The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-06-06
THE TYPEWRITING MACHINE
Brief History of the Typewriter from the Earliest
Invention to the Efficient Models of Today
Written by W. r. Quarterly Chauauqua Meeting

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Glidden, an inventor, then engaged
in developing a mechanical spader
to be used in place of a plow. Mr..
Glidden was working in the same
shop, and the three men thrown
into daily contact became much in
terested in each other invention.
A chance remark let fall by Mr..
Glidden one day to the effect that
he didn't see why machine
couldn't be made that would write
letters and words instead of figures
only was responsible for Mr.. Sholes'
determination to construct such a
machine. As Glidden had suggest
ed the idea first, he was invited to
join the enterprise. and Soul was
taken in subsequently. All had
suggestions to make, and as all
were of a mechanical turn of mind,
most of them found place in the
finished product.
The first model had the practical
bars set in a circle at Souls sug-
gestion, and a letter spacing de-
vice contributed by Sholes. It
was success in that it was able
to write accurately and with fair
rapidity, but even so was not ac-
ceptable by the inventors. But
they wrote many letters on them
and sent them to friends. In this
way they interested Mr.. James
Densmore of Meadville, Pa, who
shortly thereafter purchased an in
terest in the enterprise without
having seen the machine. When
he did actually see the machine in
1868 he at once pronounced it
good for nothing except the FEAST
bility of the idea, and urged fur.
ther improvements, at the same
time giving some of his own sug-
gestions.
Between then and 1873 the in
vention had been evolved into a
machine sufficiently perfect to en-
courage its manufacture and ap-
pearance on the market. Mr..
Densmore, accompanied by Mr.. G..
w. Yost, a friend and former
associate in business, then ap-
preached the firm of E. Remming-
ton & Son, manufacturers of guns,
rifles and ammunition, to invite or
rather persuade them to undertake
the manufacture of the new type
writer. Thereupon all the re-
sources and skilled workmen of
this great firm we're combined in
an effort to improve the machine,
which thereafter became known as
the Remington Typewriter, and
the first machines were marketed
in 1874. Densmore and Yost were
the first selling agents, but they
labored under many difficulties in
convincing the public of the type
writer's ability.
Then Fairbanks & Co., the we'll
known firm of scale manufacturers,
were interested and undertook the
selling agency. From this point
on the history of the typewriter
has been one of continued success.
The business of the Remmingtons,
first in the field, grew to such pro-
portions that the manufacture of
typewriters was made an indepen-
dent establishment. This branch
was purchased outright in 1885 by
Wyckoff, Seamans and Benedict,
in whose hands it remains to this
day.
In 1898 the Oliver, the invention
of an Iowa preacher, was brought
out. Its chief features were its
widely different construction and
the visible writing arrangement
which left three or four words in
sight. In this latter feature was
the beginning of the visible writ
ing craze. Today nobody wants
a typewriter on which all the
writing is not in plain sight; all OF
which goes to attest the popularity
of the visible writing feature.
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