VISITORS' GUIDE ΤΟ HARPER & BROTHERS' ESTABLISHMENT. I. The Buildings. been dwelling-houses. These became too small for their increasing business, and in 1850 they erected a large and commodious structure on Franklin Square, in Pearl Street, running back to the Cliff Street buildings. They had scarcely moved into this, when the fire of December 10th, 1853, occurred, destroying the entire establishment, and involving a loss of fully a million dollars. Most of the stereotype plates, stored away in fire-proof subterranean vaults, were saved. They at once set about rebuilding the establishment on a larger scale, and upon the same site. The establishment occupies a plot of ground extending from Pearl to Cliff Street, with a front of about 120 feet on each, and a depth of 170 from street to street, comprising an area of ten city lots, or about half an acre. There are two buildings, one fronting upon each street, with an open courtyard between them. It was determined that the entire structure should be fire-proof, strong, well lighted and ventilated, and handsome. It is believed that no structure in this country, erected before or since, more fully meets all these conditions. The Franklin Square building is used mainly for N the establishment of Harper & Brothers the offices and warerooms. It consists of five stories carried on so near to each other that in a very short time one may there gain a tolerable idea of the whole, although a person of a mechanical turn may profitably spend hours in studying the working of the complicated machines by which no small part of the labor is performed. Visitors are constantly desirous of going through the establishment, and for their benefit this Guide has been prepared, to point out to them the most interesting things which will meet their observation. From 1825 to 1869 the firm consisted of four brothers: James Harper, born in 1795; John, born in 1797; Joseph Wesley, commonly called Wesley, born in 1801; and Fletcher, born in 1806. James died March 17th, 1869, from injuries received by being thrown from his carriage; Wesley died February 14th, 1870; John, April 22d, 1875; and Fletcher, May 29th, 1877. The firm now consists of sons of the original members. In 1817 the two elder brothers, after having completed their apprenticeships, commenced business as printers and publishers in New York, under the firm-name of J. & J. Harper. The two younger brothers entered their employment, and in 1833 the firm-name was changed to Harper & Brothers. In 1840 their printing, binding, and publishing establishment occupied several buildings on both sides of Cliff Street, three of which had formerly street. The front, which is wholly of iron, has 21 ornamental columns to each story. The side and rear walls are of brick or stone. To gain a firm foundation for a structure so massive, and to be so heavily loaded, it was necessary to excavate to a depth of nearly 30 feet. This space is utilized by throwing it into two subterranean stories, the lower one forming a series of vaults with massive walls and arches, used chiefly to store the numerous and costly electrotype plates. The level of Cliff Street is considerably lower than that of Pearl Street. The Cliff Street building, used principally as the manufactory, is of brick, six stories above ground, with a basement story. To obviate the monotony of such an extent of flat wall and uniform windows, there are pilasters of the entire height; the upper windows are arched, and there is a heavy cornice. Following the line of the streets, each front presents a slight curvature, that on Franklin Square being convex, that on Cliff Street concave. Between the two buildings, and entered by an archway through from Cliff Street, is a court-yard which serves a variety of purposes. Here all heavy goods and parcels are received and delivered, so that the streets are not encumbered by goods or vehicles. It contains a steam elevator for raising and lowering wares; an isolated round tower inclosing a staircase which forms the means of access to the arm, is dovetailed at each end into the head of a column, so that the arch of which it forms a part can give way only under the almost inconceivable pressure from above of a weight sufficient to pull this rod asunder. Across the tops of these girders, and firmly secured to them, are beams of rolled iron which support the floors. These beams lie four feet apart. The floors consist of a series of low brick arches turned from beam to beam. These are laid dry, then grouted, and filled up flush with cement on the upper side, making a level floor of brick and cement, over which, merely for comfort, is laid a covering of wood, which is really only a carpet, and is practically incombustible, since there can be absolutely no draught from below. Columns, girders, and beams are so framed together as to be self-supporting. It is believed that if the exterior walls were to be taken away at once, the interior frame-work, with all its heavy load, would still stand firm. By the strictest scientific calculation, every part of it is strong enough to sustain ten times the utmost weight likely ever to be placed upon it. The security. against any extensive conflagration seems to be absolute. Of the buildings themselves only the furniture is combustible. Of the stock only a small portion is what is called "hazardous;" for paper burns with difficulty, except when lying loosely; closely in bundles or books, it will unless surrounded by more combustible There being no communication by stairway or otherwise between the different