Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1905-04-21
FIXING UP MANUSCRIPTS.
INTERESTING CORNER OF THE
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
Nice Work Done in Patching Up,
hountins and Binding old Records
Material for Study in Old Docu-
ments-vandaIs in the Library.

Unless properly introduced, you will
miss the most interesting feature Of
the Library of Congress. writes the
Washington correspondent of the New
York Post. Behind screen in the
reading room of the division of manu-
scripts, where Sit all day studious men
porting over records of the past, is a
door which opens on narrow, spiral
staircase. If Mr.. Lincoln, the assist
ant in charge, gives permission an en-
PERTAINING hour awaits the visitor who
climbs the stairs. AT the very top of
the building is large shallow room
Hooded with the north light sought by
artists. 1t is furnished with tables
such as draughtsmen use and occupied
by five persons, two men and three
women. They are repairers of manu-
scripts. Their skill has made it pos
sible to use for purposes of research
some OF the priceless old manuscripts
that have come into possession of the
government The curious thing is that
none Of them have served the long ap-
premiership that one would think
necessary before undertaking such del
icate work. Mr.. Berwick, the chief re-
pairer. was detailed from the govern
ment printing Office. He and his as
sistants now do such work as is done
only at the Vatican. Some manuscript
repairing is done in New York, but
only here and in Rome, so far as is
known, is such work being done con-
stantly.
The repairers handled nearly 1000
pieces last year ranging from the per-
feet document (requiring little atten-
ton beyond fiattening, to the most del
icate and exacting task of inlaying and
reinforcing. The old Virginia records
obtained in the Jefferson Library and
dating back to the Seventeenth CEN
tury have been inlaid as rapidly as
suitable contemporary paper could be
obtained for them. One volume is
completed and another is well in hand.
The royal and vice-royal DEGREES OBJ
tanned from New Mexico. which have
been described in this correspondence,
have been repaired, mounted, and
bound In two volumes, and some vol
umes of the Jackson, Thornton and
Tazewell paper have been finished.
The ancient records from Guam, Sc
cured at the time of our peaceful con-
test in that island, are fragmentary
and have suffered much from neglect;
but there is much of value, especially
the volumes of the orders of the gov
ernor, Don Manuel Muro. 1794-1S00,
and some court records. There is
hardly paper of date earlier than
1860 that will not require repair
These Guam papers will be taken in
hand by Mr.. Berwiek's force as soon
as the Virginia records are completed.
They will not be available for the stu
dent until the repairs are made.
In repairing, each paper or collec-
ton of papers requires special treat
ment, but the general process is the
same. The manuscript is first damp |
ened gently with sponge so that
The incest care must be
1.-THE incest care must be |
taken to smooth no crease which was
unnoticed by the writer, lest legibility
be sacrificed. The manuscript is then |
dried between boards and submitted to |
heavy pressure. This prevents the re-
appearance of the original roughness. |
The period of pressure necessary to
secure a permanently smooth surface
IS about "a hours Where the quality
Of ink will not allow the manuscript /
20 be dampened it takes a longer time |
The manuscript is now ready to be
repaired. For this purpose paper of
similar color and texture to that of
the original must be obtained. In
many cases, owing to the age of the |
this is no easy task. In
Iced, ii is the hardest problem for
he repairers to solve. They are con-
SANITY in search of old paper, and the
government is always ready and anx-
Gus to buy when any Is found. Hand
made paper is necessary, and no bit
If such paper is wasted. Sometimes
n collections Of manuscript that come
o the library several blank pages are
ound. These are eagerly seized upon
ind preserved. Pieces no larger than
/ twenty-five cent piece are saved as
'crupulousiy as whole pages. In re-
pairing an effort is made to find
latch that will match the watermarks
II the original manuscript, so that af-
er the work is completed the naked
we cannot discern where the new and
I'D join. Some marvellous specimens
# the skill of the repairers are shown.
After the manuscript is prepared a
,atch conforming in size to the hole
n the original is cut, the edges of
10Th hole and patch carefully bevelled
nd scraped, and the patch held in
lace with a thick -four paste. The
is against submitted to
Ieavy pressure. When dry the line
4 union between patch and paper is
gain delicately scraped. and the first
tage Of the work of repair is COM
leted, but the manuscript is not ready
or use-
Although no attempt is made to sup
ly words which have been torn from
he original manuscript it is protected
gainst further loss. A covering of
ne silk yelling (crepeline) is used
'ormerly thin tracing paper was
sed. This gave firmness to the man.
script, but impaired legibility. Crepe
ne was first used by the repairers
the Vatican, and was soon after
dopted in the library. This covering
pasted on both sides of the manu-
eript. that the tendencies of the naner