Evening star., 1936-12-12
Continued From Page B-1.)
resenting 1.-THE Future" Is the figure
At the left

NSUIllulQCu CIOul d8C o-4J
resenting 1.-THE Future" Is the figure
at the left.
In the frieze that adorns the upper
portion of the main block of the build
ing are Is medallons, each feet in
diameter, which represent, respective
", the Senate, the House and 10 major
departments of the Government and
the Nation. Seven of these medal
lions were executed by Robert Aitken
and the six others are the work Of
James Earle Fraser, famous New
York sculptor, whose beautiful Gre
ations adorn many sections Of Wash
ington.
Likewise, the pediment on the Con-
stitution avenue side and the figures
on either side of the entrance steps
are Mr.. Fraser's work. The central
figure Of this pediment represents
''The Recorder of the Archives" and
it is seated ON an architectural throne
which rests on recumbent rams, SYM
bols of parchment. A decorative frieze
that runs above the rams is formed
of the flowers of the papyrus plant,
symbol of paper, the two mediums that
make possible the housing Of docu-
ments. Attendant figures receive,
gather or contribute records, and
groups of dogs at either end are the
symbols Of guardianship.
The figures on the granite pedestals
represent heritage and guardianship.
A RAMP running from Seventh
street to the basement of the
building Is used for the transfer of
documents from their present de-
positories, and trucks deliver their
cargoes safely to a large receiving
room where they are checked, and
those in need of cleaning, fumigation
and repair removed to the Division
of Repair and Preservation.
Here, by q method of compressed
air, which operates in reverse FASH
ion to a vacuum, dust or dirt is blown
from the pages of books or documents
and papers. These cleaned books,
piled on hand trucks. are then wheeled
into a large fumigating tank, where
they are kept for about two hours and
half, and subjected to a chemical
that thoroughly fumigates and kills
all organic life without endangering
the workmen who happen to come
into contact with it.
The third step in this division is
preservation, and this is affected in a
unique manner devised originally by
the Bureau of Standards for the
preservation Of news print and here
adapted to Eliminating all papers or
pamphlets by process that Yields
the sheet between transparent sheets
of celluloSe acetate under heat and
pressure. As the acetate is thermo-
plastic, 1t flows over the surface of
the paper, making it alright. Many
advantages are gained by this method.
While the process YIELDS the document
between the acetate sheets, the result
is one single sheet, with no measure
able thickness, transparent and pro-
tected from possible alteration, ex-
terror conditions and handling.
Under the old method, using crepe
line or Japanese tissue instead of the
modern acetate, it took an entire day
Of a good operators time to treat 20
letter-size sheets. BY means of the
modern hydraulic press used in the
archives q minimum of l20 sheets an
hour are permanently preserved under
the improved method.
The new method not only costs
less but there Is as much as a so per
cent decrease in space required to
house the documents after they have
come from the press.
DOCUMENTS which bear a date
later than 1910 cannot be per-
mitted to come in contact with water,
because Of their composition, and
when such papers arrive folded they
must be spread on trays and treated
under humidity to erase the creases.
They are then stacked under blotters
and put under q hydraulic press to
dry. There is q small laboratory in
connection with this division, where
new or improved methods for treating
and preserving old papers can be
experimental upon and worked out.
From this division, elevators carry
the documents to what is at present
known as the Division of the De-
partments," but which will eventually
be divided into separate divisions for
each department of the government,
as Division of Commerce" Division
Of Treasury" etc. Here papers are
transferred from their original con-
tainers to Archives containers and
Identification inventories are made
of all deposits. With the assistance
Of lists that come to the Archives
buildings from the various depart
ments with the deposits, the material
Is placed in the stacks, later to be
catalogued, indexed and filed by the
Cataloguing Division. So far Is pos
sible, the classifications given the
material In the department where 1t
Is retained. But an orig
tual system similar to that now en-