Old Advertiser presses churn out last paper
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| Retiring press operator Gerald Gambol and retiring pressman Richard Cho check today's edition of The Honolulu Advertiser, the last to come off the paper's old press at 605 Kapi'olani Blvd. Monday's Advertiser will be published at it's new $82 million press facility in Kapolei.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser |
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer
As he had done thousands of times before, Bill Hayselden showed up early last night to set up the old Goss printing press "reel stations" — stalls that accommodate enormous rolls of newsprint, each of which weighs about as much as a small car.
Photos by Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
"I'll miss this job," said Hayselden, 65, The Honolulu Advertiser's senior pressman, as the smell of printer's ink permeated the pressroom. Of the 18-person press crew that worked last night, fully half would retire at the finish of this morning's press run.
Henry Lui, floor manager, checks the quality of the newspaper at the start of a run. Lui began as a pressman in 1965, but now, he says, it's time to call it quits. Lui plans to spend his time traveling, visiting family and getting "back on the golf course again."
"When it's over we'll shut 'er down and that'll be it."
Henry Lui | Floor manager
The five other retiring pressmen who weren't scheduled showed up anyhow for one last goodbye.
"The thing is, I'm comfortable with the guys I've worked with here," Hayselden said. "We've had fun with it."
The moment also marked the last edition of The Honolulu Advertiser that would be printed at the paper's main building at 605 Kapiolani Blvd., where — with a couple of notable exceptions — the presses have rolled daily since the building opened in February of 1930.
From here on the paper will be printed entirely at The Advertiser's new $82 million printing and distribution facility in Kapolei.
The final downtown press run was facilitated by some of the same pressmen who were around at the time the paper's then-new Goss press and print annex were dedicated 40 years ago.
"We work as a team," said Eddie Reyes, who was calling it quits after 40 years. "Everybody has their job to do. The worst part is when the press breaks down and you've got to fix it. Best part is when you get the job done on time and get the sheet on the street."
One member of the team, who had been scheduled to retire this morning, was noticeably absent: Clinton Yama-guchi, 59, died on July 31 following an illness.
"He was supposed to be here with us tonight," Reyes said. "We buried him on Friday."
"It's heartbreaking," added David Kim, who retired on June 1 after 45 years. "Clinton was looking forward to retirement maybe more than anyone else. He'd been talking about it for 20 years."
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Honolulu Advertiser pressmen, draped in lei, held a moment of silence last night to honor Clinton Yasuo Yamaguchi, who died July 31. Yamaguchi had planned to retire today after working for almost 40 years on the old presses.
"Clinton was looking forward to retirement maybe more than anyone else. He'd been talking about it for 20 years."
David Kim | Retired pressman
Yamaguchi started with the company a year after the Goss press went in. Except for a single day when the workers were locked out due to a wire service strike, that Goss press, along with a similar eight-unit Hoe press installed in 1968, operated seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.
In 44 years with the paper, Hayselden had worked every pressman position there is. He spoke of the Goss the way a sailor talks about his ship.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
It was brash and fearless in the beginning, he said. In its latter years it had slowed down, become temperamental and wasn't able to do the things it once could — such as print 70,000 papers in an hour. That feat it only pulled off maybe three times in its prime on occasions when the paper was running late, according to Hayselden.
From now on, The Honolulu Advertiser will be printed out of the new $82 million Kapolei Printing and Distribution Facility at 4545 Kapolei Parkway. The facility holds twin, seven-story printing presses.
"It's like an old friend," he said. "I know every characteristic of this press."
Others, though, relished the idea of retirement.
Outgoing pressman Mike Cadiente said he was looking forward to taking it easy.
"I'll miss the guys," said Cadiente, 62, who has been a pressman since 1968. "You work with the same people for 36 years, sure, you're going to miss them. We're all buddies."
"I'll travel a little," added night supervisor Henry Lui, who began as a pressman in 1965 and taught Cadiente the ink stained drill. "I'll visit my granddaughter and my two sons. And, I'll have time to get back on the golf course again."
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
After four decades the Goss had had its day, Lui said. It was time for the both of them to call it a day.
Bill Hayselden, 65, The Advertiser's senior pressman, was one of several workers who retired at the finish of this morning's press run.
In those four decades a truly mind-bending amount of newsprint has moved through the paper's aging presses.
Allowing for changes in circulation over the years, Bill Bogert, vice president of production, calculated that enough newsprint has gone through the presses to stretch from the Advertiser building to the moon and back a dozen times.
Before the last run began, dozens of fellow pressmen, family, friends and members of The Advertiser staff and management, gathered around the old presses for a send off.
The Advertiser's president and publisher, Michael Fisch, said he personally wanted to thank the retiring pressmen for their combined total of 587 years of service to the company.
Following a celebration filled with laughter, tears and hugs, the visitors began to disburse and the crew went to work. Around midnight, the presses began to roll.
Advertiser library photo • Dec. 2, 1964
For 40 years, huge rolls of newsprint were used to feed the two-story-high Goss press in The Honolulu Advertiser Building on Kapi'olani Boulevard.
The old-timers figured the run would be over between 2:30 and 3 a.m. But they figured wrong. Things were difficult all night — the plate machine malfunctioned. The Goss press shut down several times and had to be operated at a slower speed. The Hoe press broke down completely and took more than an hour to get it operational again.
Most of the pressmen took the extra aggravation in good spirits.
“We’re going to hang up a sign: ‘For Sale, high mileage, best offer,” quipped Eric Nickelsen.
The Advertiser’s downtown press tradition finally wound to a conclusion today at 4:30 a.m. Word from the mail room reached the pressroom floor manager: Enough papers had been printed; stop the presses.
At that point Lui entered what’s known as the panel room and flipped 17 yellow switches that shut down the old Hoe press. He did the same with a cluster of buttons connected to the Goss press. With that, the presses fell silent and there was nothing left to do but scrub up, say so long and leave the building.
As Lui put it at the start of the run, “When it’s over we’ll shut ’er down and that’ll be it.”
For some old-timers, that could take some getting used to.
“I’m sure it’ll be awhile before it sinks in that it’s actually ended,” Hayselden said. “Even my wife is telling me, ‘You better not get up and get in the car and go to work after this.’ ”
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