History of the Typewriter

— 46 — the work, the carriage can be swung upwards round the guide rod, which acts also as a hinge. The carriage is continuously pulled to the left by a spring, the motion being checked by a rack attached to the carriage, and engaged with two vibrating detents that release one tooth with each character printed. At the end of the line, the carriage is returned and the cylinder slightly rotated by a cord attached to an external lever at the right hand side ; this return movement also winds up the feeding spring. Inking is done by a wide ribbon, interposed between the paper and the type. The ribbon is stretched horizontally over the top of the framing from a spool on each side, and is slowly wound alternately from one to the other by the motion of the machine. The reversal of the winding, when either spool is emptied, is performed by a hand moved clutch.” One or two special points will immediately arrest the attention of the practical operator. There is a copyholder attached to and forming part of the machine. This will be seen from the illustration, being folded back under the top plate to the left. The types were to be forced into alignment by means of V-shaped continuations of the typebar hangers. The coffee mill handle for returning the carriage might have been a good thing, had it been continued to the ground and operated by the foot : but one would pity the machine for the jarring it would get from the re- turning of the carriage. The Sholes and Glidden typewriter had not a very pro- longed career. After a time it was taken over bodily by the Remington people, who henceforward gave it their own name. Sholes, after many years, worked out a totally different machine, having visible writing. Yost also pro- duced the Caligraph, and later on an improved instrument to which, he gave his own name, and which is a now pro- minent favourite. 1 he Densmores have also been associated with a third instrument for many years, a full account of which will appear hereafter. The history of the Remington is indissolubly wound up with the history of the typewriter, and that of the typewriter with the Remington, up to this time. But there are other machines, and these we shall deal with in later chapters.