Press identified as Leverless Monona

Editor: 

I paid a brief visit to the office of The Creemore Echo in the company of local historian, Chris Raible. During our visit I became interested in the posted photo of The Creemore Star office of bygone days, and was trying to identify the equipment in the photo. The Washington press in the front left of the photo was easy enough; but, the cylinder press hidden just behind it and the male figure was more challenging. Realizing that it must be a “travelling cylinder” (as opposed to a fixed cylinder, travelling bed press), I speculated out loud that it might be a Leverless Monona, a proposal that seemed to spark some amusement.

Well, I was right (more luck than anything). So, I thought you might want to know that the Leverless Monona was a relatively inexpensive newspaper press, designed in the 1890s for the weekly newspaper market as an improved successor to the Prouty “Grasshopper” press of the 1880s. The Prouty company came out with a series of lightweight, inexpensive travelling cylinder presses, but they were manufactured in Madison, Wisc. by W.G. Walker & Co. However, Leverless  Monona’s were also manufactured for the Canadian market by a Toronto company, Westman & Baker, Makers.

Stephen Sword,

Stouffville.