The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-12-12
Every Day Stories Of the
Workings and Workers Of the Departments.

AMI Smith is to the Senate Document
Room, of which he is the Superintendent,
and has been for many years, what Libra
riaB Sponord is to the Congressional Lii
brary. Mr. Smith has phenomenal
memory in regard to documents, their
titles, subject matter and number. He can
put his hand on any bill called for in
the twiakifng of an eye Ask him about
some old, balf-forgotten bill, and he has
that one tabuIated in mis- memory by
number and can dig it cut in the very
shortest space Of time. II by any chance
he should happen not to recall the bill,
his first assistant, George Boyd, also
an old-time hand in the Senate Document
Room, Will very likely come to the rescue.
Between MIR. Smith and Mr. Boyd the bus
mess of slowing away documents and
bringing them to light again when call
ed for has ben reduced to a science. More
over, their days are not idle ones al any
stage Of a Congressional session, for
there s constant stream of enquireTs for
bills and reports. by Senators, members
of the House. pages. public and telephone.
ali day long
Alonzo A. Stewart, Assistant Door
keeper of the Senate, has been an en-
pioye at the Capitol, boy and man, for
nearly a generation When yet in knick-
erbockers he was a page on the floor. and
later was made chief page OF the Sen
ate, which position he occupied during
the lDal years OF the late Captain Bds-
sett. who vas the patriarch of the place
Ever since the latter's demise, Mr. Stew
art-as a boy page he was 'Sonnie" to
all-has occupied the position and per-
frr-4 ,1d he -
keeper The Capitol Building having
been his official home for so many years
he knows every nook and corner in its
area On the floor of the Senate his
services are invaluable He knows and
is known 10 everybody. Likewise he
knows intuitively what every Senator
wants and how, where, and when 10 get
il. Such a man is very useful. and NJ.
Stewart Is appreciated accordingly.
Hamilton Dimick, who has been clerk
in the accounts division of the Office of
Indian Affairs since August, 1889, occupies
a very important desk He keeps the of
fetal record of all field employees in the
Indian agency service, conducts all the
correspondence connected with their en-
trance upon duty, transfers and leaves of
absence. All monthly reports or regular
and irregular employees come TO his desk
fer entry, checking up, changes on record
books and acknowledgement The agency
service cor prises q small army when it
is considered that there are nearly sixty
Indian agencies, with an average OF over
a dozen employees at each, embracing
clerks. carpenters, blacksmiJhs. IeamsleTs
and Iaborers. Another feature Of Mr.. Di-
mick-s work is the correspondence relat-
ing 10 the bonding OF and instruction Of
new appoinIeeS as Indian agents AS TO
taking up the Government property and
reCeIpting therefor 10 the outgoing agent.
his work requires unerring accuracy and
10 little responsibility. The confidence
reposed in Mr.. Djmick by his superiors,
taken with the fact that he has been
steadily advanced &c the higher grades of
the Office. is the best evidence Of his ca
pacity Mr. Dimick Is a native CT Ala
bama and was formerly connected with
the big steel company at Birmingham.
judah T Ainsworth. nov clerk in the
Forestry Division of the General Land Of
fee has been in the Interior Department
since June Is, 1859. and is OF that class
who have made their "ten-strike' as ex-
pert stenographers. Some years ago Mr..
Ainsworth. according 10 fellov-employe.
who knows all about II. was an attache Of
the assignment division Of the Patent Of
fee. OF which Frederick Y. Booth is the
chief The Iast-named division has some
thing like fifty copyisJs, and nothing but
copying is its function When patent
attorney wants copies of papers IN con-
nection with g case on file or OF file,
wrapper. and contents the matter goes
to the assignment division. where the
copying Is done at q charge Of 10 cents
the folio Now, Mr. AinswOTth was then
ambitious TO win-out in the Government
service and since he has done SO, 1t
won't hurt to recall this incident There
was another youth IN this bunch-mosJly
women-who was bent on the same end
This pair went at IL a-copying on the
typewriter. leaving their colleague far be
hind and ran a dead heat for the hOnors
in one particular month with record
OF 10000 words a day for thirty consecu-
tive days. 300 600 words. not at all pop
uIar proceeding with some of the others
who had been content with about 3 see
or LOCO words q day little mental
mathematical calculation will demon
strate that the assignment division is a
paying institution, even at the minimum
rate Of copying-and 1t is all sure pay,
OF course. Mr.. Ainsworth was not long
in attracting attention, and soon after the
record alluded 10, was gobbled by Land
Office chief OF division, who wanted a
real hummer e his work The other
party 10 the thirte-day typevTiting stunt
has also followed him into q better po-
sitiOn.
Mrs Lucy L. Williams. an emplcye in
the certificate division of the Pension Of
fee, is a woman of intellect. She first
saw the light at Wabash, Ind. and made
the most Of exceptional opportunities for
an education. A widow for many years,
she has given the benefit of her fine mind
to the work assigned her IN the Govern
ment seTvice-the first proceeds OF which
were devoted TO the cultivation Of an
only daughters voice, sending her TO Bos-
ton. New York, and the conservatory at