PLANT OF GATEWAY PUBLISHING CO.
ONE OF LARGEST AND BEST EQUIPPED
IN THE TERRITORY TODAY
Paper Started in 1904 by Frank L. Ballaine and Associates
Has Grown Tremendously Since Its Natal Day—
Commercial Printing, Bookbinding, Embossing
Among Finished Products of Shop
The first issue of the Seward Gate
way was published in 1904, Frank L.
Ballaine, one of the promoters of the
Alaska Central Railroad, and promo
ter of the townsite of Seward, being
the owner of the paper, and a man
named Kemp its first editor. The pa
per at this time was hand set and four
columns, four-pages in size, being
printed on a hand press. News at this
time was confined to the happenings
of the district and such news as might
trickle in from transient visitors and
upon the arrival of steamships or sail
ing vessels in port. There was no
cable at this time, and no telegraphic
communication with the States. Mr.
Kemp edited the Gateway for the Bal
laine interests for some time, being
succeeded by L. F. Shaw for'a short
period, he being followed by E. E.
Ritchie, a rising young lawyer from
Utah, and now United States District
Judge for the Third division. Mr.
Ritchie was a man of great newspaper
ability and held down the position for
a number of years, later removing to
Valdez, where he took over the paper
at that place, later relinquishing the
situation to practice his chosen pro
fession. He was succeeded on the
Gateway by Judson & Stewart, who
ran the paper until Frank J. Cotter
took a chance at it, being succeeded by
Stone and McGrath, in 1913 or 1914.
In 1915 the Post, a rival publication
was started by a man named Sawyer,
who published the paper until it sus
pended and was merged with the
Gateway. Stone and McGrath remain
ed at the head of the Gateway until
it suspended operations, F. B. Kamp,
the poet and globe trotter, taking over
its management as a weekly paper.
I
One of the Gateway’s Job Presses
At this time the paper went into
bankruptcy and was sold to H. V. Ho
ben at marshal’s sale.
After this the old Gateway plant
was purchased by H. G. Steel of Cor
dova, editor of the Cordova Daily
Times, and H. B. Selby, of Valdez, edi
tor and proprietor of the Valdez Miner
and Prospector. These gentlemen
sent over T. J. Selby, as editor, and
4 George Greenlee, as manager, who ran
the paper as a weekly for some time, :
but the citizens demanding a daily,
and the equipment being in bad shape
for this purpose, H. B. Selby purchased
Mr. Steel’s interest, and moved his
large plant from Valdez, selling the
old Gateway plant to a syndicate of
Valdez business men.
At this time the paper was located
in the old Sauers building, and shortly
after the Arcade was built, the equip
ment was moved to the lower floor
of that commodious and comfortable
long fountains, expansion roller trucks
and vibrators, and are the last word
in job presses. The cylinder is run
by a five horsepower Pelton wheel
which also turns the Brown folder,
an intricate machine used for folding,
trimming and pasting the papers. This
folder will handle any class of work
from two 6x9 pages to a seven column
quarto newspaper.
A large bookpress for bookbindery
work, with sewing bench and clamps,
is in one corner of the room, with a
work table conveniently near. Here
the padding, jogging, binding, and
folding are done. A 24-inch Rosback
perforator, Portland punch, with doz
ens of round holes, open hole, oblong
and slit heads, and a power stitcher,
taking from three sheets to an inch
;are found on the other side of the room
! lined up ready to pass the work from
I one to another. The Piper 32-inch rul
! ing machine, the only machine of the
j kind north of Juneau, occupies a posi
I tion between the jobbers and bindery
! machinery. This is used in blank
book and loose leaf work.
Seven large imposition stones are
ranged along the walls with two cabi
nets, cut cabinets, lead and sJug racks,
ftirniture and reglet cabinets, and 70
pounds of labor saving rule are found
convenient to the job stones. A Su
perior saw is on the floor near the
imposing stones, used for trimming
castings, cutting slugs, mitering bor
ders, etc., one of the most convenient
machines in the shop.
The Gateway has 18 fonts of mats
for its linotypes, comprising from five
to 36 point. These big machines art
a revelation in themselves, doing the
work of a large number of men, ex
peditiously and well. Thousands of
THE PRESS USED IN PRINTING THE PROSPERITY EDITION
building. Here additional equipment
was purchased, and today the plant is
one of the finest in the North, having
every available piece of machinery
necessary to issue a live daily and
keep up with the class of commercial
printing required by Alaskans.
About this time Mr. H. V. Hoben
acquired a half interest in’the plant,
and its success was assured.
Two of the latest model Linotype
typesetting machines, a Model 14 and
a Model Eight do the composition for
the paper and the magazines issued
by the plant. A Babcock flatbed press
is used for printing the paper, and a
New Series Chandler & Price 10x15
platen and a 12x18 New Series Chand
ler & Price attend to the commercial
work. These presses are equipped
with Kimball variable speed motors,
THE NEW MODEL EIGHT TYPESETTING MACHINE
pieces of metal are used in their con
struction and so smoothly and effi
ciently do they work that from the
time of their installation they have
never refused to function and have
not tied up the paper an hour. A de
scription of the workings of these ma
chines would only confuse the lay
man, so it is omitted. They take the
typemetal in pigs, melt and deliver
it in bars of type, ready to print from.
