Evening star., 1898-12-07
Annual Report of Superintendent Ber
nard R. Green.
PUBLIC INTEREST is UNABATED
Great Number of Persons Who
Have Visited It.
TIL E ROME SCULPTURE

| The annual report of Mr. Bernard r.
| Green, superintendent OF the Congressional
Library building, has been submitted to
| Congress. Mr. Green says:
| The removal of the Library of Congress,
| exclusive Of the law library. from its old
| quarters Of nearly centurys standing in
| the Capitol to the new library building.
| had been completed at the date of the last
| report; therefore no money of the appro-
| priatlon for that purpose has been ex-
| pended since.
| Condition of Building and Grounds.
The building and grounds have been
| maintained in excellent condition through
| out the year by comparatively small
| force. All parts of the building within and
| without, including those under the jurisdic
| ton OF the librarian well as those under
this office are kept clean and in repair by
this force. which also does all heavy hand
| ling and moving. The care of the grounds
| extends to the sidewalks and the four large
interior courts. The building contains a.36
| acres of floor space, go acres of coppered
! and glazed roof surface, and over ,. 100 win
/ dows. The grounds, payements and courts
cover S.55 acres.
| The grounds have been finely lighted
regularly every night by the electrical APP
| paratus OF the building. which has also sup
pied the artificial light needed In some
parts on very cloudy days. and the power
| for the book-carrying and yentilating ma
chinerY. Since the 1st of October last the
building has been open to the public every
| secular day continuously from o'clock
am. until 10 O'Clock pm. From declining
daylight until the closing hour the principal
| public spaces have been lighted by the
same local electrical apparatus. using some
300 lamps of different sizes equivalent to
| 4 $40 OF sixteen candle power each. These
public spaces comprise the whole Of the
| staircase hall. the main reading room, con-
OF T1fr1r fhE.- oar
ridCrs in the first story and the exhibition
halls of the west and south fronts.
| An of the mechanical apparatus OF the
building comprising chiefly that for heat
| ing and yentilating, lighting, water supply,
elevators. plumbing and the automatic
book-cafrying and pneumatic machinery for
communication between the great reading
room and book stacks. and under ground
| between the library building and the Capt.
| tol, has operated throughout the year very
perfectly and without serious interruption.
Public Interest.
'"The intense public interest IN the build
ing. a worthy and attractive architect
| urai artistic and mechanical work. which
| began as soon as 1t was completed and
thrown open to visitors IN the spring OF
1887, has continued unabated to the present
time and is evidently permanent. The peO-
pie come in numbers, frequently in small
parties and anon large excursion parties
the art work and inscriptions, under the
guidance of their teachers, are often seen
here. and no day thus far has been so in
clement that several hundred persons have
not visited the building. Any observer of
the steady flow of interested visitors, quiet
iy and thoughtfully moving through the
spacious public halls. studying and enjoy
ing the eYer-varying vistas and instructive
and amusing details of form, color aud
symbolism, will realize the wisdom of Con-
gress Ia having provided for the erection Of
such a building for the housing of a great
library freely open to all athe people. The
readers and Students who constitute a
gOodly portion of the general visitors will
of course be shown by the librarians re-
port.
Thus the building proves to be what its
builders endeavsred to make it-a good
book itself well as safe repository
and preservsF of good books.
The very beauty and dignity of the
building seem to be in a large measure its
safeguards against wanton, even care
less mutilation or DETACHMENT. for ii is true
that no instance of the sort whatever has
occurred during nearly two years Of visiting
by many thousands OF people The few
watchmen employed are indeed well organ
lied, competent and Vigilant, and their
presence is Indispensable, but beyond this
they rarely have to act to maintain orderly
behavior and respect for the cleanliness
and Integrity of the building.
The number of visitors to the building
being average of 1875 per day. The
maximum for July occurred on the sth
during the convention of the National Edu-
cational Association in this CITY, when 6569
persons visited the building during the day
hours and j., 1856 during the evening from
to IL o'clock only-about 5000 entering
through the main door alone in one hour.
On the following day the day visitors num-
bered 2,l15. and In the evening 10 944.
The furniture consists, stated in the
last annual report. of the greater part Of
/, a IL, H..
needed by the several departments Of the
library, including the principal reading
rooms and Offices and also part of the
permanent eases for the exhibition halls
and the general fitting up for the copyright
office. With. the present additional appro-
priation of $40 600 for the current fiscal
year the remaining cases to complete the
west exhibition halls and an outfit of spe-
ciai safe-cases required for the manuscript
department have already been procured,
and the furnishing of the periodical and
newspaper, music and map and chart de-
partments is being planned
Steps in this direction are being taken
slowly and cautiously to insure TO these
important departments the best permanent
results under the new conditions peculiar
TO their proper establishment in the new
building. A balance of S12 15S 46 on the
furniture account remains in hand. and
this with an estimated additional appro-
priation of $4,000 should provide the re-
naming furniture, partitions, etc, needed
for all immediate purposes of the library.
The Bronze Sculpture.
'Of the pieces Of bronze sculpture for the
building. purchased under the appropria-
items for and during the period of construc-
ton, and still remaining unfinished IN the
hands of the artists and bronze manufac-
turers at the time of the last annual re
port. there now remain but two pieces. botn
for the main rotunda, namely, the statue of
Michael Angelo, for the gallery balustrade
and the small group to surmount the clock.
The former has been finished in the model
which is now being put in bronze in New
Aork, and will probably be delivered within
the next two months. The model of The
clock group IS not yet 3nished, and Il is moi
expected that the bronze will finally be de-
Evered for many months to come.
THE south pair OF bronze doors at the
main entrance were put in place on Febru- |
ary 10, and the north group required to
complets the fountain in the front ay-
breaches on February -. Accordingly the
sums of money, still unpaid are S, 600 for
the bronze statue and $a491 for the clock"
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