Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-28

rooms rs well: printed and folded BY -Joaz
Dunlap and David c: Claypoole, on the south sid,
OF Market, the third house east Of % street
where subscriptions and advertisements for thi,
paper are thankfully received" A lengthy
dissertation on the "gout and all chronic dis.
eases and an essay on the inducements tc
natural philosophy composed the bulk Of
reading material and, no doubt the proprietor
thought their patrons were getting full valus re
ceived for the requisite subscription price Of
four pence copy.
| ANOTHER OLD TIMER.
The Alexandria Gazette is another old timer
that forms one Of Capt Van Ness treasures
but the files are far from compile, although some
OF the copies date back to the earliest years of
| the century. One issue contains what il per-
haps the first real hostile item printed Just prior
and during the civil war. When Federal troops
were sent across virginia to occupy old Fort
ington before actual hostilities began promi-
nent Alexandrian became wroth and tslegraphed
the governor of the state that such an indignity
to state sovereignty should not be tolerated
| He wanted the executive to declare war at
once. The Caste printed the dispatch with
some comments thereon next day, and the re-
porter who wrote the item has since grown
gray in journalistic harness with q broader
newspaper field before him as member of the
Baltimore Sans Washington staff
| Anu mat brings the crypt visitor to glance
at the eighty or more volumes which contain
the Suns publications and look like O graduated
scale or series OF steps from 1887 to 1895. The
| first copy and it's successors for two years could
| only claim to dimensions of about twelve by
ten inches, but they were az full Of what now
| seem newspaper peculiarities IS an egg is Of
the proverbial meat Every article bore the
| legendary ownership sign, Reported for the
| Sua"-something like an inherent copyright,
But a roaring fight between two Irish widows
at the city court constituted the larger part Of
| the initial numbers news. and If any con-
| temporary was ''scooped" on that especial item
it isn't probable the squib was copied word for
word. press association news service and
twenty times the original size of its editorial
staff has brought the Sun up to its present
standard, but the daily editions of 1898 are
| almost typographical counterparts Of their pre-
decessors.
THE MOST VALUABLE SET OF VOLUMES
From purely antique standpoint the most
interesting well as the mostvaluable set Of vol
umes in the collection is made up Of every issue
of the London Gazette from 1865 to date Let
the historical fend brush up his "reminiscences
| OF important events in England since the sew
enteenth century, and these old files will supply
English and latterly. American history with all
the details that aliterary hiatus omits. The only
| trouble would be that student would need at
least three years close application to look them
over, and Congress might have to appropriate
Tor an extra library assistant or two to supply
the reader with the ponderous material. Com
plete editions OF the London Times since 1875
! are on hand though, to lessen the strain, and
the Naterland Is represented by the AHgemeine
Zeitung, while the tricolor nation furnishes the
IHoniteur, afterward changed in title to the
Journal Official.
All these foreign papers came to the library
originally from the State Department and
through system of exchanges with similar
| literary caravansaries on both sides Of the Az
lantic. The London Gazette files are next to
priceless. OF course. through their 225 years Of
covered time. Quite handsome sum was in
vested in securing these English publications,
but the biggest lump sum went out Of the
treasury to South Carolina. The figure was
$4,000, and an act Of Congress appropriated it
| to purchase the files Of the Charleston
Courier. 1t wasn't for the actual in
tr,nsic value OF the issues on the open mar
ket as curios, but war claims for damages we're
coming to hand against the government at q
very lively rate in the early seventies and the
famous war claims commission" was then in
session. Somebody suggested that the COM
mission would be at the mercy of the claimants
unless many of the latter could be proved as
having been disloyal during the war and Uncle
Sam would have been mulcted for millions of
dollars. The Courier's files, it was ex-
pected would show many Of the alleged
creditors as genuine secessionists, when
they suffered the damages claimed. and SO the
y
papers played before the commission is largely
guesswork now. but the records show that only
per cent OF the total asked from the govern
ment was allowed and finally paid.
AsroR AS FUR DEALER.
An old copy Of the New York Daily Adper-
tiser contains the advertisement Of John Jacob
Astor as dealer in furs, a round number Of
years before his millions were as large as they
became when his family inherited them some
time ago. The various volumes Of
the defunct Savannah Republican from
1903 to 1872 are brimful of southern
news OF the day, especially during the latter
part OF the war, when brown wrapping paper
WAS used to feed the presses. The other speci-
mems OF journalism from the cotton states,
while confederate fortunes began to wane. are
even more interesting to a newspaper epicure
down here in the fitful light Of the crypt than
the collection of similar 'curios at the National
Museum. But if there is such a thing as philos-
ophy In newspapers, especially II they are de-
voted to news on only one subject, then the in
complete volumes of the old National anti
Slavery Standard is the most unique of the
The paper was founded in July, 1910, and its
sole aim was indicated by the title on the first
page, wherein it differed from sundry temper
ance and other publications of half u century
later The sheet was virulent and oftentimes
vicious, but 1t is valuable now, because every
phase of the slave question, from the earliest
squabble to the end of the rebellion, il por-
trayed with numerous incidents on the yellow
e-stained pages. When slavery was extinct
the editor found his occupation gone and shut
up shop April 80, 1870 Some Of the volumes
are still lacking, but the Congressional Library
has brought its trading idea into play with the
Worcester (Mass) City Library, and in q short
time, Capt. Van Ness thinks, his stock Of attrac-
tons will be complete.
Meanwhile, the numberless scientific PAM
phlsts, publications of the Smithsonian insti-
tuition and bureau Of statistics. and the second
copies Of works sent to the library for copy
right. are crowding another corner of the crypt
To keep these arranged in volumes is a hercu-
lean task, compared to which the Arrangement
OF newspaper issues is bagatelle. II they can
ever be catalogued, and taken to some section
where light is a better known quantity, book
worms will have a very fair-sized second library
to delve In to their hearts content.
DOWN INTO THE DUNGEON.
crypt without some secret passageway
wouldn't be half crypt, and SO Capt. Van Ness.
rs a particular favor, sometimes conducts his
visitor down still another fight of stairs to the
dungeons" beneath The dark rooms aren't
really that, but they gloomy. enough to
answer the purpose Of storing away curious
and historical maps, and, in u manner, some Of
the quaintest old documents. locally, that the
Congressional Library contains.
Dozens Of copyrighted maps have been piled
about down there until it would be next to i'm