Search This Blog

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Ode to Typewriter; of Typing Institutes.... and Austin Burt....

Do you know or heard of William Austin Burt, an American inventor, legislator, surveyor and more… who invented the first workable solar compass… more of him because he turned our lives…..

This morning received an e-mail which had spelling mistakes, not properly formatted and not at all in a presentable format…. More than exhibiting how people are indifferent….. it took me few decades back… when Godrej, Facit, Remington and Underwood were household names and when Tripicane streets were dotted with Srinivas, Padmavathi, Sarathi, Shivish Halda, Ganesh ………… and more …. .. ..the learning courses were usually of an hour duration… the last 10 minutes, if you are to enter the hall, you might be frightened with the silence that precedes typical sound – keyboards pressed, cylinders moving, carriages returned,  occasional paper change… people with total concentration seeing printed matter placed on their side and deftly moving their fingers.


It was the backbone of every office; you can see them sitting in front of Courts; Registrar offices ~ and all important places where documents were the key…. From marriage certificates – to divorces; property registration and every other service were documented neatly…. Mostly without mistakes by lowly paid people.  In case you are wondering what this is all about… it is typewriters, typists and typewriting institutes…


I learnt Typewriting at ‘Srinivas College of Commerce’, ~ 27 Car Street, Triplicane, Chennai 600005  and later honed my ‘Shorthand skills’ also there.  This Institution shaped the career of many Triplicaniites and ensured livelihood to many more… really great service by Mr MA Srinivasan and the batch of vivacious tutors who raised the confidence level of the youngsters that they sure would get a good job.  In early 1980s it bustled with activity ~ institutes would open at 6 am and would close by 9 pm with break from 12 noon to 4 pm….. at Srinivas there were 70 odd typewriters and in every batch there would be so many girls and boys……….. at street corners some groups would stand waiting to watch those going to typewriting institutes with couple of sheets rolled in their hands… and inside the institutes also developed the love-stories of some…

It was not meant to be place of romance, though it provided much for many……. Imagine adolescent girls and boys mingling at a place at a time when you had less of TV entertainment and practically no social media…. The typewriting Institutes provided regular stream of typists to all offices – be it small or big……. In fact Srinivas Institute was an ‘Employment Exchange’ by itself…. … the students upon graduation would sure get a job in one of the offices – would become close to indispensable – remember those days were the days of typed correspondence – letters – interoffice memos; invoices and more all got typed and were being dispatched by post…  once they were to leave for better pastures, their office would seek for a replacement – they would come to the typewriting institutes where they learnt the skills, pick up a smart upcoming person, take them to their office as a replacement…………..

and the cycle would go on.. providing employment opportunities for hundreds regularly….. life was so sweet and uncomplicated.  Parrys Corner housed thousands of offices and in each office there would be so many clerks, typists and stenographers – all typing documents speedily without mistakes…………..

There were many good typists who could churn out error-free documents – neatly typed on a typewriter ; remember typewriter has no correcting mechanism and a mistake made would remain to be seen by all….. yet there were quality typists who could type big statements- multi-pages, which would then be pasted together … quite an achievement indeed. 

William Austin Burt (1792 – 1858) was an  American inventor, legislator, surveyor, and millwright. He was the inventor, maker and patentee of the first typewriter constructed in America.  Burt also invented the first workable solar compass, a solar use surveying instrument, and theequatorial sextant, a precision navigational aid to determine with one observation the location of a ship at sea.   Burt  had a troubled childhood living in poverty.   His typographer of 1829 is considered a precursor to the modern day typewriter. 

Austin Burt, the great grandson of the inventor, built a working model for the 1893 Chicago's World's Fair working from a parchment copy of the original patent (No. 5581X). The replica built by Austin was returned to the model room of the Patent Office in Washington D.C. when the Chicago's World's Fair closed. There it remained until 1903 when the Patent Office model room was closed. The "typographer" was then shipped in 1903 to Hiram A. Burt of Marquette, Michigan. Burt searched far and wide for an appropriate name for his invention, but reluctantly settled with "typographer" which ultimately became "typewriter." It consisted of a wooden box and at one end there was a swinging lever for impressing. The typeface letters were mounted on a short sector attached on the underside of the lever. Pressing down with pressure imprinted the letter selected on the paper. When a page was full it was torn off like a paper towel, as the paper was on a large continuous roll. One could print both upper and lower case letters.

The first writing machine Burt built did not live up to his expectation, so there came improved versions which still were not up to the mark. The improvements were mostly in looks and appearance for marketing the machine to investors. While Burt's typographer generated a lot of interest and did a very good job of typing clear and neat letters it did not become a commercial success. The typographer was "born out of season" and was before its time, so no market was found for his typewriter or the patent in his lifetime.  Those days, it was ridiculed for being slower than writing by hand……….. 

