The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-08-10
THE ELECTRIC LIBRARIAN.


THE ELECTRIC LIBRARIAN.
Books Handled by Machinery In BOSTON,
New Library.
There are many remarkable things
about the new Boston library, of which
the most novel Is the method of con.
veying the books between the main
desk and the book cases on the variou,
floors.
1t was early in the work of building
the library that the problem of book
transportation presented itself for so
luton. In the old library, now vacat
ed, q score or more of boys were EN-
ployed, their duty being to run to all
parts of the building for the books re.
quired. Under the new order OF thing.
about five times more work would have
to be done, which mean an army o,
boys, each one of whom might have tc
tramp from eight to ten miles every
day. The impossibility, therefore, Of
continuing such a system was realized
and a change decided upon.
A local company was called upon Il
design and construct q mechanical sys
tenn suited to the requirements Of the
service. They had no data TO GO by,
and SO had to devise something entirely
new, by q of which he attend
auts would be able to secure q boob
from any part of the vast building
with its i've acres of book shelves, and
hat with q minimum Of time ant
labor. They designed q System b.
which an attendant on the floor ha.
only to pick out the book wanted, put
1t in q railway car with q cable attach.
ment, push 1t of the side switch to the
main line, from whence II runs round
at the rate Of Ave hundred feet pei
minute to . special elevator, which
drops automatically, as soon as the ca,
Is in position, down to the delivery
room, waits till the empty car roll
back, and then delivers It ON q return
track to the switch 1t started from.
For the accommodation Of the hun
dreds of thousands of volumes there
are six stories or stacks, as they ar,
technically called, of books. Accord
ing to this arrangement, the delivery
room, which opens on to the MAR
reading room, although on the second
door front, occupies . position between
the fourth and 9th stacks.
The aim of the designers was I,
focus all the books towards this on,
place, and Is . nrst step they con
structed an elevator well, long ant
narrow, This pierced the entire build
ing from basement to roof, running b,
the stacks and delivery room. In thii
way they set up shafts for three ele
vators, n for each stack. The deliv
cry roof between the 9th and sixth
stacks, two distinct elevator motions
had to be provided for; the one from
the afth and sixth stacks going down
while the ones from the first, second
third and fourth went up to the room
In the basement the 10 ~horse-powe
motor has been installed to haul tn
elevators, which IL does very satisfac
torily. Then there had to be con
structed . railway around the build
ing. A miniature track with an 8
inch gauge and following the lines o
the interior court yard was built. Thi
track IL over half q mile In length
The cars are made Of wire and trave
over Eve hundred feet Q minute, wit
ten to thirty pounds weight of books /
them. At certain points r switche
working automatically, by which tn
! cars are diverted to whatever part 9
the building or different floors the,
may be required. There Are eighteer
stations along the track, 20 arrange
that certain carr stop u their own -
signed dspots and At no other. TIL
: same company constructed the pnes
matte tubs system by NEAR
of which cards, tickets and other me
ssngers are dispatched to any desire
point and returned by the same rout'
This sppsrstus IL operated by the sam
motor.-Elsctrical Engineer.