The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-05-13

FAIR
but Is one Of the most improved mail
cars, I'm which men attached TO the
United States railway mail service are
actively engaged in throwing" the
| mails. Here you will see the postal
clerks nj work. just as they work while
speeding along rallrond track.
A curious collection Of old time rel
les from the postoillce museum Mt
Washington illustrates as no verbal
description can do the crude begin
nings of the postal system. One Of
these relics Is an old fashioned stage
coach that once carried United States
mails through a portion of the Louisi-
ana purchase territory. President
Roosevelt, who once inspected II, eN-
amincd with a rough riders interest
the bullet holes which stage robbers
and mountain brigands shot through
its stin' leathcrn curtains. Generals
Sherman and Sheridan and President
Garfield rode In this old coach during
the strenuous days of frontier life.
Among the collection of documents
showing the primitive postal methods
in vogue in the early days Is to be
seen the old book of accounts kept by
the first postmaster general, Benjamin
Franklin. all written by hand. There
Is n rare collection of stamps. includ.
ing ancient Filipino, Porto Rican and
Cuban stamps. The postotlice depart
mcnt's exhibit occupies 12,4G9 square
feet
Across the aisle, at the right, Is The
exhibit of the new Department OF
Commerce and Labor, occupying 1,96G
square feet. This exhibit shows what
the new executive department stands
for and what it Is accomplishing Mr..
Carroll u. Wright, United States Com.
missioner of Labor, had charge of the
preparation of the exhibit. Charts ar.
ranged by him, showing the rapid
growth of the nation I'm agricultups,
arts, manufacture. population, etc. ass
OF special interest 10 sociologists ard
all students OF the labor problem. Txe
Census Bureau exhibit Is made In tlss
section. II shows the tabulatlng ma.
chimes used I'm compiling the census re-
ports. The Lighthouse Board. also or.
Grating under this department, shows
the great revolving lenses In light
houses, with other interesting appll.
ances.
The space In the projecting north.
west corner of the building Is devoted
TO the Library OF Congress. The cdl'
flee which houses this library at Wash
ington Is held by many architects tc
be the most beautiful building In the
worm. It's interior decorations. by El
mer Ellsworth Garnscy, furnish one
of the chief delights OF visit TO the
national capital. A large model of thi:
splendid building is feature of the
exhibit. The decorative features OF
the interior are reproduced In theiI
original coloTs.
The next exhibit on the right hand
side Of the central aisle is that OF th'
,Vterior Department. occupying 1l,79.
square feet In this large space th'
visitor finds so many things OF com
peling interest that he Is loath e
leave. The Patent Office exhibit be
longs TO this section. There arc mod
els OF many machines that have born,
an important part in the development
of the nations industries. The earlies
form OF every device OF human inven
ton. so far as possible, is shown here
For instance. you may see the actua
sewing machine that was the first con
trivance OF It's kind every constructed
Il was patented In 1s46 by Elias Howe
The first typewriter, patented by G
Thurber in 1872; the model Of the frs
cast iron plow, patented by Charlel
Newbold in 1917; the first screw pro
J peller. Invented hF. Robert Hook Il