Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-01-30
FILED FOR CONGRESS.
HISTORIC AND UNIQUE OLD NEWsPA-
PIERS STORED IN THE CAPITOL.

Also Preserved There.
One Of the most interesting departments
In the Washington capitol is the newspaper
file room. The habit Of keeping files 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 National In
telligencer, a daily paper printed in the city
OF Washington. This historic sheet was
started In the year $500 and continued for
many years to be theonly paperin 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 1916
The Union was established and continued
for II years
Files OF these two old papers, with some
others Of The north and south, werecarefully
kept 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 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 tho
files that he had been keeping and stored
away under the crypt, Over /, 100 volumes
were transferred.
Mr.. Van Ness, the guardian. has n den
under the rotunda floor. He was found at
work by the reporter. A great clothes
bnsket stands on top, filed to overlooking
with the latest issues Of the press.
"ThHt Is my morning mail, - remarkA Mr..
Van Ness rs he lays his hAnd aflectionately
upon the mass of reading matter. at Is u
rather poor morningtoo Sometimes there
are two baskets. | take these papers us
soon as 1 eau each day and sort them out.
You may see these shelves aud big pigeon
holes behind you. Well, each one ia for a
certain paper. Some Of the boxes. YOU no
tice, ARE filled. The files in those are nearly
ready to be sent to the government biudery
TO be put between covers. Some of the pa.
pers bind up at two months and others ut
four.
'Then every two months" he went on,
fumbling through u drawer Ia the table.
they send me their current files from the
sennte, which have to collate very care
fully. l take them from their temporary
binders and 70 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
tue 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 outpl
carefully kept book that contained the
names Of upward Of a hundred Of tho best
journals published In the country. IL
showed tIn data nT utl.prtRtt,v .vI A..
date OF sending the volumes to the binder,
ms we'll as that OF It's return. 'The senate
takes ~ papers now In addition 10 these. 1t
keeps me pretty busy attending tothcm ali.
Let us marlborough tho vaults, and you cnn
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 We around in a 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. 1--WE
have the London Times from its beginning,
from before 1t was The Times, In fact.
Then hero are files of the Manchester
Guardian, and here Is u set OF G~alignani'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 a short time ago Of 10
Constitutional, a French paper. And
here are the magazines both of this country
and Europe. Here is 0bout the best col
lection OF The Gentleman's Magazine In
the country.
Now you havc seen the files that are re-
forred to the most. on down there indi-
eating the mysterious passage that led to
the other side Of the capitol, "nre the old
fellows that are IN duplicate up stairs In
the library. Tn I%ntclligencer Is there In
n special case. Herc,n showing the way
into u perfectly dark vault about 4 feet
wide and turning OIL to the left at the
lower end, ''Arc copies OF every map that
has ever been copyrighted In this country.
The gem OF this collection is not very well
known. IL consists OF all the maps that
We're used during the various wars in
which this country has been engaged. Tho
maps were issued by the war department
and turned back after they were needed no
longer, and then turned over to MS for
preservation. There arc some curious rel
les 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 a little bit OF a room that has
been built among the pillars OF the crypt,
where the papers OF tue new west are
stored.
Our policy has been to take two papers
from each large place, one OF each party;
but out la the west we nave to take three.
now that the Populists are given to pub
fishing their views on things.
Here is u curiO,n said Mr.. Van Ness,
laying his hand fondly upon q pile OF three
portfolios labeled 'rhe National Antisla-
very Standard
THAT is one ofthe most unique files Of
the lot, for Il contains a vast amount of in
formation about the Arst an~tislnvery move
ments, 1t was published in New York
from 1871 10 1870. This Is the only file in
the world that IS at all complete, There nro
a few copies missing from the first six vol
tunes and the last two, so We have not had
them bound regularly. Then hero Is a
record Of other days than those OF war and
strife-a reconi OF New Nork's politcaIoon-
yentions and of fashionable doingsn-
Washington star.
A Ministers SON.
A small s-year-old is the son OF a clergy
man whose sect need hardly be- indicated