Among the first things to attract
the attention of this old-timer would be the web-perfecting press,
capable of producing 25,000 impressions an hour, instead of the old
hand press of 240 impressions an hour; the linotype machine, capable
of setting 6,000 to 10,000 ems per hour, instead of the old hand
compositor producing only 800 to 1,000 ems per hour, and the mailing
machine, enabling one man to do the work of five or six under the
old method. Think of getting out the Sunday Pioneer Press with the
material in use fifty years ago. It would take 600 hand presses, 600
hand pressmen and 600 boys three hours to print the edition, and as
there were no means of stereotyping in those days the forms would have
to be set up 600 times, requiring the services of 5,000 compositors.
Papers printed under these conditions would have to be sold for one
dollar each, and there would not be much profit in it at that. The
first daily papers printed in St. Paul were not conducted or a very
gigantic scale, as the entire force of one office generally consisted
of one pressman, five or six compositors, two editors and a business
manager. A few reminiscences of the trials and tribulations of the
early newspaper manager, editor and compositor may not be wholly
devoid of interest.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25