Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-17
FILED FOR CONGRESS.
HISTORIC AND UNIQUE OLD NeWsPA'
pERs STORED IN THE CAPITOL.

The Collie ctiOp Makes One OF the moss ~"
,erestipe Exhibits Among Uncle sam
MANY rreasures-All Our War Msps Are
Also Preserved There.
One Of the most interesting departments
in the Washington capitol is the newspape!
file room. The habit Of keeping lilies was
contracted by the senate in its early days.
when journals first began to print reports
of legislative proceedings. The government
became a subscriber for The Nationai In
telligencer, a daily paper printed IN the Guy
of Washington This historic sheet was
started III the year 1900 and continued 'of
MANY years TO he the only paperln the c"oi,
try that gave quick reports OF congressional
doiups This was in the days before tEs
telegraph. and the newspapers puoiisne"
away from here were dependent LOT tne,I
legislative news upon this paper. In 1919
The Union was established and continued
for IL years. 80
Files of these two old papers with some
others nj the north and south, were carefully
Eep, in the senate. and were the source OF
constant information for both senators and
representatives, who depended upon them
in MANY cases far more confidently than
upon The Globe. About eight years ago
these files which had been moved from
place to place and We're 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 aud stored
awav under the crypt. Over /, 100 volumes
were transferred.
Mr.. Van Ness, the guardian, has den
under the rotunda floor. He was found ut
work by the reporter. \ great clothes
basket stands Oh top, filled 10 overlooking
with the latest issues Of the press.
THAT is my morning nail, remarks MIR.
Van Ness as he lays his hand affectionately
upon the mass of reading matter. 1T is
rather poor morning too Sometimes there
are two baskets l 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
certain paper. Some of the boxes, you no.
tice, are filled. The files in those are nearly
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
fumbing through drawer in the table,
''they send me their current files from the
senate, which l have to cOllate very care
fully. ! take them from their temporary
binders and 30 through them particularly
to see what numbers are missing. Then l
write to the publication offices of the papers
and try to supply the deficiencies. When
the volumes are as complete as l can make
them, they go to the binder.
"You can see from this list the number of
papers we get here" as he handed out a
carefully Kept book that contained the
names of upward of q hundred of the hest
journals published in the country. it
showed the date of subscription and the
date of sending the volumes to the binder,
as well as that of its return. 1.-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 a cir
Gle, which completed the list of states and
brought forth the names of the European
capitals .r-.
For we have some very complete files of
foreign papers," said the custodian. I'VE
have the London Times from it's beginning
from before it was The Times, in fact.
Then here are files of the Manchester
Guardian, and here is Il set of Galgnani's
Messenger. We receive a 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, a French paper. And
here are the magazines both of this country
md Have &c. n11r,f In 1,ac no.
lection of The Gentlemans Magazine in
the country.
Now you have seen the files that are re.
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 Inteligencer is there in
special case. Here showing the way
into perfectly dark vault about feet
wide and turning off to the left Mt 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 curious rel
les down there" added the custodian tan
talizingly, rs 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 II little bit of u 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 ont in the west we have to take three,
now that the Populists are given to pub
fishing their views OH things.
''Here is n curio.' said Mr.. Van Ness,
laying his hand fondly upon a pile of three
portfolios labeled The National Antisla
very Standard
THAT is one of the most unique files of
the lot, for it contains a vast amount of in
formation about the first antsavery move
ments. 1t was published in New York
from 1S41 to 1870. This is the only file in
the world that is at all complete There are
few copies missing from the first six vol
umes and the last two, SO we have not had
them bound regularly Then here is "A