metal, often give distinct advantage in the ease with
which they may be handled.

[A] In many composing-rooms the fractions and commercial signs
are not now kept in the regular cases, but in special cases apart from
the font.

_Structure of Type Cases_

Type cases are made of wood thoroughly seasoned to prevent as much as
possible any shrinking after they are finished and have remained for
some time in the usually dry air of a composing room. It is not so
common a custom now, as it was formerly, to sponge type on the galley
before distributing and to allow the surplus water to flow into the
case, thus subjecting parts of the case to excessive dampness. The old
type cases, under such careless usage, were quickly warped and cracked.
The splitting of the bottom and the separation of the partitions allowed
small types to drop out and to shift under the partitions. These defects
were partially overcome by papering the bottoms of the boxes, the
proper accomplishment of which was at one time considered a part of the
compositor's duty.

The modern American type case is better made than its predecessors,
being so far superior in several essential particulars as to be a
distinct achievement in factory woodwork. A type case, with 49 to 100 or
more small boxes, is not a simple thing to make by hand labor. While the
making of the outside frame and the bottom involve no special
difficulties, the box partitions and their proper fastening to each
other and to the bottom of the case require patience and skill. Only a
highly developed system of specialization could provide the cases of
today at the prevailing cost.

[Illustration: Fig. 3. Section Showing Triple-Veneer Bottom of Case.]

The bottom of the old-time case warped and split easily because it was
made of a single thin board. The modern case has a bottom made of
three-ply wood, the middle layer having the grain across that of the
other two. (Fig. 3.) These three layers are thoroughly glued together
and the upper side is smoothly covered with a strong paper before the
partitions are fastened to the bottom. The common styles of case have a
strong bar of the same thickness as the outside frame across the middle.
In several styles there are two or even more crossbars. These crossbars
serve not only to divide the main sections of boxes, but they also act
as strong braces to which the bottoms are fastened, giving greater
rigidity to the entire case.

[Illustration: Fig. 4.