Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-05-31
RESTORING OLD MANUSCRIPTS

RESTORING OLD MANUSCRIPTS.
no" the "szk is Done ON Precious Govern.
mene Documents.
Inc work done on these two volumes
cost several hundred dollars. It was
by a process known as "inlayinp.r
whien Is quite beyond the department
experts The two volumes selected for
eNnlpition We're a school copy-book OF
1eorge washington and the last entries
ne MADE In his diary-the two extremes
MS earnest and his latest writing. The
sheets OF the manuscript are of rather
thln paper. The experts in Philadel.
phla took leaves of thick paper of or.
binary size, drew on them the outlines
OF the manuscript leaves and then cut
out all OF the inclosed space except a
very narrow margin. The thick pane,
around this open space was then split
with a keen knife, to the depth OF
the frame. The edges of the mann.
script page were fitted between the
1nin walls OF this paper frame-s'dow.
'eieo, to use the technical term-and
giueo In place. Where the writing on
the manuscript ran to the edge of the
page, as 1t did in some places, the frame
was trimmed SO as to obscure none OF
IT, When all of the pages of manu-
script had been set in these frames. the
leaves were bound together in heavy
Russia leather lined with watered silk
The work was done SO perfectly that
turning the pages of the restored book
you could hardly tell where the border
OF the frame began, except by the dull
ness OF the older paper.
rms "lnlaying," as I said, is quite
beyond the department people. The
workmen who are doing the work of re-
storing now are four-two women and
two men. They were not familiar with
the work until the Philadelphia con-
Germ sent its foreman and a force of
workmen to Washington two years ago
to begin the work for which at that
time congress had made spe-
cial appropriation. Some workmen
from the government printing office
were called in as helpers, and they are
now the experts who are carrying on
the work. They follow the original
and more expeditions form of restora-
ton by mounting the manuscripts on
hinges on sheets of heavy paper. Many
OF the manuscripts are so old that they
are falling to pieces. Wherever hole
appears piece of dull-colored paper,
as nearly as possible of the yellowish
tint of the manuscript, is carefully
pasted beneath. No attempt is made,
however, to renew any lines which
time or wear may have dimmed or oblit-
Grated. There is no Di Cesnola restora-
ton done on these pages.
When a sheet has been strengthened
and made whole, a narrow strip of lin
en- is pasted along the edge. This piece
of linen is the hinge. 1t is pasted along
its other border to the sheet of linen pa
per-as heavy almost as bristol board
which is to be a leaf of the bound book
The manuscript page fastened to this
hinge can be examined on either side.
When a set of manuscripts is mounted
the leaves are bound together to form a
book.
All the work of restoring, mounting
and binding is done in the state depart
ment building-almost all of it in one
room. 1t is paid for out of the appro-
priation for the department printing.
Every safeguard surrounds the handling
of these valuable documents. All of the
pages of manuscripts in each collection
are numbered serially, without regard
to their contents. Every scrap of paper
with a line of writing has it's number.
Each book as it is given into the Gus
tody of the restorers is examined to
see that no leaf is missing. AS each is
returned to its place in the library
from the binder it is scanned again
to see nothing has been distracted.
Even an autograph clipped from one
of those old letters would have its
value. So far as department records
show and the memories of department
officers run, no official or clerk of the
department has every betrayed his
trust, and the manuscripts are to-day as
they were when they were added to the
library collection.
The work of restoring is reducing the
number of volumes of manuscript. The
original collectors of these manuscripts
put very few of them in each of the
bindings. The department is grouping
them in thick quartos. The George
Washington papers, three hundred and
thirty-six volumes, will probably not
fill more than fifty when they have been
remounted. The total number of man.
uscript volumes now in the department
library is: