Ten Years in Washington or, Inside Life and Scenes in Our National Capital as a Woman Sees Them ... to Which Is Added a Full Account of the Life and Death of President James A. Garfield

CHAPTER XLVI.

Chapter 46182 wordsPublic domain

INSIDE THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE—THE STORY OF A “PUB. DOC.”—WOMEN WORKERS.

The Largest Printing Establishment in the World—The Celebrated “Pub. Doc.”—A Personal Experience—What the Nation’s Printing Costs—A Melancholy Fact—Two Sides of the Question—Printing a Million Money-Orders—The Stereotype Foundry—A Few Figures—The Government Printing-Office—A Model Office—Aiding Human Labor—Working by Machinery—The Ink-Room—The Private Offices—Mr. Clapp’s Comfortable Office—The Proof-Reading Room—The Workers There—The Compositor’s Room—The Women-Workers—Setting Up Her Daily Task—The Tricks and Stratagems of Correspondents—A Private Press in the White House—Acres of Paper—Specimens of Binding—Specimen Copies—Binding the Surgical History of the War—The Ladies Require a Little More Air—Delicate Gold-Leaf Work—The Folding-Room—An Army of Maidens—The Stitching-Room—The Needles of Women—A Busy Girl at Work—“Thirty Cents Apiece”—Getting Used to It—The Girl Over Yonder—The Manual Labor System—Preparing “Copy”—“Setting Up”—Making-Up “Forms”—Reading “Proof”—The Press-Room—Going to Press—Folding, Stitching, and Binding—Sent Out to “The Wide, Wide World.” 520