The story of the Sun, New York: 1833-1928 / by Frank M. O'Brien ; with an introduction by Edward Page Mitchell ...

"THE SUN" DURING THE CIVIL WAR 139
printed in one column by deftly standing the gallant ironclads on their sterns.
It was in this summer that Beach reduced expenses
and speeded up the issue of the paper by adopting the
stereotyping process, one of the greatest advances in
newspaper history:
About a week ago we commenced printing the Sun
by a new process-that of stereotyping and printing
with two presses. We are much gratified to-day in
being able to say that the process has proved eminently successful. From this time forth we may expect to present a clean face to our many readers every
day. We have completed one stereotype within
seventeen minutes and a quarter, and two within
nineteen minutes and a half.
That was rapid work for 1862, but the stereotypers
of the present day will take a form from the composing
room, make the papier-mache impression, pour in the
molten metal, and have the curved plate ready for the
press in four and one-half minutes.
The new process saved Beach a lot of money as well
as much precious time. Before its coming, when the
paper was printed directly from the face of the type,
the Sun had to buy a full new set of type six or eight times
a year, at an annual cost of six thousand dollars.
The war played havoc with newspaper finances. The
price of newsprint paper rose to twenty-four cents a
pound. All the morning papers except the Sun raised
their prices to three or four cents in 1862. The Sun
stayed at its old penny.
On January 1, 1863, in order to meet advancing costs