History of the Typewriter

— 32 — WHEATSTONE’S FINAL MACHINE. In the final attempt of Sir Charles, we find him reverting to his original outline. The instrument is more compact, but is still able to express both capital and lower case letters. The cylindrical paper carrier is clearly defined, but it is said that the touch is heavy, and the inking arrangements are no better than are several machines of later date. Fig. 18 The piano keyboard arrangement possessed a fatal fascination for many inventors, and there is no doubt that, by the adhesion to this defect, the production of the perfect machine was ultimately delayed. Dr. Wm. Francis, of New York, essayed, in 1857, another machine, having a somewhat similar outline to Wheatstone’s, but it is clear that the area of finger movement is too great, and the force required to depress the keys far too heavy. We present three diagrams of Francis’s machine, the one showing in outline the general appearance of the in- strument, and the other two denoting the typebar move- ment, with the bar at rest and in contact respectively. This typebar movement is exceedingly interesting. In the diagram, K represents the lever, the shaded portion, F, denoting the framework of the machine. The typebar,’ A, falls perpendicularly when at rest, but on the depression