The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-12-13

has been the linotype operator at
the Republican office went to San
Francisco to take course in nava-
CATION preparatory to enlisting in
the navy and completed his course
just as the armistice was signed. He
Is in Blackfoot at the present time
and will soon take up his work
with the Republican again.
In speaking of his experiences in
the navigation school he ssid the
work kept them very busy studying
and working early and late. Be-
sides taking great deal of math-
amethics and regular navigation
lessons they had to go out and apply
1t in handling and loading ships.
The students would be required to
take the new steel vessel as 1t came
from the navy yards and under the
supervision of an official take it
down tho bay or out into the ocean
for a trial trip. Sometimes the
steel vessels would leak so badly they
would have to hurry back to keep
from laundering. Such g. vessel
would be put into dry dock and then
all defective rivets taken out or the
rivets removed to release the warped
steel plates and such work would
have to be done over again. Many
of the wooden ships would be al
right until they had made trip up
or down the coast with cargo and
about the time it was unloaded and
exposed to the sun and wind, stand
ing high in the water, the timbers
would shrink and t. calking would
drop out. then it would have to be
calked again before it would bear
loading. Many of these new vessels
of both types would have to go back
to thu dry docks for repairs before
they were sent on long voyages.
Mr.. Lan.ls mentioned having as
sisted with the loading of a large
vessel bound Tor Siberia. One large
printing press was among the heavy
pieces to be loaded and eighteen
steel freight cars were picked up by
the derrick and swung into the hold.
The last things they loaded were
two locomotives which were picked
up by the derrick and swung around
upon the deck and set cross-wise on
rails provided for them. All of this
heavy stuff had to be stored away in
the ship so it could not move an
inch when the vessel tossed and
rolled. and the locomotives had to
be blocked and lashed to keep them
in the exact spot required for bal
ancing the ship.
Before Mr.. Lantis took up his
work at school he spent some time
visiting printing establishments and
wholesale houses that deal in print
ing equipment. He Is no stranger
in San Francisco and says that big
printing houses of few years ago
have mostly disappeared or dwindled
to small establishments. There Is
not the air of prosperity about them
that there used to be and only the
big newspaper offices are doing big
business. Mr.. Lantis expected to see
considerable modern equipment TAX
ing the place of the old machines,
but in this he was disappointed. All
the metal works and manufacturers
of printing equipment were working
about ninety per cent war orders,
and Mr.. Lantis was full of congrat-
ulatiQns over the fact that we bought
our new linotype and trimmer be-
fore the high prices and before they
stopped making them. He met a
good many people who had seen the
sory enir booklet Issued by the Idaho
in 10 and the souvenir
birthday edition issued Angus. 2,
1918. They expressed much sur
prise and interest in having such a
complete and modern printing equip
ment in what they regard as a from
tier state.
Mr.. Lantis regards the future Of
the printing business as seen in San
Francisco very discouraging out
look.
Mr.. Lantis grew up at Oakland,
California, and when he went to hunt
up a lot of his old friends and school
mates he found that most of them
were not at all prosperous. The one
fellow among the lot who was max
ing a real success was one who was
considered quite stupid dub in
school. He was making money In