The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-02-14
How Bibles are Made.
OF THE BIBLE HOUSE IN AsToR

the Bible House, at Astor place, in this
city, stands by itself on an open square,
bounded by Third and Fourth avenues,
and Eighth and Ninth streets, containing
about three-quarters of an acre, and hav-
ing circumference ofover seven hundred
feet. The building is six stories high,
built of brick, with treestone copings, and
from. It's magnitude, admirable proper
tions, chaste, neat and appropriate finish,
attracts attention. This vast establish.
ment is devoted to the manufacture ofone
book-the Biblei For those who have
the time to examine into tho details of
this extensive Bible mandatory going
over the house from top to bottom, it will
be found that it is one of the most inter-
esting places to visit in this city.
No longer ago than 1776 the Congress
of the United States recommended that
the government take immediate measures
to import twenty thousand copies of the
Bible from Holland, Scotland, elsewhere
for on the breaking out of the revolution
ary war, all British publications were
kept out ofthe country, and greatscarci-
ty began to be felt, In less than one
hundred years how vast thechange. The
Bible Society printed the past year at his
own expense, 1,119, $50 volumes ofBibles,
Testaments and psalms. And instead of
being obliged to send to England for a
supply, that country is now sending to
New York for plates from which to print
the Bible which she cannot obtain within
her own borders. Itmay also,be said with
truth, that the whole world looks to New
York for it's supply Of Bibles, and readers
will be surprised to learn that this vast
establishment, although crowded to its ut
most, is unable to meet the demand. BIZ
bles are printed at this house in fifty diff.
fercnt languages and dialects, at all prices,
ranging from twenty-five cents up to rs
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,
Arabic, Syriac, Hungarian, Bohemian,
Polish Greek, Latin, Hebrew. Dutch, Gae-
lie, Finnish, African, Sandwich Islands,
Indian, Armenian, Arfawack, besides
Bible for the blind
This formidalo list of languages gives
but an imperfect idea of the vast number
of different books and editions which are
actually printed. Under the head of In
dian languages for example, there is the
Cherokee, Choctaw, Ojibwa, Mohawk, and
Delaware SO that the total number of diff
ferent Bibles issued is two hundred and
sixty-two!
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 to 1t as the head AS may be sur
missed, it is one vast hive of industry, some
four hundred people being at the present
time employed to keep the establishment
in full working order. The working force
in the Bible House is divided into two de-
partments, the executive and the manu-.
featuring.
In the first of these, fifteen person are
employed; i'll the last Of them, comprising
all the departments of the engineer, de-
positary, and those of printing, electro
typing. proofreading and bndng there
are three hundred and sixty-cight making
total of three hundredand eighty-three
All this for the manufacture of Bibles
1t may be interesting to know that with
this force the house is able to turn out
about thirty-fve Hundred each day.
Going into the cngine-room, we find the
engine to be forty horse power steam en-
gine, then there is five horsepower square
engine, and donkey engine Then there
are FIVE cylinder beicrs, forty feet long,
and three feet in diameter, and it takes
five tons of coal per day to feed them =
There are thirty miles of steam pipe in
the house
The call for Bibles is SO great that the
establishment has had to add two new
Adams celebrated platform power press
cs, and now the press room contains twen-
ty of these mammoth contrivanccs in con-
tinual operation, thus the society is able
to print between four and five thousand
copies of the scriptures during every
working day in the year The great de-
mand for bibles at the present time is in
the South. In the printing department
there are sixty five men and girls employ
ed.
The composing room is large, and here
type mall languages may be seen, with
men at work in Hebrew, Indian Arabic =
The great work which the Bible House is
now engaged upon is the Arabic scrip
lures. Some idea of the vast amount Of
labor employed upon it may be inferred
when we learn that tho type from which
the book is to be printed had to be manu-
factured in this house. No type founder
in New York or the United States would
undertake so costly and delicate job as
the casting of a font of Arabic type.
In all Europe it could not be obtained,
and when the American Bible Society has
finished q set of electrotype plates of the
Asiatic Scriptures the British Bible Socie-
tY will purchase q set and one will be sent