History of the Typewriter

—262— Century. An American Ccmpany called the Century Machine Co., of New York, endeavoured to promote a typewriter in which no less than nine characters were mounted on each type-bar, the intention being, by the use of suitable shifts and the depression of two or more keys simultaneously, to permit of the writing of syllables and short words at a single stroke. The carriage was at the rear of the machine and the writing—if it could ever be executed—was in full sight. — see also Hess & Stoughton, in this chapter. — see also Century in Index Machines, Chapter X. Conde. This machine was launched on the American market in about 1893. As will be seen, the types were mounted at the end of bars standing upright and the platen was raised, so that the bar had a very slight distance to Fig. 190. travel in order to meet the paper. It was of very simple construction, there being only about 500 parts, and no ribbon was used, the types deriving the ink from a pad. The whole movement of the carriage was controlled from the keyboard, and the construction of the type-bars was such that alignment was said to have been absolutely and permanently secured. The machine was not a commercial success, and was withdrawn from the market after a very short career. The inventor was said, in 1905, to have been working upon a new machine of the front stroke variety. Cosmopolitan. Messrs. S. Davis & Co., the sewing machine people, introduced the German Kosmopolit into England under this name ; and Messrs. Faudel Phillips and