SAM E. VAIL.     Sam. E. Vail, of Coshocton, was one of the promoters and is the president of The Vail Company, his associate officers being:  J. B. Ballou, secretary and treasurer, with offices in New York city; R. S. Thompson, assistant secretary and superintendent, who with W. A. Himbaugh and E. O. Selby constitute the board of directors.  Mr. Vail was born in Findlay, Ohio, May 3, 1863, and has been a resident of this state all his life.  At the age of fifteen years he entered a newspaper office as a printer's "devil" and has been constantly engaged in the same branch of the newspaper or printing business, either in the mechanical, business or editorial departments, to the present time.  He is married and has one son, Merl D., now associated with him in the Vail Company.
     The Vail Company is one of the newer industries of Coshocton, having moved its plant to this city from Cleveland on May 1, 1905.  Its line is a specialized industry, it being the only concern in the county engaged exclusively in machine book composition and electroplating.  The company was attracted to Coshocton because of its location, being central to trade in the territory lying east of the Mississippi river; because of its fine freight, express and mail facilities; because of its cheap gas and electric power, its excellent banks, the progressive spirit of its citizens, and its general advantages as a place of residence for intelligent and expert workmen.  The move has more than met every expectation of the company.
     In the old days books were put into type by hand with movable and individual types, and a very slow and expensive method, but the only one, however, till Ott Mergenthaler perfected the linotype machine some fifteen years ago.  Now, not only nearly all of the typesetting for books, but practically all of the typesetting for newspapers is performed upon this machine, one operator of which will turn out as much matter ready for the press as can a half dozen hand compositors in the old way.
     This company's typesetting is done on the linotype machines, and instead of individual types, the product as it comes from the machine is a solid line of type, - hence the name "lin-o-type."  The setting of this type, or lines of type, constitutes one department of the company's business, the other department being the electrotype foundry.  After the type is proofread, and corrected, it is made into forms identical in size with the book page to be printed.  These forms are then sent to the foundry and from them a mold is taken. From this mold a thin copper shell is cast by an electric process.  This shell is backed up with metal to a thickness of about a twelfth of an inch, and when properly finished is called a book plate.  It is the book plate which constitutes the product of the Vail Company, and which it furnishes its customers, who complete the manufacture of the book in the ordinary way by printing and binding.
     The company's progress since its removal to Coshocton has been marked.  Its business for 1907 was fifty per cent greater than that of 1905, and the year 1908 exceeded 1907 by about twenty-five per cent.  Its trade is not restricted to any one section of the United States, its business coming from all sections between San Francisco and Boston, Little Rock and Minneapolis.  Some of its product is manufactured into books in England and even Spanish school text-book plates have gone to Porto Rico.  Its customers consist of the larger and best known publishers of the United States, the names of whom are familiar household words to the owners of every library of books.
     The character of books taken on by this company is varied, including cyclopedias and similar reference works, school text-books, law text-books, religious books, standard subscription books, novels and in fact library books of every description.  The Coshocton Library, as well as the local book sellers, have on their shelves many volumes of books, the composition and plates for which are made by The Vail Company.
     The company occupies a brick and stone building on South Fifth street, fronting the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks.  It was built especially to accommodate the company's business, and its interior arrangement is a model of conveniences for the purposes for which it was erected.  Usually an electrotype foundry is tucked away in a dark portion of the topmost floor of the building, but in this case the foundry is on the ground floor, encased in stone walls, with ample light on three sides and a cement floor.  This makes ideal electrotype foundry surroundings.
     The company employs a high grade of skilled workmen and the average wages paid are as high as the best paid workmen in Coshocton.  Few cities, and they are only the biggest, pay higher wages for the same class of work.
Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. I - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 419