EXHIBITION, BRITISH INDUSTRIAL. 



423 



Young's Type- Composing Machine. The in- 

 ventor describes that this type machine is pro- 

 vided with separate compartments called ' re- 

 servoirs,'' for all the letters of a font ; each 

 reservoir being provided with a small lever, 

 which, by means of a rod, is connected to a 

 key like those used in a pianoforte. When a 

 key is struck by the player, it pushes a type 

 out of the reservoir by means of the lever men- 

 tioned above, and the type is thus caused to 

 slide down an inclined plane, and thence into a 

 receiver, where it is set up side by side with 

 other types, by means of a beater. Thus, each 

 <>r letter can be set up by a player in the 

 order required by a compositor's copy. This is 

 now done with a speed of from 12,000 to 15,- 

 000 types set up in an hour's time. The justi- 

 fying apparatus is intended to replace the com- 

 positor's stick. The compositor places the gal- 

 ley filled with the long lines of type set up by 

 the composing machine, slides one of them into 

 the apparatus, divides it into the proper width 

 of the page, and having justified it, moves a 

 handle which depresses the completed line, and 

 thus makes room for a succeeding one. It is 

 found that a compositor can by this means 

 justify at the rate of 4,000 to 6,000 types per 

 hour. 



The distributing machine separates all the 

 different letters of a font that may have been 

 used for printing, into different channels ready 

 for use in the composing machine. This is ef- 

 fected by one or more pairs of nippers, which 

 takes every type singly from the reservoir in 

 which all the types have been placed, and al- 

 lows it to slide down an inclined plane, the 

 upper part of which moves on a hinge. The 

 thin or lower-case types slide down to the bot- 

 tom of the fixed inclined plane, but the thicker 

 or upper-case letters are retained on the mov- 

 able incline, which, on being raised, drops 

 them into an appropriate receptacle, whence 

 they are then taken and redistributed by passing 

 down a separate channel of the inclined plane. 

 The thin, or lower-case letters, that have ar- 

 rived at the bottom of the inclined plane, are 

 pushed into the grooves of a revolving chain. 

 This chain in moving passes underneath plates 

 which are made of different widths in order to 

 cover only certain nicks cut or cast on the edge 

 of the types, and situated in different parts of 

 their length, from 1-1 6th to 12-16ths of an inch 

 from the tail of each type. "When, therefore, a 

 type passes underneath a plate, which allows 

 its nick to be exposed, it is pushed from off the 

 chain by means of a scraper which passes over 

 the plate on to a tilting inclined plane. This 

 plane in its descent allows the type to slide 

 down, by means of an inclined channel, into a 

 receiver, where it is set up by means of a 

 beater, as in the composing machine. The dis- 

 tinguishing nicks are somewhat like those used 

 by typefounders; 71 percent, of the types re- 

 quire only one nick, 20 per cent, only two 

 nicks, and the remainder have three nicks. 

 One distributing machine, attended by two 



boys, will distribute and prepare for the com- 

 posing machine from 14,000 to 18,000 types per 

 hour. 



Mitchell's composing and distributing ma- 

 chine was also exhibited. This machine has 

 been for many years in practical operation in 

 this country, and the description of it can be 

 found in Appleton's " Dictionary of Mechanics." 



Folding, Pressing, and Stitching Machine. 

 This compact little folding machine, a Swiss 

 invention, is constructed to make a perfect re- 

 gister, and to fold printed or white sheets of 

 paper with far greater precision than the most 

 experienced hands can do it, at the rate of 

 1,400 to 1,500 sheets of any size per hour ; and it 

 presses and stitches the sheets at the same time. 



The machine works as follows : The sheets 

 are put singly by a boy under the points of the 

 machine, in the same manner as with the 

 printing machine. A knife moving nearly ver- 

 tically up and down takes hold of the sheet 

 lengthwise in the centre, draws it through a 

 slip in the table, and the first fold is made. The 

 knife returns instantly, and the sheet is taken 

 by a second vertical knife, moving from the left 

 to the right, folding it at a right angle to the 

 first fold. The double-folded sheet is now oppo- 

 site a pair of ribbed rollers (cylinders). Before 

 the third fold is made, the stitching commences 

 as follows : Two needles, provided with hooks, 

 pass through the middle of the sheet, at 

 about an inch distance from each other, draw- 

 ing the cotton through, which is unwound from 

 a bobbin, and cut to the required length by a 

 peculiarly constructed pair of shears ; the sheet 

 is then folded a third time viz., a knife in the 

 shape of a T, acting horizontally, and conse- 

 quently, at a right angle with the second knife, 

 takes hold of the middle of the sheet, and 

 pushes it between the above-mentioned ribbed 

 rollers, whence it is passed directly to another 

 pair of polished rollers, from which it comes 

 glazed and pressed on to the table. The ma- 

 chine works very correctly, and folds the larg- 

 est as well as the smallest sheets, and both 

 the stitching and pressing apparatus, or each 

 singly, may be detached by loosening a single 

 screw. It can be worked either by steam or 

 hand, a boy being sufficient for that purpose. 

 The same exhibitor showed a second folding 

 machine, which feeds itself by an air or sucking 

 apparatus that takes the sheets one by one from 

 off a pile, under the horizontal folding knife, 

 thus enabling it to fold 3,000 sheets per hour. 



AGRICULTURAL MACHINES AND IMPLEMENTS. 

 Cultivation by the steam engine was the para- 

 mount feature of this department ; one gallery 

 and part of another being occupied by two rival 

 systems of steam-ploughing mechanism. Fowler 

 contributed the steam engines, with their wire 

 ropes, ploughs, and grubbers, of which about 

 150 sets are now at work in this and other 

 countries. Here, too, were the engine, wind- 

 lass, grubbers, and new balance ploughs of the 

 Howards, of Bedford ; their steam cultivator 

 and new implements for the hay harvest. 



