History of the Typewriter

—264— from two to twenty-five strokes, which even the best Chinese scholars write slowly, as they handle the brush delicately, and that a character signifies not a letter but a whole word, it will be readily seen that Dr. Sheffield’s machine saves a great amount of both time and labour. Circular Keyboard Machines. On reference to the illustration of Progin’s machine it will be seen that types are arranged in a circle, and strike downward to the paper. The circular arrangement has tempted many inventors, prominent among whom are those hereafter described. By affixing the type at the lower end of a piston rod, and the key at the upper end, a very rapid movement may be secured, but this speed is quite lost owing to the area over which the fingers have to travel from key to key. Machines of this form include the following, which are to be found on^the pages stated : Daw & Tate, p. 265 ; Donnelly, p. 265 ; Lambert, p. 278. Crary. This machine appeared about 1894 in New York. It was the invention of Mr. J. M. Crary, and we learn from a paragraph in the New York Sun that :—“ It bears but slight resemblance to any of the standard typewriters in use, weighing but ten pounds, and being built on simple and compact lines. The keyboard is disc-shaped and contains eighty celluloid keys. The ribbon can be changed with great celerity. The machine will receive a book of any required size or thickness. It has perfectly flat platens, separate from the feed rollers, and when several copies of manuscript are required, a platen made of brass is used. A single sheet of notepaper seems quite as much at home between its rollers as a double-entry ledger. And to crown it, the price of the machine, although not yet fixed, is certain to undercut the hundred dollar marks on other first-class typewriters.” The Crary is, however, no longer made. Cox, Chas. This gentleman, a resident in Brooklyn, “has perfected a fifty dollar visible that should prove a seller, if manufactured properly.” Dart Marking Machine. This machine is a typewriter for the purpose of preparing window-tickets, bulletins, etc., or for writing on wooden surfaces, such as the lids of packing cases, and so on. The English agents are the Gem Supplies Co., Limited, of Peartree St., London, E.C. The device consists of an index like the hand of a clock, which is revolved over the surface of a dial plate until it points to the letter, figure, or sign required. As it turns, it revolves a type-wheel fixed in an up and down direction, and when