This great invention rose to become one of the most indispensable tools of documentation and paved way for employment opportunities and for many other ancillary industries as – typewriter ribbon manufacturing; carbon papers for taking more copies, typewriter mechanics, cleaners  etc.,  ‘good things too come to an end’….  Quoting Alfred Lord Tennyson in Morte D’ Arthur ………. “old order changeth yielding place to new And God fulfills himself in many ways; Lest one good custom should corrupt the world” …… what was the backbone of all offices slowly started losing its sheen and significance in the late 1980s and later with electronic typewriters, word processors and then computers … in the age of templates and e-documents, the relevance and significance of typewriters will never be understood and it has now faded into oblivion….

The makers of typewriters also are no longer in business… due to falling sales, IBM sold its typewriter division in 1990 to Lexmark, completely exiting from a market it once dominated. As of 2009, typewriters were still used by some government agencies in the US. In November 2012, Brother's UK factory manufactured what it claimed to be the last typewriter ever made in the UK; the typewriter was donated to the London Science Museum.

In India, Godrej reportedly stopped production in 2009 ~ the last pieces were sold around Rs.12000/- approx…. When the company started making typewriters, the whole nation considered it the first step to an industrialised India. During its golden age in the 1990s, the company used to produce 50,000 machines every year, while the total output in India was about 150,000. When the company started its operations in the 1950s, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru mentioned typewriters as a symbol of independent and industrialised India. Once Godrej stopped its production in 2009, its typewriter plant at Shirwal, in Pune, morphed into a refrigerator manufacturing unit.  In its hey days,  Godrej exported typewriters to Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Angola, Mozambique and Morocco. Interestingly, the market for used typewriters remains vibrant…. 


The increasing dominance of personal computers, desktop publishing, the introduction of low-cost, truly high-quality, laser and inkjet printer technologies, and the pervasive use of web publishing, e-mail and other electronic communication techniques have killed that old useful machine used by millions ~ typewriter is almost ‘no more’ – though I could see a batch of young people at Srinivas Institute kindling my memories of days 3 decades ago when I was among the sprightly youngsters with papers on hand and dream in mind…. !!!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
23rd July 2013


22 comments:

  1. Hеy ωould you mind ѕtаting whiсh blog
    platfoгm you're working with? I'm plannіng tο start my
    own blog in the neaг futuгe but Ι'm having a hard time making a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I'm looking for somеthing unique.

    P.S Aρologieѕ for getting off-topic
    but I had to ask!

    Vіѕit my web site; garcinia cambogia extract

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very interesting... bringing back the days when i walked on the streets holding rolled paper on hand - Padma

    ReplyDelete
  3. Typewriting institutes do not only bring out memories of typing...more of the blossoming love stories of yesteryears - Alamelu

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes Institutes in Triplicane - Srinivas was famous... you have left our Stenographers Guild.. Ananth

    ReplyDelete
  5. hi!,I really like your writing very a lot! percentage we communicate extra
    about your post on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to resolve my problem.
    May be that's you! Having a look ahead to look you.

    Also visit my blog Garcinia Total Diets

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is a very good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.
    Simple but very accurate information… Many thanks for sharing this one.
    A must read article!

    Here is my web blog ... Garcinia Cambogia Extract

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm really enjoying the design and layout of your blog.
    It's a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to
    come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme?

    Great work!

    Here is my web blog: Earn Money From Home

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say
    that I have truly enjoyed browsing your blog
    posts. After all I'll be subscribing to your feed
    and I hope you write again soon!

    Also visit my homepage - Web Fortune Master

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am extremely impressed with your writing abilities and also with the layout for your blog.
    Is that this a paid subject matter or did you customize it yourself?
    Either way keep up the nice high quality writing, it's uncommon to
    see a great blog like this one these days..

    Stop by my web blog xtrasize

    ReplyDelete
  10. I enjoy what you guys tend to be up too. Such clever work and
    exposure! Keep up the good works guys I've added you guys to my
    personal blogroll.

    Feel free to visit my homepage; xtrasize

    ReplyDelete
  11. I wanted to write down a quick note in order to thank you
    for some of the superb concepts you are showing
    on this website. My time-consuming internet research has finally been honored with reliable content to share with my co-workers.

    I would tell you that many of us website visitors actually are unequivocally fortunate to exist in a superb website with many marvellous
    individuals with interesting secrets. I feel extremely lucky to have encountered your web
    pages and look forward to tons of more cool minutes reading here.

    Thank you once again for a lot of things.

    Feel free to visit my blog post - funny pics with captions ()

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is very interesting, You're a very skilled blogger.
    I've joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your magnificent post.
    Also, I have shared your site in my social networks!

