The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-04-26
PROTECT PUBLIC RECORDS
OFFICIAL WORK NOW IN PRO-
GRESS IN THIS LINE.
Preservation of Ancient Time-worn
Volumes Now Being Given Atten-

Preservation of Ancient Time-Worn
Volumes Now Being Given Atten-
tion,
State Examiner Charles r. Hathaway
of South Manchester, temporary ex-
aminer of public records was in town
again yesterday, and visited the town
clerks office and the probate Office. He
expressed much pleasure at the hand
some and durable manner in which Vol
ume /. of the local probate records has
been rebound and protected against de-
cay. The volume is very important and
is the beginning of the wills and in
ventories Of wills in New Haven, and
covers the period from 1647 to 1887
Judge Cleaveland expressed much sat-
isfaction with the volume, and the
handsome style in which it now APP
pears, and the additional security it
will provide against times ravages, no
doubt, for many generations. The or
iginal pages are intact, but each page
is faced with transparent silk, the silk
facing also being wider than the orig
inal pages, and reinforced at the edges
all around. The binding of the book
is wholly new and is of moleskin, which
is considered a most enduring binding.
The cost was $12O, and the work was
done at Taunton Mass.
Another probate Office volume need
ing attention is Volume vi, which COW
ers period of fifteen years in the
~ i sstO re
Various pages in this volume are lack
ing small fragment, which has APP
parently been eaten out by the corrod-
ing effect of the ink which was used.
This volume will probably be rebound
and preserved with silk covering for
the pages. This work will cost about
1920.
Also in pursuance of the work Of TAX
ing care Of public records, the shelving
of the probate court, which is of wood,
will before long be replaced by metal
shelving as further protection against
fire.
Mr.. Blakeslee of North Haven, VIII
was at the probate office here yestec
day, said that to protect similarly the
town clerks office in North Haven met
al shelving would replace the wooden
shelving there. The office had been in
very recent years much improved, but
this change, which would cost about
$780, would be a great protection
against damage of volumes by fire.
Mr.. Hathaway says in his circular IL"
sued to the offices where public records
are kept, in part as follows:
Up to the present time 1t has been the
custom to bind record books in sheep
skin with American Russia trimmings.
In, few places these are covered with
loose canvas covers to prevent wear.
Experience in this and other states has
shown that sheepskin does not stand
heat to any extent, and American Rus
STA seems to be, in this respect, In the
same class with sheepskin. Repeated
instances have occurred where books
/ bound in sheep and Russia have gone
| through fire in flre-proof sales without
] injury to the manuscript or paper por-
] ton of the book, but the sheepskin or
/ leather of the binding was completely
4 destroyed. In the recent fire at Mood
US, Conn, which destroyed the probate
| office most, If not all, of the books IN
the office which were bound In sheep
skin with leather trimmings, and the
| bindings Of all the books contained in
the probate safe were completely de-
stroyed. The binders board which fur
nished the base of the cover was I'M
injured, In two or three instances
there were loose canvas covers over the
leather covers, and this canvas was
practically uninjured, while the leather
under the canvas was burned to a crisp
The results of this fire have convinced
me of what / was before satisfied to
be the case, namely; that, as material
for binding, leather ought to be abso-
lutely given up and either canvas or
moleskin substituted, The ideal bind
ing in my opinion would be moleskin or
heavertine, as 1t is sometimes called
which is a cotton fabric with smooth
finish about the color Of the skin Of a
ground mole, with a loose canvas cover
to slip over the same to take the wear
while the book Is in active use.