Evening star., 1925-10-08

Continued from First Page)
office building) has a particularly
pressing need of immediate relief IN
the storage of it's records, both cur
rent and dead" or inactive. With
an amazing accumulation of current
files and records due to the war.
there is urgency for a safe and secure
archives depository for its most
precious documents. This department
is the custodian of probably the most
valuable and precious of the hlstorl-
cal documents of the Nation - the
original copy of all it's laws, all jour-
nails of the Continental Congress, pro-
ceedings of the Constitutional Con-
vention, the proclamations OF the
Presidents, Executive orders, treaties
with foreign countries. commissions OF
Army and Navy officers and other
Government officials are turned over
to the State Department for sale
keeping and future availability.
These precious archives, instead OF
being carefully stored in fireproof
and convenient place, are crowded into
wooden cases lining the walls of varl-
Gus rooms from floor to ceiling.
Even Corridors Used.
Other important papers of State De.
partment spondence-diplomatic
correspondence, consular reports, In
ternational conventions, claims against
foreign governments, etC.-are stored
in makeShift places from subbasement
to attic and in corridors of the build
ing. The library many years ago
reached its capacity, and makeshift
arrangements have been adopted here
needed. Thousands of volumes are
boxed and stored. 1t is believed that
the greater mass if not all Of this ma
terial should be stored in an archives
building and not in a new building for
the Department of State, which must
be provided in few years.
Again, take the situation with re-
Spect to the Department of Commerce.
which is in a rented building and for
which a aforementioned building
is q pressing need. A person need
take but a few steps from the Capt.
tol into the group of eight buildings,
with more than score of floor levels
occupied by the Coast and Geodetic
Survey, to further appreciate the i'm
perativeness of the demand for an ar
chives building. Land titles all along
our seaboard are dependent upon the
accurate and continued knowledge of
changes in the ocean and river lines.
These changes are as inceSsant as the
shores. Because of them the records
are constantly consulted. They go
back to colonial days and affect many
billions Of dollars worth of property.
These records. covering our whole At
lantic front, affecting the accuracy Of
every waterfront title from Canada
south, are in rolls in wooden racks in
the fire-trap building occupied by the
Coast and Geodetic Survey. 1t would
be impossible to replace these records.
and they are liable to destruction at
any hour, as they are now housed.
Costly Plates i'm Cellar.
The same is true of the costly en-
graved plates made by this bureau.
Many Of these, costing great sums,
through a century past, are stacked
in wooden racks in the basement of
the same old structure only to be
reached by involved passages, which
would make the saving of them i'm
possible should fire occur, and under
such conditions that a small fire oc-
curing near them and lasting but
short time would destroy property
of priceless value which could not be
restored. The same is true of the
invaluable scientific working library
of the Coast Survey. Two fires al
ready have occurred in that building
1t is not fireproof. Had the fires not