CHAPTER XVI
After lunch a visit was made to the offices of the "Daily American,"the great newspaper of the country. The establishment was situated atthe southeastern corner of the city, just outside of section "SouthAmerica."
The making of the form and printing of this great paper was explainedby Mr. McGregor, the manager.
The items of news and interest from all parts of the world werereceived at the "World" building by the sympathetic telegraph, and thentransmitted by tube to the chief of copy at the office of the paper.Here it was assorted and given to the type-writers. Type, as used inthe nineteenth century, had no place in the form of this paper.
Each compositor sat before a machine which appeared to Cobb very like aYost type-writer, and printed his copy on slips about as long and twiceas wide as the columns of an ordinary newspaper.
The paper was prepared, by immersion in certain chemicals, to undergoa change of texture and composition upon the passage of an electriccurrent of 400 volts. The letter arms of the type-writers wereconnected with the batteries, and whenever, in printing, a letter wasstruck upon the paper, the current passed through to the metallic bed,leaving a silver-gray print of the character on the paper.
These strips, or columns of the paper, as they proved to be, were settogether to form sheets or pages of the "Daily American."
A little instrument, having a pointer with 100 metallic hairs, eachabout an inch in length, and each connected by an insulated wire toa sympathetic instrument, was placed on the outer edge of the sheetof paper, which lay flat and smooth upon a copper bed. The 100 littlepoints were so set that they just touched the paper, but not eachother; and their arrangement was such that, as the machine traveledover the sheet from bottom to top, every part of the paper for a widthof two inches was touched by some one of these points.
Now, the current of electricity which passed through the slips of paperwhen printed, had not left the letters in clear color, but had changedthe metallic composition in the paper into metallic letters.
Another, and one of the most important factors in this new process, wasthat the letter was metallic clear through the paper, the reverse sideof the sheet showing a perfect type-form.
The "Daily American" was printed simultaneously in one hundred citiesof the country, and from these cities delivered by train as in formerdays. Of course it was necessary that each city should have its owntype-form, but the size of the paper precluded the possibility ofsending such a vast amount of matter to each place and there putting itin type-form.
The difficulty was overcome by each city having a little 100-pointedinstrument, similar to the one at the main office of the paper,the wires of which were connected to mates to the 100 sympatheticinstruments in the home office; for the special work the needles hadbeen sympathized in 100 sets of 100 needles each.
At 2:45 dial by the time at America, each sub-office had great sheetsof paper saturated with the metallic chemicals used to prepare thehome-form, spread perfectly flat upon copper beds, and the littletraveler in position at the lower left-hand corner of the sheet.
At precisely 3 dial the operator at America touched the key of asympathetic instrument, and the traveler on his sheet of paper passedrapidly down the entire page. At every sub-office the travelerperformed a similar journey, being regulated by a main sympatheticinstrument. When the travelers reached the end of the page, theyautomatically returned to the point of starting, excepting that theymoved the width of the 100 points, or two inches, to the right. Thiswas repeated until every particle of the paper necessary for a wholeedition had been completely passed over.
The principle, as Cobb learned, was this: The home sheet havingmetallic letters, and the copper bed being connected with a battery,whenever a point of the traveler touched a letter a current passed tothe point, thence to the relay, which caused the sympathetic needleto move to the right. At the sub-office, the mate of this needle alsomoved to the right and closed the circuit of the local battery; acurrent then passed down to a point of the traveler--which point was amate to one of the points in the home traveler--and thence through theprepared paper, changing the composition into a fine metallic line.Whenever the points of the home traveler passed off of a metallicletter the current for that particular point or points was broken, asthe paper had been rendered non-conductive after its receipt from thetype-writers.
The result was that each sub-office had an exact copy of the originalform, made up of thousands of little, fine lines, but so closetogether as to form perfect letters. These forms were quickly placedin rapid-acting plating baths, and the top surface, or that side overwhich the traveler passed, plated with aluminum. In thirty minutes theforms were covered by a sheet of metal which held every letter thathad been made in the paper by the electrical change of the chemical,rigidly in position; the letters being formed clear through the paper.The forms were now flattened, and then bent over rollers for the greatrotary presses. The last act in the manipulation of these forms wasthen accomplished by decomposing and removing all the paper which hadnot been transformed into metal. The result of all these operations wasthat a printing cylinder was obtained exactly similar to the one at thehome office. The paper was then printed and distributed as in formertimes.
Cobb studied all these details very carefully, and left theestablishment with feelings of astonishment at the progress made in ahundred years.
"We must have an early breakfast, Junius," said Hugh, that evening,"for we are to take the Tracer across the sea and visit the metropolis."
"The metropolis?" echoed Cobb, with a look of surprise.
"Yes."
"I do not think that I care about going to New York again; not for thepresent, anyway," said the other.
"Well, did I say anything about going to New York?" returned Hugh,carelessly.
"But you spoke of visiting the metropolis."
"So I did."
"There can be but one metropolis in a country."
"True," smiling.
"And that must be New York for this country."
"And that is not New York for this country." This with a decidedemphasis. "I am going to take you to Chicago; to the metropolis of theUnited States; to the greatest city on earth."
He noted the expression of wonder which came over the other's face.
