662 PRINTING MACHINE 



width of the type-form. This is necessary in order to give access to the type-form so 

 as to adjust it. 



One of the practical difficulties which Mr. Applegath had to encounter in the 

 solution of the problem, which he has so successfully effected, arose from the shock 

 produced to the machinery by reversing the motion of the horizontal frame, which in 

 the old machine carried the type-form and inking-table, a moving mass which weighed 

 a ton ! This frame had a motion of 88 inches in each direction, and it was found that 

 such a weight could not be driven through such a space with safety at a greater rate 

 than about 45 strokes per minute, which limited its maximum producing power to 5,000 

 sheets per hour. 



Another difficulty in the construction of this vast piece of machinery was, so to 

 regulate the self-acting mechanism that the impression of the type-form should always 

 be made in the centre of the page, and so that the space upon the paper occupied by 

 the printed matter on one side may coincide exactly with that occupied by the printed 

 matter on the other' side. 



The type-form fixed on the central drum moves at the rate of 70 inches per second, 

 and the paper is moved in contact with it of course at exactly the same rate. Now, if 

 by any error in the delivery or motion of a sheet of paper, it arrive at the printing 

 cylinder l-70th part of a second too soon or too late, the relative position of tho 

 columns will vary by l-70th part of 70 inches that is to say, by 1 inch. In that 

 case the edge of the printed matter on one side would be an inch nearer to the edge 

 of the paper than on the other side. This is an incident which rarely happens, but 

 when it does, a sheet, of course, is spoiled. The waste, however, from that cause is 

 considerably less in the present vertical machine than in the former less powerful 

 horizontal one. 



The vertical position of the inking-rollers is more conducive to the goodness of the 

 work for the type and engraving are only touched on their extreme surface than 

 the horizontal machine, where the inking-rollers act by gravity ; also any dust, shaken 

 out of the paper, which formerly was deposited upon the inking-rollers, now falls upon 

 the floor. With this machine 50,000 impressions have been taken without stopping 

 to brush the form or table. 



The principle of this vertical-cylinder machine is capable of almost unlimited 

 extension. 



An American machine, the invention of E. Hoe and Company, of New York, was 

 a few years ago introduced to this country. Machines of this description were made 

 for ' The Times,' and other newspaper offices, by Mr. Whitworth of Manchester. The 

 following is Mr. Hoe's description of this machine : 



A horizontal cylinder of about 4J feet in diameter is mounted on a shaft, with 

 appropriate bearings ; about one-fourth of the circumference of this cylinder consti- 

 tutes the bed of the press, which is adapted to receive the form of types the remainder 

 is used as a cylindrical distributing-table. The diameter of the cylinder is less than 

 that of tho form of types, in order that the distributing portion of it may pass the 

 impression-cylinders without touching. The ink is contained in a fountain placed 

 beneath the large cylinder, from which it is taken by a ductor roller, and transferred 

 by a vibrating distributing-roller to the cylindrical distribution-table ; the fountain 

 roller receives a slow and continuous rotatory motion, to carry up the ink from the 

 fountain. 



The large cylinder being put in motion, the form of types thereon is, in succession, 

 carried to eight corresponding horizontal impression-cylinders, arranged at proper 

 distances around it, which give the impression of eight sheets, introducing one at each 

 impression-cylinder. For each impression-cylinder there are two inked rollers, which 

 vibrate on the distributing surface while taking a supply of ink, and at the proper 

 time pass over the form, when they again fall to the distributing surface. Each page 

 is locked up upon a detached segment of the large cylinder, called by the compositors 

 a ' turtle,' and this constitutes the bed and chase. Tho column-rules run parallel 

 with the shafts of the cylinder, so as to bind to types near the top. These wedge- 

 shaped column-rules are held down to the bed or ' turtle ' by tongues, projecting at 

 intervals along their length, and sliding in rebated grooves cut cross-wise in the face 

 of the bed ; the space in the grooves between the column-rules being filled with sliding 

 blocks of metal, accurately fitted, the outer surface level with the surface of tho bed, 

 tho ends next the column-rules being cut away underneath to receive a projection 

 on the sides of the tongues and screws at the end and side of each page to lock them 

 together, the types are as secure on this cylinder as they can be on the old flat bed. 



In 'The Times' office there are two of those machines, one of them being a ten- 

 cylinder machine, which is regularly employed to print 16,000 sheets an hour, and it 

 appears capable of printing 18,000. It is only by means of these two American 



