The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-01-12
FILED FOR CONGRESS.
HISTORIC AND UNIQUE OLD NEWsPA-
PERS STORED IN THE CAPITOL.

PERs STORED IN THE CAPITOL.
The Collection Makes Ono Of the Most In
tcresting Exhibits Among Uncle Sans
Many Treasures-Ail Our War Maps Are
Also Preserved There.
One OF the most interesting departments
In the Washington capitol is the newspaper
file room. The habit Of keeping files was
coptracted by the senate in its early days,
when journals first began to print reports
of legislative proceedings. The government
became subscriber for The National In
telligencer, daily paper printed in the city
of Washington. This historic sheet was
started in the year 1900 and continued for
many years to be the only paper in the coun-
try that gave quick reports of congressional
doings. This was in the days before the
telegraph, and the newspapers published
away from here were dependent for their
legislative news upon this paper. In 1s45
The Union was established and continued
for II years.
Files of these two old papers, with some
Others of the north and south, were carefully
kept in the senate, and were the source Of
constant information for both senator's and
representatives. who depended upon them
in many cases far more confidently than
upon The Globe. About eight year ago
these files, which had been moved from
place to place and were in danger of being
destroyed, were transferred by resolution
OF congress to the care of the librarian of
congress, who had them placed with the
files that he had been keeping and stored
away under the crypt. Over 100 volumes
were transferred.
Mr. Van Ness. the guardian. has a den
under the rotunda floor. He was found ut
work by the reporter. A great clothes.
basket stands on top, filled to overfiowing
with the latest issues of the press.
THAT is my morning mail, remarks Mr..
Van Ness as he lays his hand affectionately
upon the mass Of reading matter. 1T is a
rather poor morning too. Sometimes there
are two baskets. / take these papers as
soon as can each day and sort them out.
You may see these shelves and big pigeon
holes behind you. Well, each one is for q
certain paper. Some of the boxes, you no.
tice, are filled. The files in those are nearlv
ready TO be sent TO the government bindery
to be put between covers. Some of the pa
pers bind up at two months and others at
four
Then every two months" he went on,
fumbling through drawer in the table,
they send me their current files from the
senate, which have To collate very care
fully. / take them from their temporary
binders and go through them particularly
to see what numbers are missing. Then
write TO the publication offices of the papers
and try to supply the deficiencies. When
the volumes are as complete as can make
them. they go to the binder.
You can see from this list the number Of
papers we get here" as he handed outa
carefully kept book that contained the
names of upward Of hundred of the best
journals published in the country. 1t
showed the date of subscription and the
date of sending the volumes TO the binder,
as well as that of its return. "The senate
takes 81 papers now in addition to these. 1t
keeps me pretty busy attending to them ALL
Let us walk through the vaults, and you can
see what a quantity Of material we have
here"
The books were arranged in alphabetical
order Of states, beginning with the earliest
newspapers of Alabama, published in 1919.
A few steps took the two. around in cir
Gle, which completed the list of states and
brought forth the names OF the European
capitals.
'For we have some very complete files Of
foreign papers" said the custodian. ave
have the London Times from its beginning,
from before it was The Times, in fact.
Then here are files of the Manchester
Guardian, and here is a set of Galignani's
Messenger. We receive great many files
from the state department that furnish us
with many valuable additions. Here is a
complete file up TO short time ago of lie
Constitutional, French paper. And
here are the magazines both of this country
and Europe. Here is about the best coll
lection of The Gentleman's Magazine I'm
the country.
Now you have seen the files that are re-
ferred to the most. Off down there" indi-
eating the mysterious passage that led to
the other side of the capitol, "are the old
fellows that are in duplicate up stairs in
the library. The Intelligencer is there in
q special case. Here" showing the way
into a perfectly dark vault about feet
wide and turning of to the left at the
lower end, "are copies of every map that
has ever been copyrighted in this country.
The gem of this collection is not very well
known. 1t consists of all the maps that
were used during the various wars in
which this country has been engaged. The
maps were issued by the war department.
and turned back after they were needed no
longer, and then turned over to us for
preservation. There are some curiousrel.
ics down there" added the custodian tan
talizingly, as he turned back out of the
dark
You think you have seen all my books,
but you have not. Come across the corri-
dor and see our little annex" and the way
was led to little bit of a room that has
been built among the pillars Of the crypt,
where the papers of the new west are
stored.
"Our policy has been to take two papers
from each large place, one of each party;
but out in the west we have 10 take three.
now that the Populists are given to pub
fishing their views on things.
Here is n curio." said Mr.. Van Ness,
laying his hand fondly upon pile of three
portfolios labeled THE National .Antisla-
very Standard"
THAT is one of the most unique files Of