    Here is my weblog; ナイキ フリー

    ReplyDelete
  13. It's going to be a pawg zone nude model, and there's
    nothing stopping her now.

    My webpage :: big asses live free

    ReplyDelete
  14. What's up to every one, the contents present at this site are really amazing for people knowledge, well, keep
    up the nice work fellows.

    Also visit my blog Viarex Cream (http://www.asctkorea.com/)

    ReplyDelete
  15. bookmarked!!, I really like your website!

    Feel free to visit my webpage: Flawless raspberry ketones

    ReplyDelete
  16. It’s now “one-stop droρ-οff” rеcyсling like neѵer before in the Downtown Μοdesto cоmρany.


    The City оf Mοԁеsto pіoneeгeԁ curbside recycling іn
    1972! The 'Two Can' reсycling rogram allоws thе cοmplete group to pаrticipate in recycling and has sеrved Modesto fulfill statе nеeԁs bу
    rеԁucing thе city’s waste ѕtrеam in half.
    With your suρport, Mοdeѕto will contіnue steаdily
    to move forωard tоωardѕ new andd bigger гecycling tаrgets!

    cen cal ewaste center recycler
    Whether you've aged bοom bохes or desktop ρcs or broken
    teleνisions, we aгe able to take if off both hands fаst anԁ at a
    minimal chагge. We’re fully licensed thrοugh the duratіon
    of Calіfoгniа to gаther and ԁelete E-Waste and we’re celebrating our fifth-yеar wіthin the Modеsto ѕpοt.


    Тhe Βusiness stays the lοng-tіme Central Ϲalifornia ѕcrap recycling market leader, ѕpendіng the region’s top chargеs for ferrous (iron-bаѕeԁ) and nonferrous (non-irοn baseԁ; i.e.
    aluminum, brass, coρper, chrome steel) sсrаp metals anԁ California Refund Vаlue (СRV) aluminum сans.


    All Greеn Electronics Recycling may sell any dіgital camerа.
    Agenda a collection or find a droр-off lοcation, but what you
    may do, don’t throw yοuг eleсtronics insidе the garbagе cаn!
    Electrοnic gеar iѕ very poisоnοus foг
    the setting, and ωhatѕoеver Green Εlectгonics Recycling wе guaгantee your еlectronic devices ωon't
    rеach any lаndfill, incluԁing thosе based оverseas.

    ewaste stanislaus property management modesto ca
    Together with the supplement of e-waste, Thhe Oгganizatіon is currentlу inveѕting in items which contain ѕcrеens four іnches (4?) in size or largеr, anԁ reсeiving leftover non-hazarԁouѕ automated іtems
    alѕo.

    When electronісs become obsolete it’ѕ easy tο allow thgem
    accumulate аround уοur housе or a worκplace becаusе,
    often times, гegime trаsh pick
    up servісes need unique ρackaging oг don’t pick up electronics іn any reѕρect.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Needed to write you this little observation just to give
    thanks as before for your personal awesome pointers you have documented above.
    It has been certainly extremely generous with you in giving easily just what many of
    us would've offered for sale for an e-book in making some cash for themselves,
    most notably since you might have done it in the event
    you desired. The advice as well acted to become fantastic way to be aware that many people have a similar interest much like my very own to
    see lots more with regards to this matter. I'm certain there
    are lots of more fun instances up front for people who scan your blog post.



    Feel free to surf to my web blog :: psychotherapy schools

    ReplyDelete
  18. Why users still make use of to read news papers when in
    this technological world everything is available on web?


    Here is my web blog extrasize

    ReplyDelete
  19. If you think you're not skilled enough to crochet anything but a simple pattern, the 6 close-up pictures and detailed instructions will soon have you
    strutting around, proud as a peacock. When dating using an internet dating site,
    it is not unusual to start a lengthy email relationship with someone who
    lives or works a fair distance away from you. The videos and pics are also fantastic
    should you do not feel like sex chat, but you want to fool around with your girlfriend and
    attempt some new points. This software can start your webcam without your knowledge,
    possibly capturing images of you in compromising situation(s) and broadcasting it worldwide.


    My homepage :: international removals

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hello! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a
    team of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same
    niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on.
    You have done a marvellous job!

    Here is my website: xtrasize (www.penis-forstoring.eu)

    ReplyDelete
  21. If you desire to increase your knowledge only keep visiting this web page and be updated with the latest information posted
    here.

    my homepage; megapolis cheats

    ReplyDelete
  22. Everything is very open with a clear explanation of the challenges.
    It was really informative. Your site is useful.

    Thanks for sharing!

    my blog post - clash of clans triche

    ReplyDelete