Evening star., 1902-01-04

the library on the evening of December
p, 1925. 1t Is interesting to note that Ed
ward Everett, on his way home from an
evening party, was the first to notice the
fire, and he and Daniel Webster with other
members of Congress, helped to extinguiSh
it,. Only few books Were destroyed.
On the oath of December, 1851, another
and more disastrous fire occurred caused
by defective f1ue and out of 5000 VOL
umes only 10000 We're saved. The portion
saved included the divisions of jurispru-
dence, political science and American his
tory and biography. Two-thirds of the
Jefferson collection We're destroyed in this
fire.
The New Building.
AS early as 1871 Mr.. Spofford, in his an
nual report for that year, called attention
to the crowded condition of the library,
and recommended that Congress take ac-
ton looking to the erection of a library
building to accommodate the rapidly grow
ing collection. The first step in this direc-
ton was taken when Congress, by the act
of March 3, 1873. created a commission to
select a plan for a building for the library,
and appropriated s., 900 to procure plans.
Finally after, nearly fifteen years of dis
cuSsion and postponement, an act was
passed April 10, 1886. authorizing the con-
struction of building substantially
cording to the plan submitted to joint
lect committee by John l.. Smithmeyer in
the Italian renaissance style of architec-
ture, with such notifications might be
found necessary or advantageous. The
construction of the building was placed In
charge of commission composed of the
Secretary of the Interior, the architect of
the Capitol extension and the librarian of
Congress. Five hundred thousand dollars
were appropriated to commence the con-
Struction OF the building and S;,IoOOO to
purchase the site. Under this commission
with Mr.. ]. L. Smithmeyer as architect the
site was cleared of houses and excavations
he lott 90
By act OF October 2, 1888, this commission
was abolished, and the construction placed
under the direction of Gen. Thomas L. Ca
sey, the chief of engineers of the army.
The original designs for the building were
furnished by John l.. Smithmeyer and Paul
j. Pelz, and the architectural details
We're worked out by Paul ]. Pelz
and Edward P. Casey Upon the
death of Gen. Casey, March d. ISas the
charge of the construction devolyed upon
Bernard r. Green, and under his superin-
tendence the building was completed Feb
ruary %, 1897, at a cost of $6347 600, ex-
elusive OF the land, which cost $685., 900.
Rapid Growth.
The rapid growth Of the library dates
from the appointment of Mr. spofrord as IL
brarian at the end of 1864 The sources of
increase We're then, as now, regular annual
appropriations by Congress, special appro-
priations. deposits under the copyright law,
gifts, international exchanges and begin
ming In 1885, the additions to the Smithson-
ian collection of publications of learned So
cfeties
The annual appropriations for books were
small, but were expended by the librarian
with sedulous care in supplying deficien-
cies, particularly in the departments of
American history and biography, in Iuris-
prudence and in political science. through
constant use of every opportunity offered
by public sales and by purchase from cata-
logues The development of the library
from a collection of - 900 volumes in 1S63
to 600 600 volumes in 1900, and the growth
OF lts large collection of newspapers. peri
odleals, music maps, manuscripts and
prints, places the institution in the fore
most rank of it's kind