Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Capitol Fire Restarts.

April 3, 1911, New York Times, CAPITOL FIRE RESTARTS.; Takes an Hour to Extinguish Flames from Debris.

ALBANY, April 2. -- Fire started afresh this afternoon among some debris in the State Capitol, but was extinguished in about an hour.

With 500,000 books and half as many manuscripts, representing the accumulations of ninety-three years of purchases; gifts, and State documents in the State Library damaged or destroyed, it is estimated that it will require from ten to fifteen years and from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 to reproduce a working library of the magnitude of the burned one. James I. Wyer, director of the State Library, said to-day:

"I believe the State of New York will want to perpetuate the State Library as one of the greatest libraries of the world. It was third in size and importance in the United States. To do that a large appropriation must be forthcoming at the outset to put this library on a working basis when it goes into the new State Education Building. If the staff of the library is to be kept intact, and the State Library School eventually retained in Albany, this appropriation must come speedily and the work of the rebuilding of the collection must be pushed with all dispatch."

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