El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-10-16
Library of Congress 100 Years Old; 3D.
Is Third Largest Library In World Rene Baehs
Bmnwa

American 18th century news journals
! is unrivaled-
Early Archives Of New Mexico.
I The collection of manuscript ~Ameri-
( cana" includes the private and OFF,
{ ciaI papers Of Washington, Jefferson,
/ Madison, and six other presidents, as
well as many Of the papers Of BenJa-
! min Franklin; also the records of the
/ Continental congress, and the orderly
I books" containing military orders
Z from day to day. Of the American
I army during the revolution. 1t en-
/ braces. as an incidental item, the early
archives Of New Mexico; and those OF
California. pertaining to the same
uerIod would be likewise in the library.
/ but for the unfortunate fact that, kept
! at home for the qualification Of State
Z pride trey We're destroyed in the fire
which fellow ed the great earthquake Of
n -ew years ago.
Knew Every Book.
In 1864 AinSworth r. Spoffoii was
appointed librarian Of congress. Not
without reason was he called the "hu-
man library index" inasmuch as ale al
ways Sc e1lCd 10 know the exact place
% fact IN book and the exact place
o. that book en- the shelves But. Though
acquire much notion Of modern meth
DDS, and during this incumbency there
was nOs even a proper card cataloS OF
subjects Thus IL was the congressman
were accustomed to say How shan
We be able C. ind bCCk, or anything
we want &c know, when good old Spoff
departs this life
Mr.. Spofford was incidentally copy
right officer, and thereby hangs an
amusing tale. Being interested IN
books and not at all in copyrights. and
sufficiently occupied with his duties as
Librarian, he would put aside the
money orders, received from day 10
day in payment for copyright fees.
nT1 another.
sometimes between the leaves Of ODD
volumes, and sometimes in other hap
hazard places The money order division
of the postOffice department wrote him
time and time again that numerous or
ders addressed to him had never been
cashed- He always replied cOurteOusly
that he would attend to the matter,
and then-forgot At length a formal
held guiltiess Of any intended wrong,
was required 10 make good the miss
ing funds TO the extent Of $50, 600. The
management OF the library and copy
right business passing soon afterwards
into other hands. nearly all of the
missing money orders turned up, being
discovered a Few at time In pigeon
holes and other unsupported spots, and
the bulk Of the cash was returned
eventually to the absent-minded man
Of books
Meanwhile. the quarters long occu-
pied by the library in the capitol were
cause Of much complaint. DelnE 50
cramped that thousands Of books were
piled I'm heaps on the floor, "Old Man
Spoff' did not care particularly; he
knew in what pile every book was. But
there were other persons who thought
the arrangement unsuitable for the ma
tional book collection. The subject
came up for serious discussion in Con-
gress. and the Upshot Of the matter
was that an appropriation was made
to erect the beautiful library building
which today is one of the principal
architectural ornaments of Washing
ton
Worlds Finest Library Building.
The cornerstone was laid in 1856. and
the structure was completed in 1897. at
a cost OF $500 600. It covers three ana
a half acres. The bookstacks. which are
independent Of the building itself,
though embraced within it, provide ac-
cOmodation for 100000 volumes: and
when required. this capacity can be
extended to 100000 volumes The
shelves now available for use. II placed
end to end. would extend from Phila-
delphia to New York and ten miles be-
You'd
This is without comparison the fin