History of the Typewriter

—132 — CHAPTER V. Carriage placed Centrally. THE gods must have loved the four machines which follow, for they all died young. Two of them were English, a third was made in England, and the fourth, the Brooks, although placed upon the English market, was not pushed in any way, and consequently soon became forgotten. They were all very good machines in their own way, and their fate shows that Death, the leveller, pays no regard to place of origin. The Fitch. As will be seen by the illustration, the Fitch presents a very neat and tasty appearance. The type-bars rest overhead, and on the depression of a key the corresponding bar descends, and passing along the projecting arm, strikes in its descent the small inking roller, which then moves aside. The bars are quite loose in their bearings, but by reason of the guide-arms, 3,11 strike to 3. common printing point. The keyboard of the Fitch is an original one, the arrangement being as follows :— XBMRNGTLP ! 23456789 twoaeiukq VSDHYCFZ ( i / — ’s % & ) The action of the shift-key is peculiar, it being raised in order to produce the figures, and depressed to print the