The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-12-01
PREPARING FOR FUTURES
BlackfOot Newspaper Lays FOunda-
ton for Press Not Yet in En-
istence, New Wrinkle on Roof

Laying Ino IOuHudLlOH LOT press
that never was built is one of the
things that is probably being done
at the new Republican building. 1t
is considered that when the paper
becomes a daily of some Importance
it will be advisable to secure large
modern press weighing twenty or
twenty-five thousand pounds, and in
order to avoid any remodeling and
the expense and confusion of tearing
up something in the building, and
foundation was planned and laid in
the original construction.
The location of the press was de-
cided upon, and 10000 pounds Of
concrete was laid to carry its weight.
OF all the fine presses now being
built and hurried from pig iron to
press room, it is expected that one
will be built for service at Blackfoot,
Idaho. The materials from which 1t
will be made may still be lying un-
disturbed in the iron mine, but the
place where it will rest and work
has been prepared and lies sleeping.
In the publication of what are
called country weeklies, the publish
ers are noted for taking their own
sweet time to print and deliver their
papers. In this state we have ex-
amples of Friday papers that are
delivered to the patrons at any time
from Thursday afternoon to Satur-
day night. 1t sometimes happens
that merchants write advertising for
Saturday specials, order it published
in Fridays paper, and the sales are
over before the papers leave the
press. We know of an old paper in
Virginia that takes even a greater
leeway, and skips a week when it
is not convenient for the publisher
to do the weeks work. If he wants
vacation he will announce that
there will be no paper issued next
week as the editor is going away
In some instances he has announced
that "as the editor is indisposed,
there will be no paper issued next
week. and he takes lay-off. In
this valley VIC had an example a few
years ago, of a publisher soliciting
advertising for big May Day special
edition, and he accepted orders for
hundreds of dollars worth of adj
vertising, some of it for spring goods
then on sale. Collection was made
in advance for some Of it, and some
was to run in payment of debts al
ready owing by the publishers. The
special edition with all the spring
advertising and special write-ups OF
events to be pulled off in June and
July, was issued in December, five
and six months after the events pass
ed into history.
If publishers would serve the pub
lie, they must first be dependable;
they must have the equipment, and
they must have an organization of
working forces that are unrelenting
in their efforts to deliver the paper
to the patrons at certain hour, and
vet cover" the news and carry the
advertising as desired. The Idaho
Republican varies from one to four
hours under present conditions, &C
cording to the load" it carries. The
biggest and best edition we ever put
out was in preparation several weeks
and came out on time, but the offlce
force were "all in" when it was COM
pleted.
In transmitting newspapers from
our press 20 the subscribers there Is
a. loss or displacement of perhaps
one paper out of thousand each
week. Somebody fails to receive his
paper and if he would write or ring
us right away it would be replaced.
Sometimes we receive the inquiry,
did you get out paper last week?'
We did We have never missed an
issue in 644 weeks since the paper
was established.
What to do with the water as 1t
comes off of the caves OF a business
house is a hard problem in Black
foot, and taking care Of the ice that
forms on the roof and that tears
off the cutters at the caves, has been
one of the live problems with men
who build business houses for rent.
No matter how they have planned TO
have the snow and rain water take
care of ITSELF, there has been
trouble. When the Blenkle build
ing was erected, large vertical iron
pine was erected at the corner OF
the building to carry the water down
to the ground, but it promptly choK-
ed up with ice one day when 1t was
thawing in the sun and freezing IN
the shade; then it filed with water to
the top, froze solid and split. Since
that time it has leaked and spattered
water over the pavement where 1t
froze and thawed by turns, keeping
a dangerous place for the public to
cross. A similar icy place has been
in evidence at the Biethan building
at the corner of Pacific and Taylor
streets, and no matter where they at
tempted to divert the water from the
roof, it froze up on its way and made
trouble.
In planning the new Republican
building, the roof is made nearly nat,
with drainage holes to run the water
right into the building. Once under
the roof it is to be conducted thru
vertical pipes built in the walls to the
bottom of the basement where 1t dis.
charges into the sewer. The heat OF
the building is expected to keep 1t
from freezing, and the building Will
have no caves, merely drainage pa
sins on the roof. A person can walk
all round the building in storm
and never get under the drip nor