New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-02

enough to permit a quick working OF the
mechanism he nov Imagined. He was GER
tain that good and cheap matrices could
be punched into type metal. and each line
readily justified by springs On reaching
Washington Mergenthaler sought to per
suade his friends TO adopt his new and
audaclous plan. They were at first re-
luc,ant Why had an idea so obvious no.
been carried out long before? AT last
they Welded 10 the inventors arguments
and babe him embody his novel design In
two machines"
He made one machine after another
utilizing this idea until he had produced
one In which a series of brass bands. cor
responding i'm number 10 the number Of
letters and spaces in line of type. was
employed Each OF these bands carried In
dented in its edge full alphabet. BY
touching key the band dropped TO a
point which permitted the desired char
acter to take its place In line with the
casting apparatus. A casting mechanism
was then brought into contact with TINS
line of characters and molten metal was
forced through mould OF proper dimen-
eions. forming slug with a perfect print
. ing surface.
THE TEST.
THE first OF these machines. whose
creation opened a new chapter IN the
mechanism OF typography, was ready to
be tested early in January, 1884. and a
day was appointed when a few friends
might behold the linotype at work. A
apnllUl
TO M the little shop In Bank Lane. They
came half an hour too soon, 50 that the
inventor in their presence deity gave his
cams and moulds their finishing touches.
AT last all was completed, and Ottmar
Mergenthsler stood before his keyboard
as calm and collected as at any time for
eight years past. He composed line on
the keys, then turned the driving pulley
by hand, observing closely every pulse Of
the mechanism until il had finished a
cycle and come TO full stop. All moved
easily and with precision. The inventor
now asked that steam power be connect
ed This was done. He composed sec
ond line, removed the stopper from the
metal pump ano touched the line key.
Smoothly and silently the matrices slid
into their places, were clamped and
aligned and the pump discharged its
fused metal. 4 finished linotype, shining
like silver, dropped from the machine the
while that each matrix. its duty per-
formed. now took its way through the dis
tributing mechanism to its own receptacle.
All was accomplished in fifteen seconds,
scene as worthy of monumental COM
memoraton as the first pulling of a
! proof from movable types by John Guten-
berg. A few additional lines followed at
the swift touch of Mergenthaler. who then
invited Miss Julia Camp. an expert and
rapid typewriter TO take his place at the
! keys"
A company was now formed 10 finance
the invention. and for two years longer
Mergenthaler experimental, making i'm
provements TO this part and that. Then
he noted that other inventors had dis
covered way OF releasing individual
types from separate receptacles, and this
suggested the method OF utilizing ind-
/ viduat matrices instead OF matrices on
bands He was never satisfied. This was
a notable characteristic OF Mergenthaler.
"Mergenthaler's present design was
wholly new from base TO crest. re-
! marked Mr.. Hes, and new machines had
become odious TO the men who had TO
pay for them. When were experiments 10
| end, SO that dividends might begin? !tino.
the faithful friend OF Mcrgenthaler. said:
Not many stockholders can stand being
told that they have the best machine in
the world hut thot they should make an
other still better These men were not
conducting a bureau OF mechanical re-
search. but a machine shop, meant TO
earn and pay a profit as soon as pos
sible. On this occasion Mereen-
thaler's fellow shareholders were patient