Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-06-08

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runs on a track twenty feet in length
and catches miniature mailbag as j
/ passes along at full speed, illustratin,
/ the practice of the fast mail trains
There are cases containing specimen
of all mail-bags. pouches, etc. used b,
the department. Specimens of all TIN
locks and scales used. samples of max
ing and cancelling stamps, togethe
with six highly ornamental frames con
tanning specimens of all stamped envel
OpeS, official envelopes, postal cards
and postage stamps ever used i'm this
country. These are furnished by tn,
Columbian Bank Note Company, tn,
present contractors, and are valuabl,
directory to the stamp-gatherers
The Interior Department make a
good display. The Patent Office shows
5000 models arranged in classes. go, 0OC
patents bound in series; a central Office
administration in which the working,
of Americas favorite bureau is Illus
trated. Strangely enough, one find:
the Patent Office section of the interior
Department in the possession of the
original Declaration of Independence
and the Commission of General Wash
ingtOn from the Continental Congress
also, the relics of Washington, his
clothes, camp equipage, punch-bow
and furniture. The National Museum
once sought a fireproof place of deposit
in Washington, and so did various
branches of the Government. The patent
office-about 10 of the present building
was selected as a safe place. This
was about 1910, and now the Bureau
and Department are rewarded by
the proud opportunity to display what
they have so long and so carefully kept
and so jealousy guarded.
Next comes the Treasury Department
with profuse display of money. not
gold and silver altogether, but printed
money. The array of specimens of
Treasury notes of every description
and denomination ever issued, is a
study tOr the admirer of beauty and
fine art. In no land under the sun is
so mach skill shown in the manufac-
ture of paper money. The paper for
the continental money was made only
a few miles hence, at the Ivy Mills, -
and the mill is running yet and i'm the
hands of a descendant of its old pro-
prietor, but when the writer Wis tied it
some time ago, it was making a nasty
kind of thick wrapping paper of straw
and old ropes. Franklin used to get
his paper there. Even if the old mill
has been burned down once or twice.
1t is-mOre certainly than the boy ; old
jack-knife which had had five new
blades and four new handles-the same
mill, and it ought To drop the straw and
junk and make some more handmade.
water-mark, linen-stock paper with
some Of old Benjamin's shrewd advice
printed on it in old-fashioned type.
And here is the Navy Department
which shines-as it has right to do
in bunting. One reads the history of
the American flag suspended from the
columns in the various forms of the col
onial and convention periods; the pine
tree, the English Union" with red
and white ''ily,".a white anchor on "a
blue field. white stars on blue field.
and eventually the flag of to-day, show
ing largest of all, as if it had grown in
size as well as developed in design. The
navy shows variety of guns for spec
lal services, such as boat howitzers
and gunwale guns; it also has piles of
naval stores with tar smelling ropes, and
things to eat and wear: the provisions
To go to the great cooks galleys and
the furnishing of the mems kits: the
instruments of the Transit of Venus
expedition, as the war department has
those of the Signal service. This de-
partment mas also some boats of the
POlarls expedition, one scOw made i'm
an emergency from an abandoned YES
sci. Around lie many piles of shot and
shell and of material suggestive of long
service, when They that go down to
the sea in ships" have to depend upon
the forethought of the providers, who
must be ready to supply everything,
from mainyard to sewing needle at
a moments notice. We pass with
great interest the more scientific por-
tion of the collection, the compasSes,
barometers, sounding instruments,
ships logs, and velocimeters. One be-
gins with the arts of peace, and wan
ders through the building to the south
eastern end. He steps out at the door
with the big guns on each side, which
are pointed in mimic hostility at the
other buildings, and stands upon the
terrace to listen TO the music of the
band which plays in the pavilion neal
by.
One letter covers SO small a portion
of the whole exhibition that | am oblig
ed to stop after having just begun
Probably Machinery Hall and Stat,
buildings will be the next most inter
esting feature to your readers, and fol
lowing these we will journey througl
the main building. This last is tn,
place to study ,Iuman nature. can
not think of any place where one would
find such variety of specimens Of TIN
genus homo, in. as the naturalists say
''all stages of preservation. Coming
down from the government buildin.
yesterday, IpasSed through the carriag'
manufacturers structure, and hayenev
er SO fully realized the force of that ia
miliar smile pretty as a red wagon,
as | do after a glance at the fine diSpla,
of vehicles. 1t was stated last weel
that showers of 1.-The queer" were work
ing off counterfeit fifty cent piece
through the outside Spectators il
change, but cannot learn that mucl
was done att, and of course it has beei
wholly stopped now.
Ii is about settled that there will b
no further reduction in railway fares
and so the committee appointed by tn
Centennial Commission to confer wit
the railway authorities have reported
The Pennsylvania Central people asser
that they would do passenger busines
at an actual loss if they acceded to thi
demand, as the extra Centennial travt
at the low rates would not equal tn
falling eff of regular business.
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When Democratic newspapers asser
that they 'have rather desired to hav
Morton get the Republican nOminatiO
at Cincinnati" and then proceed t