Visitors are always welcome in the
Gateway plant, and any of our em
ployes will gladly show visitors about
the place.
The type faces comprise the Chel
j tenham series, Bodoni, Caslons, Old
English, Shaw Text, Copperplate Goth
ics, etc. The Modey 14 has a series of
Lining Gothics for commercial work,
work.
Of course the ordinary office furn
iture, such as desks, safe, Burroughs
adding machine, typewriters, etc., are
to be found in the plant.
The personnel of the paper includes
H. V. Hoben and H. B. Selby, proprie
tors and managers, T. J. Selby, assis
tant manager and foreman, Wm. Wolf
gram, machine man and compositor,
E. F.i Jessen, advertising manager and
reporter; Miss Rasmusen, collec
tor and solicitor, and one devil and
four carriers and sellers. In all the
Gateway employs nine persons, mak
ing a considerable payroll for the
town.
The town of Seward is one of the
best newspaper fields in Alaska, as
is evidenced by this edition. Consid
erable advertising was turned down
from Anchorage and westward towns,
as it was desired to make this a purely
Seward and vicinity issue.
With the limited amount of help at
hand, and the many drawbacks from
being so far from our source of sup
plies we believe that you will agree
with us that it is one of the best edi
tions ever issued in Alaska, and one
that only a plant like the Gateway
could issue, and handle an eight-page
daily paper and a considerable amount
of commercial work at the same time.
Whatever the merits of this issue
the merchants of Seward, and not
the Gateway, are responsible for the
credit.
THE LATEST WORD IN TYPESETTING MACHINERY
AERONAUTICS
IN ALASKA
By JAMES C. LANGLEY
Airships and airplane lines have
made rapid strides the past year in
every part of Alaska. Seward was
*a port of the round the world fly
ers, and of other airplanes prospect
ing the coast as far as Bristol Bay.
Anchorage has a land field that is a
credit to that progressive inlet city,
and Fairbanks has an operating com
mercial service with one Fokker
and two smaller machines, rendering
a very satisfactory service inland.
Fail-banks is also the northern base
of the Alaska Airship Company, an
organization of prominent Alaskans
favorable to the Dirigible airship.
Seward is the southern base of this
organization whose principal plans
are laid from Anchorage where the
general office is located.
| and has already prepared a splendid
| landing field suitable for all kind of
| aircraft. A mooring must is con
templated at Nome to be completed
in time for the arrival of the great
j dirigible. Fairbanks also is quietly ar
| ranging a mooring mast for dirigibles
I and but for the fact that previous ef
| forts of Capt. Amundsen had been
intimately related with Nome, the
coming over the top next spring would
be to Fairbanks, which is consider
able nearer to the pole and to the
corresponding meridian from which
the ship takes off on the other side.
However, an invitation has already
been forwarded Capt. Amundsen and
Col. Nobile and their distinguished
crew, which includes Lincoln Ells
worth, the American, and Dietrichsen
and other members of Capt. Amund
sen’s airplane effort of the spring
of 1925. There will also be a num
ber of Danish and Norwegian scien
tists. All are expected to call at
Fairbanks if mast is provided in time
and it is planned to either deflate
the giant dirigible and send it to
the United States or it may be flown
there after the official land
ing at Nome depending en
tirely upon arrrangements as
yet uncompleted.
WORLD FLIGHT TO
START FROM ROME
The trip officially starts at
Rome; the first stage of the
trip, Rome t.o Havre, France,
is followed by mooring to the
mast at Pelham, England. In
early spring the ship will pro
ceed to Norway where the
ceremony of rechristening is
to take place, after which the
dirigible Norge will moor to
he mast at Spitzbergen. From
here it will take off on its
Airships are peculiarly adapted to
Alaskan conditions, being able to
stand in the air in fog and to slow
speed landings. Capt. Amundsen has
always said that Dirigibles would car
ry over the pole, and the world is
looking forward to the Rome to Nome
iirigible airship trip of the coming
May. Twenty passengers, including
3apt. Amundsen and Co., Nodile, de
signer and contractor of the ship,
svhich is known as the Type N will
leave Spitzbergen for Nome about
May 29, next. This ship will be re
aamed the “Norge” and the trip is
sponsored by the Norwegian Govern
ment who have great confidence in
2apt. Roald Amundsen and have sup
ported his previous undertakings.
Nome is therefore in position to
velcome the first dirigible airship
1660 mile trip to Nome, expected to
make the journey in 46 hours spend
ing five or six hours in the vicinity
of the pole and landing there if con
ditions justify. Captain Amundsen
contends that there is land as yet
undiscovered at or near the location
of the magnetic pole, but at any
rate he expects to open up a new
and practical airway from European
countries to Alaska.
The engine gondolas are built to
withstand whatever temperature ex
perienced and with continuous day
light facilities a very great deal is
expected to result from the undertak
ing.
Alaska will be developed and will
support a population of many mill
ions, when airships reach every im
portant part of this vast Territory.