stories, each floor is a distinct fire-proof apartment, and it is hardly possible that a fire happening in one of them could be communicated to another. As a further precaution, there is an apparatus by which any room can be at once filled with steam from the boilers of the engines. The general arrangement of the interior structure may be understood from the illustration (Fig. 9), and from the sectional view (Fig. 11). The mechanism of the floors is shown in the illustration (Fig. 2). upper stories of either building, and the furnaces | when packed But the interior construction is the distinguishing feature of these buildings. The whole rests not upon the walls alone, but upon a series of iron columns rising from bottom to top. From column to column in each story extends a girder composed of an ornamental cast-iron arch and a wrought-iron tension-rod. This rod, about the size of a man's In the Franklin Square building the first story above the street is used principally as press-rooms and for the mailing department. Ascending a broad flight of stairs, we reach the second floor (that FIG. 2.-Mechanism of the Floors. FIG. 3.-Harper & Brothers' Establishment in 1844. From an old print. is the fourth, including the basement stories). This contains the book-store and business offices. The main room occupies about two-thirds of this floor, running through from front to rear. In front is the counting-room, shut off by a low railing. In the centre are desks for clerks, and tables for the display of sample copies of books. The side-walls, from floor to ceiling, are occupied by tiers of bins, each large enough to contain a moderate edition of a single book, the upper tiers being accessible by a light gallery half-way up. At either end, separated from the main room by a thick brick wall, pierced by a couple of archways, is a smaller room fitted up in a similar manner with bins. Upon this floor is kept the bulk of the bound stock of each of the several thousands of volumes published by the house. inquiries may be made of the foremen in their respective departments." A visitor who complies with this request will not materially interfere with the work which he will see going on. He will pass through an iron door, and across a bridge to the circular stairway in the court-yard. In going through the manufactory, the better way is for him to commence at the bottom and pass upward from floor to floor, as he will then follow the sheets of a book in their regular order from first to last, except that he will see last the operations of "composition," or setting the type, and making the plates, which really come first in the order, and are carried on in the upper story of all. These will, therefore, though the last to be seen, be the first to be described. II. The Composing and Electrotype The compositor's "case" consists of a shallow A visitor wishing to go through the work-rooms will apply in the counting-room for permission. Upon signing his name in a register, he will receive a pass, upon which is printed the necessary direc-box about two and a half feet long and half as broad, tion: "Visitors are requested not to touch any of the machinery or unfinished work, and not to loiter in passing through either of the buildings. Necessary divided into compartments for the different "sorts." or characters, used. For regular work two cases are required. These are placed in a sloping position upon a stand about breast-high. The lower case con- with the nick uppermost, it is in the right position. tains the small letters (hence called "lower-case" All type must be of exactly the same height, so letters), spaces, figures, and marks of punctuation. that each one may show in printing. The height The upper case holds capitals, small capitals, and other sorts in frequent use. . The lower case is usually divided into fifty-four boxes of several different sizes, according as the character which each holds is used more or less frequently. In an ordinary work in English the proportions are about as follows: z, 1; k, j, q, x, 3; b, 5; v, 7; g, p, w, y, 10; c, f, u, m, 12; d, 1, 20; h, r, 30; a, i, n, o, s, 40; t, 45; e, 60. In other languages the proportions are different. The letters are not placed in alphabetical order; but those most frequently used are nearest the hand. Thus, e, a, t, are placed in large boxes near the centre of the case; while z, q, and x, are in small boxes near the farthest corner. The upper case is divided into ninety-eight boxes of equal size, the letters being placed in alphabetical order. A pair of cases arranged for common work requires about one hundred and forty sorts. Special works may require many more, sometimes several hundreds. Italic letters require a separate pair of cases, which are used in common by several compositors; as also with sorts which are not frequently wanted. The compositor must learn the respective positions of all these sorts, so that his hand will go to them without any conscious effort of the memory. A "type" consists of a small piece of metal a little less than an inch long, having the character in relief on one end. On the side of the type corresponding to the bottom of the letter are one or more nicks," so that if the type is placed in the "stick" 66 employed by American type- Pica has 71.27 lines to the foot, an Pearl has 179.58 lines to the foot, and is usually employed for notes. The tools used by the compositor consist merely of the composing-stick with its rule, and a sharp bodkin for making corrections. The "stick" is a kind of frame having a bottom, one side, and two |