Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-08
MOVE

was finally unveiled, O COM
positor remarked with . s'"h'
IAN these years we've been
here, and tonight. az le@s,. ,.e|
get a view Of the Capitol"
Like q picture window, the
opening framed a magnificent
vista Of the spotlighted dome.
Work Goes On As Usual
AS compositors doggedly
stuck to their tasks, the room
became q mass Of confusion
Visitors chatted, bosses yelled
orders and machinery was
shifted while production con-
tinued as usual.
On the street below. pedes-
trian and southbound automo-
bile traffic was halted as a
safety precaution. but specta-
tors appeared by the dozen.
"It's better than q movie" a
bystander remarked as a
workmen wrestled q linotype to
the brink Of the eighth floor
aperture.
Elsewhere in the composing
room. compositors laid column
after column Of type on wooden
skids for moving. Weighing
1900 pounds each. the skids
were then removed by elevator.
In order not to disrupt nor
NAL publication. editions for
both yesterday and today were
prepared in the old building
and printed on the high-speed
presses In the Southeast plant.
Ceremony at First Run
In q brief ceremony yeSter-
day morning. Samuel H. Kauff-
mann, president Of The Eve
ming Star Newspaper Co.,
pushed q start button to begin
the big presses first run of a
complete edition of the paper.
The entire operation was
geared to the clock as linotype
operators, compositors and
stereotype men kept up with
heir normal duties as the move
progressed.
AS soon as the pages were
pressed in cardboard-like mats.
the impressions called mat
rices-were rushed by messen-
ger i've at a time to the Vir-
GINA avenue plant where The
Stars new presses were rolling
in production Of The Sunday
Star.
In the moves most crucial
hours, reporters and editors
continued to work in a seventh
floor setting with the look Of
a refugee camp. On plywood
tables Uttered with typewriters.
papers. pencils and displaced
telephones from desks already
installed in the Southeast
plant, the worked on stories
with the same intensity of any
other Saturday.
But it was not an ordinary
Saturday. and the steady
stream Of of duty employees
and their families who wan
dered in for . final look at the
half-deserted building were in
testimony to the change.
First to leave the downtown
plant on January 80 was the
Office Of Charles w. WEIGH, as
sistant business manager Of
The Star. who directed plan
ming Of the Virginia avenue
building.
First Unit Moved
The first complete. depart
ment to move was monotype.
which makes metal bases. col
umn rules and other metal
products necessary to a news
paper page. Its six machines
which weigh about / ton each
were removed by elevato- in
a test run Of movers on Feb
ruary 8.
A supply of their products
was manufactured in advance
of their departure for use
until this week end.
Flexing their muscles for the
task ahead. the movers tackled
their bulkiest machine early
one morning last month. After
dismantling a 12-ton stereo-
type metal pot-from which
the metal energies to cast a
page-the movers lifted 1t
aboard a transfer van.
Other machinery. which fol-
lowed soon, included autoplate
machines. two lathes, the en-
tire machine shop. inserting
devices to combine supple
mentary sections Of The Sun
Cay Star, and engraving equip
ment.
AS the deadline for moving
approached, Star employees
were briefed on procedures fol
packing the accumulation Of
decades of news gathering
Cartons, desks. filing cabinets
chairs and typewriters were
tagged with the employees
name, floor, department and
space in the Virginia avenue
building.
Move coSordinators were APP
pointed in~each department u