"And do you mean to tell me that Chicago is a greater city than NewYork? Chicago, an inland town, to compete with and excel New York,a sea-port city?" and Cobb shook his head as if he doubted thepossibility of the truth of such an assertion. "Why, you have told methat New York has over four million inhabitants; has Chicago more thanthat number?"
"Yes," returned Hugh; "nearly double that number. By the censusfinished last June, Chicago had, at that date, 7,345,906 souls livingwithin its corporate limits."
"Come, Hugh," pettishly exclaimed Cobb, "that's a little too strong.I remember that it was estimated, in 1887, that Chicago would haveabout 1,500,000 in 1890, and if that estimate was correct, this vastpopulation given by you could never have been obtained through ordinarygrowth."
"Nor was it, Junius. The growth was extraordinary," lightly returnedthe other.
"Humph! So I should say. Why, it is equivalent to a gain of 53,000persons every year since 1890. Such a rapid growth for so many years isan absurdity."
"As you please; have it so. But let me enlighten you a little. In1910 the population of Chicago was 1,800,000--a rapid but fair growthfor a city possessing the surrounding country, energy, resources, andnatural attractions of Chicago. But it was after the year 1916, andfor the next ten years that Chicago, as well as many other towns andcities in the West, received the greatest addition to its population.After the great cataclysm of 1916 the vast numbers of people who weredriven from their homes by the rising of the waters over the doomedarea of the Ohio basin, sought temporary shelter in all the towns andcities surrounding the Central Sea. As time progressed and showed thefuture destruction that would be wrought as the waters rose, the peopleemigrated in great numbers. The mov
ement was westward, only a smallportion going East or to the South. The great cities of Chicago, St.Louis, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Kansas City received vast additions;but of them all, Chicago, being the nearest and largest, gained themost. From a million and three-quarters, in 1910, that city had overfour million in 1930. The rest of her immense population has beengained through natural increase and immigration, being at the rate ofabout 50,000 per year, or less than one and-a-half per cent. increase."
"And Chicago is now the metropolis of the United States," mused Cobb.Then aloud: "Yes, it was to be. The condition and extent of this greatrepublic were factors to cause a westward movement, not only of thecenter of population, but of the location, even, of the metropolis ofthe nation."
"Now, Junius, go to bed and get a good sleep; we will rise early in themorning," said Hugh, rising from his chair.
"All right; anything to keep me interested," returned Cobb. "I musthave excitement. I feel blue and down in the mouth the instant myinterest flags."
"O, pshaw, man! you ought not to feel that way. You'll come around allright in time; you mark my words," and Hugh sauntered off to his room.
It was 17:25 dial the next day, when Cobb and Hugh arrived in Chicago,on the Southern Pneumatic. Taking a drag at the Central Station, theysoon reached and were comfortably domiciled in "The World," the greatand magnificent hotel of the metropolis.
"The World" was but one of the many grand and luxuriously appointedhostelries of that great city, but it was nevertheless the leadingone. The building was situated upon Michigan avenue, facing the LakeFront. Built entirely of metal and glass, it was absolutely fire-proof;its frontage was one mass of ornamentation in all the colors of thespectrum, yet harmoniously blended. There were 3,000 rooms for guests,each provided with bath, telephone, electric light, dumb-waiters, etc.The parlors were upon the eighth floor; while above them, and coveringthe entire block, were magnificent gardens, covered by a glass canopythirty-five feet above the floor.
Here rare flowers bloomed every day in the year, the temperature beinguniform; the immense and lofty roof being made to slide in panels, byelectricity, thus allowing the natural temperature of the outside airto prevail, when sufficiently high not to be detrimental to the plants.At night the grandeur of the scene was superb when lighted by theelectric lamps.
After an hour for their toilet and lunch, Cobb and Hugh passed out andaround the eastern part of the city bordering the lake, and here Cobbobserved the wonderful growth and curious innovations over his time.
Like New York, the city was a double one, over its central portion,appropriate descents being situated at short intervals for passingfrom the upper to the lower streets. The great avenues, such asMichigan, Wabash, State, First, Fifth, and Seventh, were provided withrapid-transit trains, in tunnels crossing the river below its surface,and running south to Five Hundred and Tenth street. Electric surfaceroads were used for cross-transportation, and were similar to thosewhich he had already seen.
The city was divided into four great divisions; or, as they werestyled, zenods. Each zenod had its own post-office, court house,police, city prison, and all the machinery necessary in the operationof a complete city. The zenods were governed by a lieutenant-mayor anda council of fifteen members; the city, as a whole, was governed by amayor and a supreme council of thirty-nine members.
Cobb ascertained from Hugh that it had been found utterly impossibleto properly provide for the welfare and advancement of such a greatpopulation unless the work was divided, and to that end the fourzenods, with their respective municipal corporations, with a supremehead and upper house, had been created.
For three days Cobb and Hugh passed about the great city, the oneobserving and the other explaining the many wonderful things to be seen.
Chicago was indeed a remarkable city, not only in its vast population,quadruple government, extent of territory and unprecedented increase,but in the application of every known adjunct to man's welfare,comfort, and benefit.
Leaving "The Wonderful City" and its vast progress for a future andthorough investigation, the two friends took the 23 dial pneumatic forNiagara.