Page:History of Oregon Newspapers.pdf/147

138 in the newly formed state editorial association in October of that year.

When Hendricks and Saubert became owners of the paper in 1884, they were young and enterprising. One of their early expressions of their faith in the future was the installation in 1893 of the second and third linotypes ever used in Oregon; the first was set up in the office of the Morning Astorian the year before. The Oregonian had not as yet adopted the machines, and there were still a great many printers who predicted that the new invention would never be really practical and economical. Mr. Hendricks went to Astoria and saw No. 578 in operation. He returned and immediately ordered two. The machines were shipped from the factory in Brooklyn, N. Y., March 31, 1893. The Astoria lino had been sent from the factory the previous August 15, and the eight installed by the Oregonian left the factory May 11, 1894. This was additional evidence of what was in store for the typesetting vocation; hand composition was rap idly ushered out after the Oregonian's move.

One of the two linotypes purchased by the Statesman in 1893 remained in service for 30 years, until August 1923, making its service approximately equal to that of Astoria's No. 578, which was in use from September 1892 to November 1922. Operators estimate (28) that the old Salem machine yielded nearly 1,800,000 column inches of news matter, almost 30 miles, one column wide.

The Statesman came down the years, most of the time under Mr. Hendricks' direction, until 1928, when he retired. He and his part ner, Carle Abrams, sold out, and the paper was placed under the direction of Earl C. Brownlee, late of the Washington County News-Times at Forest Grove, and Sheldon F. Sackett, who had been named on the All-American Country Weekly Eleven in recognition of his exceptionally competent handling of the McMinnville Telephone Register. Mr. Hendricks has since continued on the paper, either as editorial writer or as director of the comment column "Bits for Breakfast," paralleling the competitor's "Sips for Supper." Mr. Hendricks throughout his newspaper career of more than half a century, has had a keen interest in Oregon history, has written much on the subject, including Bethel and Aurora, the history of the settlement of Aurora, Oregon—which work has been read with interest by throngs of Oregon history fans. Mr. Abrams on his retirement had been connected with the Statesman for more than 25 years in a variety of capacities.

Mr. Brownlee soon retired from the partnership and removed to California, and Charles A. Sprague, Illinois native, former school teacher and former country editor in Washington, who for the last four years had been associated with Claude E. Ingalls and Myron K. Myers in the direction of the Corvallis Gazette-Times, purchased an interest. He later obtained the controlling interest in the States-