History of the Typewriter

—205— Fig. 150. The Secor Writing and Billing Machine. It will be noticed that this typewriter is not offered as a mere writing machine, but as combining special features that particularly adapts itself to invoicing, and therefore, it satisfies a more general field of demand. The Secor is the first writing and billing machine possessing the important feature of an instantly removable escapement, namely, the carriage tension spring and its connection. This permits frequent and thorough cleaning of these vital parts, thus insuring better service and longer life. So ingeniously framed and protected are these parts, that it is impossible for them to be injured either in or out of the machine. The escapement of a typewriter is as vital to the machine’s long life and good health as is the heart of a human being. It is the heart beats of the machine that makes it work. They must be regular and positive. The heart of the Secor—its escapement—presents an entirely new idea, though based upon one of the oldest, time- tried and proved principles in mechanics—the famous anchor movement principle. Nothing like has before béen applied to a writing and billing machine. Its movement is wholly positive, though so slight as to be less than fifty thousandths of an inch. The principle involved makes it impossible for the carriage to slip or skip, because the movement releasing the escapement wheel automatically catches the next tooth. Being made in a partial curve to fit the circumference of the wheel, when the releasing end is pulled down the catching end must rise exactly in proportion to the downward move- ment. This makes the quickest movement known to