, 1885-04-26
. kEgnINe OLD ante
cataoombs of the National Capitol whers
Records are Filed.

Washington Critic
1t is not generally known that ever
bill, every report, every executive com
munication-in short, everything tina
comes before congress-is preserved IL
the original. But this is the fact.
There is a place devoted to the preser.
walton OF these relics, and a man spec.
tally charged with preserving them
The oom is a succession OF iron cor,
ridors, n above the other, lined with
receptaeles for holding largo volumes.
Commencing on the roof OF tho house,
the records run downwards in chrome
logical order. The books are of all sizes
down to about forty years ago, when
they assume uniformity. They arc all
leather-covered, and are strongly bound.
Inside of them are thick leaves upon
which bills, reports and other congress
sional documents are pasted in the orig
inal. Every kind Of paper is there.
The history Of the Improvement in
paper manufacture al be traced in
these volumes from the first session of
the Continental congress down TO the
present day.
It is noted, too, in delying among
these old tones that the later ones are
better prepared than those preceding
them. For instance, there is evident
slovenliness in the volumes OF the first
congress. improvement goes o as the
dates become more recent. But very
little is missing in this vast collection.
The first and second congresses are not
co nplete, and there is a somewhat bad
break in the continuity of the records
in the years Just before the British
burned the capitol.
The break was caused by fire and by
the British taking away some Of the
volumes There are n number Of vol
ume on hand which show the effects of
British ~depredations. They are charred
and their contents smoked and covered
with dirt. But not a word is there in
them that cannot be read. Thus from
the date OF the first meeting of congress
there is an almost unbroken collection
in the original Of all matters that came
before that body. In later years a
great deal of ingenuity has been shown
in making the edges OF the contents OF
the leather-baeked volumes as smooth as
those OF any first class publication.
The ingenuity Is the moro apparent
when it is remembered that all sizes
and kinds Of paper are used in prepar.
ing bills for Introduction, and in writing
reports and other matters pertaining to
congressional business. The originals,
when ordered to be printed, 20 to the
government printing Office, but strict
care Is always taken that they are re-
turned. The printers marks are to be
soen on many of the papers.
Tor the past thirty years these
volumes haze been prepared by an old
gentleman who is now. nearly 20 years
OF age. lie has n room in the basement
Of the capitol set apart for his OWE use.
There he locks himself up and gives a
receipt Tor the documents which are
ent TO him. lie then arranges them in
his books IN regular order. When he
has finished n volume he turns il over
TO the proper official and gets a receipt.
The volume then goes TO the place set
apart for such records al
no would not think that there would
e much inquiry for what Is contained
m the dust-covnred old books; but there
Us There is hardly n day but that
somebody wants TO get a copy of an
original document Of years and years
ago. They are always accommodated.
The old gentleman who prepares the
original matter for preservation is but
seldom seen. one ct the gentlemen in
charge Of the iron corridors says that he
does not see the old man more than two
or three times a year, when he appears
TO hand over the volumes that he has
prepared.