New-York tribune., 1902-02-11
WYERS LOSE HEAVILY.
MANY VALUABLE LIBRARIES DE-
STROYED-BOOKS AND PAPERS LOST.
TBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE. ]


Paterson. n. j., Feb. 10.-Most of the lawyers
in the city have suffered irreparable loss in the
destruction CT their papers and their libraries
Seventy of the lawyers of the city have no Of
fees. Some of them who had spent lifetime
in accommodating books and papers will have TO
begin all over again. OF course, the law books
can be replaced for money, but many OF the
papers that were lost cannot be replaced.
One of the most distressing cases of this kind
is. perhaps, that OF Edward r. Weiss the Re-
publican candidate for Mayor at the last cleo
non he makes speciality of searching titles
and he has spent a lifetime In collecting a plant
# maps and data for extracts Of titles. 1t was
worth at least, it is said, $4,000 but il is safe
10 say that Mr. Weiss would rather have lost
that amount of money than his data.
George +: Wright who succeeded TO the bust
ness of a former county clerk, Jacob II. Blau-
Welt has lest a similar plant. perhaps a little
more valuable than Mr.. Weiss's
Eugene Emley lost fine library and a num-
ner OF valuable papers. His most valuable docu-
ments were in his safe, and that has not been
excaNated from the ruins, but it is thought
thal Its contents viii be intact. The old deal
table with which the Prosecutor opened a law
oflce in this city. and which he priced highly
went down in the ruins as did also his old hand
rag IN which he carried his briefs 70 court
twenty years ago.
EX-SENATOR WILLIAMS SUFFERS.
In the same building ex-senator Robert Will
Jams and his brother William H. williams lost
everything except papers which they had In the
safe
Michael Dunn. city counsel. suffered severe
blow in the loss of his library both in his nrI-
Vate office and in the City Hail. and papers
oHicial and private, which ii will be impossible
10 replace. When he saw that the Romaine
Building was on fire, Mr.. Dunn got a corps Of
assistants and started carry his books. pct-
ures and papers over 10 his office in the City
Hall for safety, never magining that the new
City Hall would fall victim TO the flames.
MR.. GRIGGSs BOOKS BURNED.
The extensive law library OF former Attorney
lost. but Mr.. Griggs has fine law library in his
Jersey City Office
Robert l. Hopper not only lost his library and
his law papers, but he lost his home the old
homestead Of the Hopper family on Market-st
This landmark OF the city, and it was
made so by his father, the late County Judge
John Hopper. Mrs Hopper, who until the fire
lived with her son Robert l. Hopper in the old
homestead, is now with her son Colonel John II.
Hopper on Broadway.
One of the most embarrassing losses the city
suffered was the destruction OF the records in
the loss or the records in the Water Company 9
office. All the surveys of the city sewers and
the lines Of water pipes in the streets Of the
city are thus lost, and IL will endless
trouble for years to Without these rec
ords it Will be impossible TO tell where a sewer
or water pipe is located in street. When
s. property owner wants to make a sewer or
water connection wide of the street will
have to be dug UP before the desired pipe is
found. This viii cause trouble in the newly
paved streets
1t will be practically impossible to make a
new survey, except in the course of years as
the pipes cannot be seen, and the memory of
the most expert in these respective departments
cannot tell where these pipes are in all of the
streets of the city. The loss of these two sets
of records do not represent much in money but
the lack of them will perhaps cause more rea 4
worry and pickering for years to come than
anything else that went up in the flames.