LXXXI 



WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7. Special meeting. 

 The President in the chair. 



The chair announced that the object of the meeting was 

 to listen to an explanation of the Type-Setting, Justifying 

 and Distributing Machine invented by C. W. Felt of this 

 city, and now in the course of construction at the manu- 

 factory on Bridge street. After some general remarks 

 appertaining to the subject, a general explanation of the 

 machine, and of the purpose of its various parts, and their 

 mode of operation was given by Mr. Wm. G. Choate, and a 

 more detailed description of particular parts of the machine 

 by Mr. John B. Richards, and remarks were made in regard 

 to the invention by Mr. A. C. Goodell, Jr., and Mr. James 

 Kimball. 



This machine, as its name imports, sets and justifies type, 

 and also distributes. The setting is done by the manipula- 

 tion of a key board. There are thirty-seven keys for 

 setting the type, one for each letter and character of some 

 one alphabet, or size of type. While other keys touched 

 with the keys of the several letters, turn the letters into 

 any required alphabet, or size of type. Thus there is an 

 italic key, and a capital key, which touched with the key 

 of any letter, turn that letter into a capital or an italic, 

 &c. The mechanism is so arranged as to keep pace 

 with the most rapid compositor. Consequently if the 

 manipulation of a key board is the quickest method of 

 communicating motion intelligently to mechanism, as is 

 believed, then this machine will enable a compositor to 

 set types as fast as in the nature of things it can be done. 

 Some idea may be formed of the rapidity with which the 

 machine may be operated from the example of printing 

 telegraphic machines which are operated by a similar key 

 board. Rapid operators can compose on these at the 

 rate of 7500 ems an hour, which is seven and a half times 

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