Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-12-11
UNFORTUNATE AUTHORS.
Valuable Manuscripts That Rave Bee

Valuable Manuscripts That Rave Been
Burned.
think, says Washington post writ
or, the number of authors who nave suf-
fered loss by ire of manuscripts upon
which years OF hard labor had been
spent Is quito remarAable-enough at
least to be needed as warming and
cause those who are engaged In vslu-
able literary labors to dep.slt their work
In fie- proof safes and vaults. remem-
Der, Years ago, while living in Burning
ton Vt, daily passing the small BRICK
fire proof library which the late George
T. Marsh, SO long our minister to Italy,
had built in the yard which surrounded
his house. There, in this detached
building, he kept his literary treasures
and rare books. Ii his dwelling, which
was Of wood, had bean destroyed by
fire. his books and MSS. would at least
be safe.
In February, 1855, there was a fire In
this city which destroyed the residence
Of Senator Benton, the father of Mrs.
Fremont Saye Mrs. Fremont: both
houses ofcongress adjourned immediate
ly on hearing of the fire, and vast
throng surrounded the doomed house.
A son Of Mr.. Frank Key, of the Star
Spangled Banner plunged into the
smoke and fire to save for the senator
the portrait Of his wife. He made q
mistake, and saved instead a portrait
Of Senator Benton in his younger day.
The hhrary-his own and his fathers
with the great folios Of English state
trials, from which he began to read law
and history with his mother, was the
keenest felt loss. Many precious pri-
vate papers were burned, and near.y half
the manuscript of the Sc cond volume of
the Thirty Years View"
Even the memoirs Of the Life of
John Charles Fremont" which are now
going through the press, had a narrow
escape from fire. When Gov and Mrs
Fremont left for Arizona in 1878 the
boxes containing the steel plates and
wood blocks were placed in Morrelrs
hre-proof" warehouse, which Was des-
troyed by fire in 1881. The Fremonts
lost much that was stored in the ware
house-choice books pictures, and other
treasured things-but the materials for
the Memoirs" happily, for greater
security, had been placed in the safes
below the pavement, where the great fire
passed over there and left them COM
pletely unframed.
1 saw the fire, which took place In the
night. The Fourth avenue street car
stables In New York took a7e and we're
destroyed. The Morren storage ware
house stood on the opposite side of the
street, a very ordinary brick structure,
with no outside blinds. Inside it was
filed with combustible material in the
shape of household goods of every kind.
tanks filled with clothing, and all the
household treasures held dear by hun
dred families. OF course the great ton
CUES of fire from the stable shot into
the unprotected windows of this humDug
"fire-preof' building, and it crumbled
away like house of cards. Shortly
met at the New York hotel
the widow and daughter of Gen. Ander-
son. of Fort Sumter fame. They were
deeply lamenting the loss of all their
treasures, which were also stored in
this sham fire proof building. The
world will never know how much that
wss anrsdiops and valuable TUNED 3 seh-
:. - At1.t f.. 2 - : .