The lead was held there an instant to harden, then another lever automatically removed the solid line of type from its place in front of the matrixes, a long arm swooped down, took the brass pieces and returned them to an endless screw arrangement which distributed them, each one to its proper place, in the series of chutes that held hundreds of others.

Everything was done automatically after the compositor had touched the keys and then the lever, so that he was almost finished with the second line of the story by the time the matrixes of the first were being returned to their slots by the machine, which seemed almost human.

Thus Larry’s story was set up.  In all, five men worked at putting it into type, and finally the five sections were collected together on a “galley” or long narrow brass pan.  A proof was taken and rushed down to Mr. Emberg so that he might see it was all right, but by this time, some typographical errors in the story having been corrected, men were placing it in the “form” or steel frame which holds enough type to make a page of the paper.  This was soon in readiness for the stereotyping department.

Larry had not finished the third page of his story before the first two were in type.  He hurried through it, and by the time he had handed in the last sheet there were men upstairs waiting for it, so quickly is the mechanical part of newspaper making accomplished.

Finally the story was all in type, the lead lines were in the form, and, when the latter was filled it was “locked,” or tightly fastened, and was ready for the men who were to take an impression of the page in damp papier-mache.

This papier-mache, which is also called a matrix, was baked hard by steam, put in a curved cylinder, melted lead was poured on it and there was a solid metal page of the paper ready for the great press, which was soon thundering away, printing thousands of papers, each one containing, on the front page, Larry’s account of the interview with Sullivan.

Of course many things had been going on meanwhile.  Mr. Emberg had written a “scare head,” as they are called, that is a head to be printed in big letters, and this had been set up by men working by hand.  This was put on the story after it was in the form.

“Guess Newton is having trouble finding Potter,” commented the city editor, when he had finished with Larry’s copy.  “If we don’t hear from him in five minutes we’ll miss the edition.”

The five minutes passed, and no word came from Harvey Newton.  The building shook as the giant press started, and Mr. Emberg, shutting up his watch with a snap, remarked: 

“Too late!  Well, maybe he’ll catch him for the second.”

It is often the case that only part of a story gets in the first edition of a paper.  So many circumstances govern the getting of news, and the sending of it into the office, that unless a story is obtained, complete, early in the morning it is necessary to make additions to it from edition to edition in the case of an afternoon paper.