Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-22
UNCLE SANS MANUSCRIPTS.
The Delicate Work by Employees Of
Congressional Library.

Inc library of congress has of
course, great many thousand manu-
scripts, public letters, state CORE
SponuenGc. documents relating to the
affairs of government, etc. to say
nothing of a vast deal of personal cor
rcsuondence between Presidents and
statesmen, who since the days of the
revolution, have conducted the affairs
OF the nation. There are also count
less deeds, land grants, papers relating
to negotiations with the Indians. writ
ten in pen and ink, and running back
To the earliest settlement of America.
and, in many tases, for Il considerable
period before that time. These papers
are being used and consulted by pub
lie men and students. and. as n result
OF continual handling. they. in time.
become stained, worn and very much
damaged.
Moreover, the library is constantly
adding to this large store of manu-
scripts and papers, and IL considerable
number of those received are in any
thing but good repair. Some are mil
dewed from laying in damp or wet
places, others are worn full of holes
while 1T least one-half of the very old
ones are badly torn and rufiled along
the margins. In some cases the manu-
scripts have lain. perhaps century.
| folded in one way. until the edge of the
| fold has worn down. leaving a series
of small holes running mt right angles
to one another across the paper.
To remedy these defects, the persons
| employed in the department of manu-
scripts have invented and discovered
various arts by which these tattered
papers may be made whole. This work
| is done by people who have, so to speak
grown up with the library of congress.
| and who, in the ajority Of cases, have
| been the inventors Of the arts by which
! they are able to take tattered and mil
dewcd MSS and restore them TO Il con-
/ dition bordering almost on their prist-
| inc state.
Taking the reporter into the work
room Of the division aforesaid, Mr.. F1t2-
! patrick gave him an introduction to the
work i'm all its stages. The worn ana
| tattered MSS, over 100 years of age,
| when it. reaches the division. is first OF
all treated to a bath of warm water.
| for the purpose of removing the dirt.
| one accustomed to modern inks. ana
especially to typewriter MSS, would
| imagine that such treatment wouid
| ruin the paper, and that the water
| would soften the coloring material
! causing it to run together forming Il
blur over the entire page. but the INK
manufactured in those days was COM
nosed of nutgalls and other vegetable
substances so that. like vegetable dyes.
| il is fast" and cannot be removed nor
! affected hy water once ii is applied to
either paper or cloth
| After the bath in warm water cones
| the drying process. and in this connGc-
ton it is worth stating that some OF
! the processes by which q torn or worn
| manuscript is made whole are secrets
known only to the employees OF this a.
vision. At all events the Ms is dried
| in sucl, a manner that II Is as pIiaht
after the bath as before The next
step in the work is the patching. Win
n sharp-edged instrument the work
man having the job in hand proceeds
to bevcl down the edges along anu
| around the border Of the hole IN tne
manner of Il cabinet-nlaker trimming
a section OF veneering for the corner
Of a piece of furniture
Then comes the patch. This he cuts
from a sheet of paper of the same. OF
rs near the same kind and quality az
the MS itself. and when he has
trimmed it down TO about the same
dimensions az the hole he bcyels tn.
border down until the edge is as thin
and light as the finest cobweb. Wher
This is finished he is ready to lay on
the match. Care must be taken not te
destroy SO much as the tenth part 81
an inch Of the original writing. and II
il happens that the paper is written OF
one side only. then the patching i
done from the side that is blank Ever
then the utmost care must be exercised
10 nrevcnt cutting away any Of thu
writing on the opposite side. Thu