FEATURES OF ENGINEERING INTEREST 87 



columns and advertisements are set. In this room galley proofs are 

 taken of everything that is set, and when these have been checked by the 

 readers any necessary corrections are made. The galleys of type, blocks 

 for illustrations and advertisements are then assembled into the complete 

 page forme. 



Stereo Room. — An impression of each page forme is taken, and the 

 resulting mould is used for casting the semi-cylindrical plates which are 

 to be mounted on the rollers of the rotary presses. Plates are cast on the 

 junior auto-plate machine and trimmed to uniform thickness on the 

 auto-shaver. The plates are cast at such a speed that a special water 

 supply is necessary for cooling them. 



Machine Room. — ^The plates which have been sent down on a lift from 

 the stereo room are assembled on the rollers of the rotary presses. The 

 paper enters a machine from reels, and after passing between the rollers, 

 where it receives the ink impression of all the pages, it emerges from the 

 folders in the form of complete newspapers, folded and counted. From 

 here the papers are sent to the Dispatch Department. 



XIII. 



BUCKINGHAM WORKS, YORK^ 



The foundation of the firm long known as Troughton & Simms dates 

 back to Newtonian times. The new investigations into natural laws then 

 made gave great stimulus to the working scope of instrument makers. 

 The first owner is thought to have been Thomas Wright, though he may 

 have taken over the business from John Rowley, for whom he had made 

 orreries (for demonstrating the motion of planets). He was succeeded 

 by Benjamin Cole (1751-82), who manufactured instruments chiefly for 

 navigation, some of which can be seen in the Science Museum, South 

 Kensington. During Cole's period Edward and John Troughton, uncle 

 and nephew, were in business as chamber masters employed principally in 

 dividing and engraving for the trade. A second Edward Troughton, 

 brother of John, and afterwards Fellow of the Royal Society, was appren- 

 ticed to his relatives, and in 1782 the two brothers took over the business of 

 Cole. After the death of John, Edward Troughton remained proprietor 

 till 1826, during which time the celebrated transit instrument was con- 

 structed for Pond, the Astronomer Royal. He also constructed the 

 famous dividing engine now housed at the Science Museum. In 1826 

 the firm amalgamated with William Simms, senior, who carried on a 



1 Summarised from information supplied by Messrs. Cooke, Troughton & 

 Simms, Ltd. 



