The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-01-20
Insention--A Snnis ttss'
Travels Akout, Gets Up An sne MOls-
for. and Goes 10 nad AZ NaEns'

=
T,sssa. ahons. Gets up in the horn
ing, aud Goes 10 bed at Nsgns'
Virginia tNev.) Enterprite.l .
The fireproof vault In our courtnouss, 10
which are kept the books, RECORDS, an Ian Oh
thS public documents, Is vault 'h' nae VI
which is to be seen no"hefe e'se III
the world. It was planned 1Ad pui.t
nv ex.County Commissioner Andrew Fra.
Ger. Mr.. Fraser was the iesding splfh
in the late able Board OF County com
mjssioners in planning and perfect'ng tne
maHy improvements that have been maze IN
aIl the county buildings during the past year.
He ia chief engineer of the Gould d curry
Mining Company, and is most skilius ma
chinist and ingenious mechanic. the county
was SADLY In need Of large fire-prooi vault
In which to keep its books, the almost price.
less mining records, ard the many very 'at-
liable documents Of al kinds. Mr.. Frasers
mind began to rnn on vaults, ana after
STUDYING all of the vaults that had ever
| been built or Invented, che bit upon
vault unlike any ever seen or
heard Of, q new invention, IN FACT, 10. Whicn
he has sec,iFeda patent. His vault CONSISTS
| of two or three parts which travel ABOUT
which are eez1etimes separated ana some-
times united OF nights all the parts get TO-
retber and 70 off to bed away down 10 the
basement OF the courthouse. Inc prln'
cipal pares are the vault proper, Wnicn
Is down in the basement-We might say
down ia the ground. This ls massive
brick structure, the only entrance 10
which resembles the top OF a very large
cb;mney. Then we have the bookcase, 10
Syhich are placed the books and documents. a
case which not only holds all OF the BOOKS
and documents Ut present In the Keeping .ol
the county. but which is large enough to
hold all that will be accumulated for many
, wears to come. Next we have the cover oil
the vault-that part which covers the chin
ne;.like opcr ing at its top. AT night the
bookcase is down in the vault, where 1t is
shut in by the cover, massive structure
made Of two thicknesses Of heavy boiler.
iron with { light inches of cement between
This cover. which is in the shape OF scoW
turned bot tom up, is heavily riyeted in all
directions. and Is ponderous affair. 1t was
manufactured in Cincinnati, o., after draw
ipgs furp ished by Mr.. Fraser. Iu the morn
ing the ianitor OF the building takes hold OF
crank and begins turning it. This arouses
the bookcase. II gets up, and taking its big
iron cover upon its head as though it was a
hat. il leaves the vault aud the basement OF
the building, going to its post on the second
floor. There it stands all day, with one face
in the office of the county clerk and the
other in the office of the county recorder,
holding out all the books and docu-
ments ready to the hands of the clerks.
All day it stands in this position
with its big iron hat Qhe yault.coyer) on It's
head. At plight the jantor again turns the
crank, and the big bookcase knows 1t is bed
time. 1t starts at once for the basement.
Down, down it goes to the vault; into the
depths OF which it disappears, leaving its big
hat to cover the hole by which 1t entered,
and there it roosts all night in its hole down
in the ground. BY avery simple arrangement
of clock work this bookcase could be made 10
open up shop itself getting up at the proper
hour in the morning and going up the Of
fees with its tons of books and documents,
remaining on duty all Gay, and then at a GER
tain hour in the evening suddenly making its
bow and descending to the basement, there
to shut itself up in its hole. All this it might
! be easily made to do, SO that no man need ever
look after it or think of it. All that would
be required would he small pipe from
one of the water. mains, and simple bit
of clock to keep the time and let on
and shut of the water. The additional me-
chanisn has been thought of by MIR. Fraser,
and is included in his patent, but tor eco
nomical reasons was not put in here, the
county commissioners thinking it quite as
well for the janitor to run the apparatus by
means of crank. Even as it stands the
vault is really wonderful invention, yet is
simplicity itself.