[41] The Ramage was so called because it was constructed by Adam
Ramage, who went to Philadelphia about 1790, and is believed to have
been the first press builder in America. For many years he constructed
all the presses used in this country. The posts and cross-pieces of
the larger sizes of his early presses were made of wood, and the bed,
platen, tracks, springs, screw, lever, etc., of iron. The largest
Ramage press I ever saw had a bed 22x32 inches, with platen 16x22
inches. This was used in printing the _Oregonian_ for the first four
months of its life, December, 1850, to April, 1851, and required four
impressions to perfect a paper--an impression for each page. Sixty to
seventy perfect papers per hour was the limit of a pressman's
capacity. During the summer of 1853 a wooden extension was added to
the platen of the press by an Olympia (Wash.) mechanic, thus doubling
its capacity. The extra strain upon the muscles of the pressman as a
result of this enlargement caused the old machine to be dubbed a
"man-killer."--GEORGE H. HIMES.