecil Bembridge, IN Iechnicai Wor'o
Magazine.)
The newspaper printing machine room
was hive of huming activity. The pom
derous mechanical creations were reel
ing off the newspapers at thirty odd
thousand copies per hour, chewing up
the paper from a continuous roll at one
end, and disgorging news-sheets folded
and counted in quires ready Tor the
newsboys at the other When the press
had settled down to its stride, the rattle
and roar was such that one had to shout
in ones companions ears to make ones
self heard.
"Br-rr-rr-rr-rri"
The frenzied call of the warning bell
was herd loud above the din. To the
accompaniment of strident tones the
power was shut off. the mammoth mass
slackened in it's mad speed, and in few
seconds the maze of wheels and reels
was at rest
Those rollers are cut up badly, and
the linking is imperfect" raped out the
chief pointing to the bowels of the ma
chine.
Instantly three or four men dived into
the mechanical giant and were feyerisn-
" tearing out the damaged linking roll
ers Others held in reserve were caught
up and rushed into their place. Some
of the gang were busily attending to the
ink ducts. recharging them with the
black pigment, and looking around to see
that all there was in order, ample evil
dence of the operation being shown in
the smothering of their over-alls and
hands with the viscous black mass
Look alive" yelled the chief, this
stop has cost us five minutes, and we
must make up time
Whirri The maze of steel was soon
in in, full gvVin madlF
and noisily than ever in the frantic effort
to make up lost time, for in a newspaper
office the schedule is cut so fine that
seconds mean dollars.
Such a scene is typical of the modern
newspaper machine room of today Con-
trast it with what it will be in the near
future as it was revealed to the writer.
The printing art has undergone many
strange and remarkable developments
since Cations time. but yet the same
fundamental principles are there The
type must be linked before an impression
can be obtained. and although this oper-
alton appears simple and trivial and is
quickly accomplished, yet the fact re-
mains that without the pigment the ordi-
nary press would be useless. And the
mixing arrangements consequently con-
stitute one of the most vital processes in
printing. failure here and the whole
mechanical effort is useless.
Yet the printing machine of the future
will be absolutely devoid of ink and all
It's requisite mechanism The mammoth
press viii have its dimensions cut down
by one-fourth at least Printing will be
as clean a task as typewriting Papers
viii be reeled on at far greater speeds.
and the operation will cost less.
And how win it be done? What me
dium will supercede the ink2
The answer to this apparently impos-
sihle enigma is the electric current. The
same remarkable energy as drives the
Intricate nests of wheels viii be the
means of causing the type to record its
impression indelibly upon the paper in
any desired color. and without the al
OF any pigment whatever. An English
inventor has found q means whereby
when one pole of electricity is connected
TO the type and the other to the metallic
bed or platen upon which the paper is
laid during the moment it comes into
contact with the type, an electro-chem-
ical action is precipitated whereby the
impression is received.
Some twelve years ago the inventor in
question was engaged in some electrical
experiments in his laboratory. On the
table he had spread out a sheet of tin
upon which rested a piece of moist pa
per An electrical battery stood by his
side and the bare ends of the wires
trailed over the moist paper. certain
electro-metallurgical action in connec-
tion with gold was the object of his
quest. He dipped his hands into his
pocket to select an English gold coin as
a makeshift for the experiment in hand.
One fell from his hand and to prevent
IL making a bee-line to the floor he
sarply clapped his hand on IL. But il so
happened that in so doing the coin was
brought down upon the bare end of one
of the wires on the paper. while the 9TH
er wire was resting on the tin. When
he picked up the fugitive he was sur
prised to find clearly reproduced upon
the piece of paper the diverse impress
sion of the coin in clear brownish
black. II was just as il the coin had
been linked and then pressed on the pa
per.
This unexpected development caused
no little astonishment and he carefully
repeated the experiment with various
coins. connecting one wire with the coin
and pressing It firmly upon the paper
while the other wire was attached to the
tin sheet. The result was always the
same, no matter whether the coin was
gold. silver or bronze.
The inventor fell to thinking hard
Why If coins could be printed in this
manner should not ordinary type give
its impression? There appeared no ad-
verse reason so he set to work to CON
tinue the investigation OF the phenom-
enon upon which he had so Inadvertently
stumbled. He procured some bars of
lintype and repeated the trials The re-
suit was just the same. The imprint
stood out clearly and distinctly. There
was not the slightest imperfection in re-
gard to any letter. no blurring. and Il