Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-14
Epolution of the TapesUriter
Reprinted from Belford's Magazine for
April, 1892, by the courtesy of the publishers.)
First Installment.

(ReprInted from benords Magazine Tor
April, 1892, by the courtesy of the publishers.)
First Installment.
The first record of an attempt to produce a
typewriter is found in the records of the Brit
ish patent office. These show that on January
2, l7l4, 178 years ago, patent was granted to
one Henry Mill an English engineer OF re-
pute for a machine which was intended to do
writing. The record does not describe it
further than to say that it was device in
tended "for the impressing or transcrbing of
letters singly or progressively one after an
other, as in writing, whereby all writings
whatsoever may be engrossed in paper or
parchment so neat and exact as not to be dis
tnguished from print" to use the words of the
inventor. Nothing is known of this machine,
and the secret died with the inventor, as no
sketch or more detailed description is known
to exist. Henry Mill was recognized as a man
of genius in his profession and il is, therefore,
probable that if his typewriter had amounted
to anything some further record or description
of it would be extant. His invention seems to
have passed entirely out of mind. With the
exception of machine intended for enclosing
printed characters for the blind, said to have
been invented in the year 1874, but of which
nothing is now known, Henry Mill seems to
have found no nitators for many years.
The first typewriter ever constructed in
America was the invention of William Austin
Burt of Detroit, better known as the inventor
of the solar compass, who in the year 1879,
took out the first American patent ever issued
for typewriter. This machine, although a
working typewriter, was exceedingly crude in
design and Of the toughest construction. The
record of this patent, together with the only
model of the machine, was destroyed by fire in
the patent Office in 1886. There is no reason to
doubt that to Mr.. Burt is due the honor of being
the inventor of the first American typewriter.
A Frenchman named Xavier Pogrin of Mar
settles is also said to have invented a machine
for which he took out patent in France in
the year 1888 Of this machine but little is
known.
The efforts of inventors to produce teie-
graphic printing machine gave an impetus to
the idea of a writing machine. In l84O the
British patent Office records the application of
Alexander Balm and Thomas Wright for a
typewriting machine for use in connection
with the telegraph. They were afterward bet
ter known as the inventors of Geographic
printer. 1t is said that Balm was the first to
use swinging typebars which converge to
common printing point. As a typewriter,
Bain'S device was of no utility, and scarcely
deserves serious mention. 1t was not until
1843 that a really complete machine was in
vented. In that year Charles Thurber then
resident of Worcester, Mass, took out
patent FOLLOWED two years later by a second),
for typewritng machine, which, although
very slow, was capable of doing good work.
This model is interesting as efecting the letter
spacing by longitudinal motion of platen,
principle which is feature of all modern ma
chimes, The Thurber machine was never
manufactured, and the only model in ex-
istence is now preserved by the Worcester
Society of Antiquarians.
In 1848 one Fairbanks took out patent for
a machine consisting of a series Of vertical
converging rods adapted to be pushed up to
converging center much like piston rod. On
the end of each rod a type was placed. This
machine was designed for printing colors on
cloth, but was found to be impracticable and
was never used.
The next recorded invention is that of
Pierre Foucait, blind inmate of the Paris in
stitute for the blind. 1t printed raised letters
for the blind very successfully Several Of
these machines were made and gained the in
yentor some applause at the Worlds Fair in
London, in 1851, where the machine was ex-
hibted. sT
In the year 1850 Oliver 7. Eddy of Balti-
more took out a patent No model of this ma
chine can be found, and none was ever placed
before the public. 1t is said to have been very
ingenious and to have performed nice work,
but was exceedingly cumbrous and intricate.
The inventor spent many years OF labor upon
the machine and is said to have died in pow
erty after futile appeal to the government for
assistance. Several patents were taken out in
succeeding years. None OF them was I'M
portant, and none seemed to show much adj
typewriter, excepting the machine constructed
by Mr. A. E. Beach in 1856. This was primarily
for the printing of embossed letters
for the blind, but could also be adapted to the
general uses of typewriter. 1t employed
pairs of dies to impress the characters upon a
narrow ribbon of paper. These were ranged
about circle, each pair swinging to common
center much in the same manner as a modern
typewriter. This machine attracted great at
tention when exhibited in New York. but it
never emerged from the experimental stage.
In l847 DR. Francis, wealthy medical man of
New York, took out patent for a typewriter,
in which a motion similar to that of a piano
hammer was employed to throw up the types,
which were arranged in a circle to a common
center. 1t was bulky and intricate, and, al
though capable of good work. was too costly
for a commercial venture. So far as is known
but one model was constructed, and no at
tempt was made to place any of them on the
market This machine also contained many of
the salient features of the typewriter of today,
such as the carriage travelling from side to
side over the type basket, alarm bell for ndi-
eating end of line blank key for spacing, etc
After this several patents were issued in
1883, 1859, 1860 and so on, up to 1865 or 1866.
but none of these inventions proved to be of
much practical value, and none Of them was
productive of further progress toward the de-
sired end
Ito Be Continued Tomorrow