History of the Typewriter

—224— writer to find equal distances between the lines, and then write straight. A fountain pen is recommended for the purpose. Progin (1833), to whom we have already made reference, was next to move, and, as we have seen, his labours were in a totally different direction. He sought three objects in his instrument, namely : (1) To print as rapidly as one could write with an ordinary pen, (2) To make stereotype plates for use with ordinary printing presses, and, (3) to copy music or make stereotype plates for the printing of same. Bidet, in 1837, produced a peculiar machine which he termed a Mechanical Typographic Compositor. This in- strument, although not a typewriter, possessed at least four of the essentials of a good writing machine, and may therefore be described at length. It consisted of two posts, carrying at the upper portion, a wheel, on the periphery of which were the types. These types, as they revolved on the wheel, took a supply of ink from two small rollers, one on either side. Below this wheel was a cylinder, for carrying the paper. Evidently the cylinder revolved between each letter, and made a side movement between the lines. The wheel had to be revolved by hand, until the required letter was over the printing point, when pressure upon a lever which bore on the axle of the type- wheel brought the latter into contact with the paper, and thus secured the impression. A writing machine, certainly, but a very slow one. Dujardin, in 1838, elaborated an instrument which he termed a “ Tachygraphe.” He made two intruments, one a small one for recording speeches, and a larger one for music. Practically, the instrument resembled, in some respects, a piano, at the end of the keys of which were the various letters, which all struck to the common printing point. The next year, in 1839, M. Perrot produced a “ Machine Tachygraphique ” having a vertical cylinder and two type- wheels. The imprint was obtained by means of a wheel having an escapement hammer or bar striking on a socket. The keyboard was divided into two parts, one for each hand and each hand also had its own type-wheel. As soon as the bar was released, it struck the socket of the wheel, and printed the letter on the paper. Here, apparently, we have the origin of the “ automatic impression ” one reads about occasionally ! Four years then elapsed, when Messrs. Baillet de Sondalo