Iconic move

When Erik and I were in Hays last month, we had dinner at one of the local watering holes. And we ran into a former colleague of mine (names will be omitted to protect the innocent.).

We were told we were in town on the exact same day the presses were being torn out/outside.

So of course we had to go see them.

(For those of you who don't know, the Hays paper is now printed in Salina, and so they have no more need of the presses ... so the presses migrated to Salina).


We arrived to see the above sight.

Total shocker to me.


Some paper stuck to the rolls.


A closer up detail of it.


Serial number.


A detail of the press surface. It was dirty, dirty, dirty. I am not sure what the stuff was ... if it is fine bits of paper. Not sure ....


Inside, this is what we were greeted with.


Close up of one of the presses.


One of the ink holders. Ink well? I thought the wells were beneath the press, but let's call it an ink well here. :)


It looks like it took some serious work to get the presses out of their cement footings.


Sheesh!


The specific brand of the press.


The final tally of papers run. From the last press run.


I'm guessing the calendar on the left shows the last day the presses ran in Hays? And on the right, the other printing jobs usually done by the Hays Daily.


Check out these bolts. Sheesh!


It's so crazy to see the room empty. Devoid of the presses.


I suspect the photo on the right is from when everyone printed American flags post 9-11. Or what was left of the flag from the press.


Serious. Wreckage.


A video of my final walk-through of the pressroom.


Now, the presses have a new home. Closer to my own home.


Another view.


Final photo.

I've yet to see the presses in their new home, but I'll get around to it one day.