History of the Typewriter

— 29 — the 1851 exhibition, and he then let the matter rest for a while. Afterwards he took the matter up again, and between the years 1855 to i860, he had (with Mr. Pickier, of Buda Pesth) completed no less than six different machines, of which three remained in a complete form. Although they would not by any means meet the requirements of the present day, yet they were marvels of ingenuity, and are still in more or less working order...... They are now in the South Kensington collection.” We now illustrate and describe, as briefly but as clearly as possible, these early machines. WHEATSTONE’S FIRST MACHINE. In this machine there was a keyboard somewhat re- sembling the manual of a piano. There were thirty keys in all, twenty-nine of which were employed for the imprint- ing of letters, etc. and the other was a space key. The type were mounted on flexible tongues of metal resembling Fig. 14 the teeth of a comb, which is at the top of the machine and is segmental in shape. Each key forms one arm of a bell-crank lever, and when depressed forces the other arm into a horizontal slotted plate, connected with the comb, and so arranged as to slide the latter sideways until the particular type is brought under a hammer, which then delivers the blow. After each impression the comb is brought back into its position of rest by means of two springs. As the key rises, means are provided to ensure the paper travelling the required distance. We present two illustrations of this machine, the one showing the completed instrument, and the other being an outline only, very much simplified and with portions omitted, but which will show the operative portions much more clearly' than the other and more finished illustration.