Weekly Trinity journal., 1872-02-03
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

! - NAiN soS' ~ AAi'iNiAN l'AAiiNAiS OAhNS
The government printing establish.
ment is situated on the southwest corner
of North Capitol and II streets, is built
Of brick, four stories high, but until
lately was rather a dingy, dilapidated
affair, entirely innocent of the slightest
architectural ornamentation, and really
amenable to great degree of criticism
when compared with the other beautiful
public buildings. Last Winter an act
was passed making appropriations fol
improvements and repairs, and so urgent
was the necessity for them that Mr.. ClapI
had the work under way the day follow.
ing the passage Of the act. The building
now possesses n more attractive appear
ance, and relieves the hitherto crowded
employees. 1t is in the form of an L.
800 feet by 60 feet, by l73 feet by 60 feet
and is painted light color with brown
facings. The front and main entrance
is on North Capitol street, and is more
appropriate to the enormous structure
than was the little door in the southwest
corner.
Thepress room occupies the entire lower
floor of the old building, and is, without
exception, the largest and most perfect
press room in the world. Before the war
twenty three presses, four small job
presses and one ruling machine were ade-
quate to print all the work ordered by
Congress and the executive departments.
After the war commenced, thirty presses
and sixteen ruling machines were unequal
to the demands Of the War and Navy
Departments, and much of the Congress
sional printing was laid aside to make
room for the extra work.
Now, arranged on each side of the broad
aisle, are twenty-siX Adams presses, four
teen Hoe cylinder presses, thirteen small
jobbing presses, and one Bullock press
making an aggregate of iifty-four presses.
The Bullock press, which prints both
sides of the sheet at the same time, has n
capacity equal to sixteen Adams presses,
and is'used exclusively for printing the
Agricultural Report, work of some
seven hundred pages, with an annual
edition Of two hundred and twenty five
thousand volumes. All these presses,
together with the other machinery, are
driven by two steam engines of fifty
power, both stationed in the press room.
In this room also are four hydraulic
presses, used for taking the impression
out Of printed work /; two cutting ma
chimes and two elevators. The repair
ing Of the presses and machinery is car
ried on in Il shop which extends from the
press room into the yard some sixty feet.
This department is in charge of skillful
machinists, who are kept constantly en-
ployed. The paper warehouse, through
which passes all the paper used in print
ing, extends south of the repair shop
some eighty feet, and is two stories high.
There was passed through this warehouse
for consumption, during the year 1870,
some seventy-live thousand reams of
paper of all classes required for public
printing which cost an aggregate Of near
ly half million dollars. Such perfect
control has the Congressional Printer over
this department, that not single quire
Of paper can be obtained except on re-
QUESTION therefor to that officer.
The lower floor Of the new wing con-
tains all the stock, leather, cloth, paper,
ETC., used in the bindery. Adjoining this
room is the tlre-proof room, containing
all the stereotype plates, etc, and adjacent
is the carriage way, separating the boiler
room, roller house and stables from the
other buildings. These premises are CON
stantly guarded night and day.
The second floor is occupied as offices
for the Congressional Printer and his
clerks, large thoroughly-lghted room
for the proof-readers, and as composing
rooms. The Office Of the Printer is in the
northwest corner of the new wing, and is
welcome change from the old pcnt-up
affair. Adjoining this room is the clerks
room, while adjacent to that is the pay
masters room, containing an immense
safe Of the most improved patent. There
is also library in the new addition, built
by request Of Mr.. Clapp, and he proposes
TO fill its huge shelves with copies of all
the books. documents, ETC., printed in the
Government Printing Office since its or
ganization. This sef-imposed task seems
almost insurmountable ; but such an ac-
QUESTION would be Of incaculable value
to the country, and we wish Mr.. Clapp
entire success in his undertaking. The
remainder of the second floor, extending
the whole length Of the building, is used
as a composing room, and is occupied on
each side of the aisle by imposing stones,
chase racks, proof presses, etc. There
are more than sixty thousand pounds of
type of all varieties in this room, and
about two hundred and fifty compositors.
Opening out Of the composing room is
the stereotype foundry, where all the
plates required for use in the Office are
made. The plates annually produced
amount to $4,000, and this department
alone saves the Government more than
$4,000.
The bndery occupies the entire third
floor. This department executes some Of
the best work, in point Of style and ex-
cellence, done in the world. There are
twcnly-nine presses, twenty-five machines
for cutting, paging, numbering, etc., and
nineteen ruling machines constantly in
operation. The ruling machines have
been BROUGHT 10 such perfection that they