The partners in the invention were now in great hopes.
When the machine had been got ready for work, the proprietors of
several of the leading London newspapers were invited to witness
its performances. Amongst them were Mr. Perry of the Morning
chronicle, and Mr. Walter of The Times. Mr. Perry would have
nothing to do with the machine; he would not even go to see it,
for he regarded it as a gimcrack.[5] On the contrary, Mr.
Walter, though he had five years before declined to enter into
any arrangement with Bensley, now that he heard the machine was
finished, and at work, decided to go and inspect it. It was
thoroughly characteristic of the business spirit of the man. He
had been very anxious to apply increased mechanical power to the
printing of his newspaper. He had consulted Isambard Brunel--one
of the cleverest inventors of the day--on the subject; but
Brunel, after studying the subject, and labouring over a variety
of plans, finally gave it up. He had next tried Thomas Martyn,
an ingenious young compositor, who had a scheme for a self-acting
machine for working the printing press. But, although Mr. Walter
supplied him with the necessary funds, his scheme never came to
anything. Now, therefore, was the chance for Koenig!
After carefully examining the machine at work, Mr. Walter was at
once satisfied as to the great value of the invention.
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