Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-04-15

| ioiiNu anu ttlCu. II mas liz 'PPNs''
ance of having been read by some loud
voiced orator to a country Fourth of
July crowd, who are ready for any
| thing but the hearing of the reading
and the Grafton. 1t has tired feeling
and is shriveling with age.
Before the roof of this building was
| repaired we had terrible time up
here remarked Mr.. Emery. The
| water run through this place like -four
through sieve and we had all we
could do on the rainy days to keep
pals and spittoons under the places
where it leaked the worst. Some Of
our most valuable volumes that are
down in the new library. show the eff
fects of the water which at times
would defy our efforts to keep it off the
books.
Leave the first gallery behind and
go into the long alley called a gallery
that leads along the front of the build
ing over the House of Representatives
Here we find stacks of old books and
bundles of valuable papers that are
the original reports of many an officer.
Immense books that are the result of
the work Of the old valuation commis-
sions, the large volumes Of census re-
ports. Law volumes in Il profusion.
The records of the library.
An old catalogue of the library of
years ago is laying near and by it one
finds that the books were not located
for the librarian as they are today.
when the catalogue will tell them just
where to find a book.
in the Office of the secretary of State
remarks Mr.. Emery in explanation.
They later moved it up here and sent
up a clerk every time anyone wished a
book. Later they kept a clerk up in
this place all the time. but his duty
consisted chiefly of killing time and
keeping his sleeping record up to the
| average. In those days the books We're
not let out as they are today. Only
allowed to use them. Later the Legis-
lature granted the librarian the right
to let out books at his own discre-
ton"
The record books of the librarians
! are interesting in themselves to see in
what lines the minds of the great
statesmen of the past used to run.
| Some of the greatest statesmen, James
G. Blaine for instance, used to read al
| most entirely in the way of high class
fiction. The charges of books against
the name of the late Hon. Nelson
Dingley show that he was devoted to
Cooper's tales. and to deep thought.
Great bundles of maps are in little
side room at the end of the gallery.
Racks for the maps were made and
filled. The others had to be piled about
anywhere and everywhere. Here one
will find about every sort of map
| that ever existed in the State. All the
| old school maps of Maine are here
| The most miserable as we'll as the best
of the representations of the State Of
| Maine are in this pile. The charts are
| not devoted to Maine alone. however.
| This place is a storeroom for all the
| newspapers that are saved by the
| library department and high bundles
of them are piled about.
Threading the way back to the first
room. fight of stairs are assembled
and the side door entered.
This is the spooks chamber speak
gently" remarked the assistant libra
rian in an impressive manner. Here
| it is that in the dead hours of the nigh!
the spooks of the dead members of the
past Houses of Representatives and
Senates gather and look over the DO
ings of the present time and debate
upon what should be done. Their in
nuence is doubtless felt.
Look down there he continued.
pointing to the lower part of the long
attic to the place where the timber
that supports the roof over the assess
ors' room is seen. THAT is inferno.
No MIN enters that place without feel
ing the presence of the citizens of the
spirit world"
He uttered a long screech and as the
voice went gamboling from rafter ia
rafter, and into the recesses of the
dome, it sounded like some sepulchral
ghost calling home the cows.
Back through the door to the stairs
and up few steps. and one is in dark
room about Is feet square and 10 feet
high. All the light comes from up the
stairway. The gas is lighted and al
about are seen the barren shelves
loaded with dust
This was the room where all the
patent office reports were kept Mr.
Emery said. 1.-The class of people wnt
Bare deeply interested in patent Office