Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-03
HOW uIRI.Es ARE MADE. DEsCREP.
TON OF THE BIBLE HOUSE IN
AST0n PEACE.

From the New York Evening Gazette.
The immense brick edifee known a. the
Bible House, at Astor place, in this city,
atands by itself on an open square, bound
ed by Third and Fourth avenues, and
Eighth and Ninth streets, containing about
three quarters Of an acre, and having cir
conference Of over 200 feet The building
is six stories high, built Of brick, with free
stone copings. and from its magnitude al
mirable proportions, chaste, neat, and ap-
propriate finish always commands atten-
lion. This vast establishment is devoted
90 the manufacture Of one book-the Bible
For those who have the time 30 examine
into the details of this extensive Bible
mandatory, going over the house from
top TO bottom, Il viii be found il is one of
the most interesting places TO visit IN tins
city. EbfI
No longer ago than l11G the Congress
Of the United States recommended that the
government take immediate steps 10 i'm
port 10000 copies of the Bible from llol-
land. Scotland or elsewhere for on the
breaking ont Of the Revolutionary war, all
British publications were kept out of the
country, and a great scarcity began 10 be
felt. la less than one hundred years how
vast the change The Bible Society print
ed the past year, at It's own expense, j, 49,
$50 volumes of Bibles Testaments and
Psalms. And instead OF being obliged II
send to England for a supply, that country
is now sending 10 New York Tor plates 10
print the Bible which she cannot obtain
within her own borders. IL may also be
aid with truth chat the whole world looks
20 New York for It's supply of Bibles, and
the reader will be surprised 10 learn that
his vast establishment, although crowded
10 lis utmost, is unable TO meet the demand.
Bibles are printed at this house in liity
different language and dialects, at all
prices. ranging from twenty-five cents mp 10
as MANY dollars. Besides the vast number
of English Bibles which are printed, the
principal languages are German, French,
Spanish. Welsh, Irish, Chinese, Russian,
Portuguese. Danish, Swedish, Italian, Ara
bic Syriac. Hungarian, Bohemian, Polish,
Greek. Latin, Hebrew, Dutch, Gaelic, Fin
nish. African, Sandwich Islands, Indian,
Armenian, Arrawack, besides a Bible for
the blind.
This formidable list Of language gives
bat an imperfect idea Of the vast number
Of different books and editions which are
actually printed. Under the head of In
dian languages, ior example, there As the
Cherokee, Chodag, 0iibRay, Mohawk and
Delawares 30 that the total number Of diff
ferent Bibles issued il 2G2.
This Bible House is the great central
organization for the printing and supply
ing Of Bibles, no less than four thousand
other organizations in this country alone,
looking 10 il as the head As may be sur.
missed Il Is one vast hive of industry. some
four hundred people being at the present
time employed 10 keep the establishment
in fFll working order. The working force
in the Bible House is divided into two de-
partments The executive and the manutac-
turing.
la the first Of these, fifteen persons are
employed Ia the last 81 them, comprising
all the departments OF the engineer, deposi-
tory, and those Of printing electrotyping,
proofresdng and binding, there are three
hundred and sixty-eight making total Of
three hundred and eighty-three. All this
for the manufacture Of Bibles. IL may be
interesting 10 know that with this force the
house is able TO turn ONT about thirty-dye
hundred each day
Going into the engine room, We find the
engine 20 be n forty-horse power steam
engine then there is a iye-horse power
square engine. and donkey engine There
are FIVE cylinder boilers forty feet long and
three feet in diameter, and il takes Eve tons
Of coal per day 90 feel them. There are
thirty miles OF steam pipe in the house.
The call FOR Bibles is 80 great that the es-
tablishment has added two new Adams cele-
brated platform power presses, and now the
press room contains twenty Of these mann
moth contrivances in continual operation
Thus the society is able to print between
four and five thousand copies Of the Scrip !
lures duiing every working day in the
year. The greatest demand for Bibles at
at the present time is in the South.
La the printing department there are |
NA'!-hye men and girls employed The |
con mposlug room Is large, and here type in |
81" iahgnagea may be seen, with men al /
N"lA upon Hebrew Indian or Arabic. The 1
yen "Sih winch the Bible House is now /
S"e'tsS upon b. the Hebrew Scriptures /
'SN' ,N'' o' 'hs vast amount of labor en- /
plOyed upoE IL may be- inferred ~, -, |
learn that thai the type nom vb;cb ~ |
book Is b. be printed hsd 10 he r,.,,,,f',
mred In this house No ;ype f,nr5ar =.
ia New York or the United State ,,os,i5 |
undertake so costly and DELEGATE "A iob ~
the casting of font Of Arabic tyne
In all Europe DO could not BE- obtained
and when the American Bible Society ia
finished a set Of eleCtrotype plates of the
Asiatic Scriptures, the British Bible So
oiety will purchase 9 set, and one will be
sent 10 SYRIA. One hundred and twenty
millions Of human beings speak and read
this language. For over year and a half
the worl, upon this Bible has been In pro
gress, and il q confidently expected that
by next July IL will be completed--a
splendid triumph Of American genius. he
nevolence, skill and industry
The estimated cost Of four sets OF plates
Cor the whole Arabic Bible il not less than
$4,000. The work Of translation was be
CUR in 1917 and was not finished until Au-
gust, 1864. Then an The steel punches.
matrioes, types aud eiecirotype pilates lad
10 be made az the Bible House and the first
plate was not ready 10 be elecirotyped nm
I'll March, 1896. Compositors had 70 be in
structed in the arr Of setting up the type,
which at best is q slow process, a good