The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-06-01

office of administration in whiohthe
workings of Ameica's favorite bureau
IL illustrated. Strangely enough, one
finds the Patent Office section Of the
Interior Department in the possessic
. Of the original Declaration of Inde-
pendence, and the Commission of
General Washington from the Conti-
mental Congress; also ,the. relics of
Washington, his clothes,p. camp equi'
page, ,punch-bowl and furhiture. The
National Museum once sought fire.
proof, place of, deposit in Washington,
and, so did branches of. the Govern
ment.., The Patents Officer-about one
sixth, of the present building-was Sc
lected as safe place. This was about
1910, and now the Bureau and Depart
ment are rewarded by the proud op-
portunity to display what they have
SO long and So carefully kept and so
jealously guarded. q, !..
Next comes the Treasury Depart
ment with 8 profuse display Of money,
not gold and silver altogether but
printed money. The array of speci-
mems of, Treasury notes of every de.
scription and, denomination ever is
sued, is study for the adnirer of
beauty end fine art. In no land under
the sun is 50 much skill shown in the
manufacture Of paper, money, The
paper for the continental money was
made only few miles hence, at the
"Ivy Mills,n and the mill is running
vet and in the hands of a descendent
of its. old. proprietor, lut when the
writer visited It some time ago, it was
making a nasty kind cf thick wrap
ping paper of straw and old ropes
Franklin used to get his paper there.
Even if the. old mill has been burned
down once OF twice, it is:-pore Ger,
tainly than the boys 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 hieke some more handmade,
water-marks lipep-stock paper with
some of oldBenjaluir' shtewd advice
printed on it in fashioned type.
And here is the Navy Department
which shines-as it has a right to do
in bunting. One reads, the history of
the Americans flag suspended from the
columns in the various forms of the
=, colonial and conventional periods; the
> pine tree, the English "Union," with
a red and white "fy," white anchor
on blue field, and eventually the
flag Of to-day, showing Largest of all
as if it had grown in size as well as
= developed in design. The navy shows
= variety of guns for special services,
= such as boat howitzers and gunwale
y guns; it also has piles of naval stores,
y with smelling. ropes, and things to cat
- and to wear; the provisions togo to
the great cooks. galleys, and the fur
y nishing of the mems kits. the instru-
= ments of the Transit Of Venus expedi-
). ton, as the. War, Department has those
~ of the Signal Service, This Depart
y. ment has also some boats Of the Polaris
y expedition, one scow made in an enler-
4 /
=. Around lie many piles Of shot and
' shell and of, material suggestive of
long service, when "they that godown
=, to the sea in ships" have to depend
= upon the forethought of the providers,
y who must be ready to supply every
- thing from a mainyard to sewing
- needle at a moments notice. We pass
q with great interest the more scientific
,f portion Of the collection, the COM
passes, barometers, sounding instru'
- ments, ships logs, and velocimeters.
= One begins with the arts Of peace, and
wanders through the building to the
;. southeastern. end. He steps out at
=, the door with the big guns Oh each
- side, which are pointed in mimic hos
-, tility at the other building, and stands
e upon the terrace to listen to the music
- - of the band which plays in the pavil'
! ion near by, g. -. 81 ,'r ;,:.,,
h One. letter covers SO small a portion
~ of the whole exhibition, that I am
II obliged to stop after having just begun
10 Probably Machinery Hall and the
- State buildings will be the next most
o interesting feature to your readers
i and following these we will journey
= through the main building. This last
~ is the place to study human nature.
cannot think of any place where bne
= would find such variety ofspecimens
- of the genus homo, in, as the natural
;. lists say "all stages of preservation.
, Coming down from the government
=, - building yesterday. I passed through
- the carriage manufacturers structure
u ond have never so fully Realized thu
- force of that familiar smile 'pretty as
III red wagon as ] do after glance al
II the, fine display of vehicles, 1t was
10 stated last week that, showers of "tht
queer, were working of counterfeit fifty
&c cent pieces through the outside specu
IT, lators in charge, bpt ! cannot learn
D. that much was done at it, and o
Ia course it has beeni wholly stopped nov
u IT is about settled that there will b.
" no further reduction in railway fares
le and so the committee appointed b,
u the Centennial Commission to confe