The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-05
GREATLIBRARYLEF TTO WASTE
4 WILL CONTEST HAS TIED up
FAMOUS WESTERN BOOKS.
More Than Three Million Volumes Decay
Ing In an Old Theatre and Another
Building in San Francisco While City
and Heirs Fight for Possession.

| On Montgomery street, San Francisco,
stands an old theatre, ono ofthe first erected
on the Pacific coast. and interesting on that
| account. But within its walls is some
| thing which makes the ghosts of dead
actors to many people easy to forget. It
is the Sutro library. collection of books
ranking fourth IN size among the libraries
in tho United States. and containing rare
works which mako it one of the worlds
nOtabl" collections.
Upward IF 1000. 0O0 titles are in The two
divisions of the library, the larger of which
is in he old theatre, the ot her being lodged in
equally poor quarters in Battery street
There are four and half miles of shelves,
and shonld Won rend a volume every day
for LII years, many would still remain
unopened.
The University of California, Stanford
University and the city Of San Francisco
are among the seekers for the possession
Of this mine Of literary wealth. but the
Sutro library 10 within she tight clutc hes
Of .he law, and until It's bony fingers are
unclasped only tho favored holder of a
perm: from the executors of Adolph Sutro's
viii can get even So much as peep at the
volumes. The will was exec uted in 1882
II hequeathed oil the books, papers and
manuscripts in its makers library 10 his
daughter. Emma H. Sutro, now Mrs Merritt
! The heirS-at law contend, however, that
Mr. Sut 70 referred only o the small library
in his residence, and not 10 the great col
Lotion. most of which was gathered to-
gehnr ar date subsequent to the will
The often expressed intention of Adolph
Srro to present the library to Stanford
University in trust for tho city Of San Fran
cisco, oI which he was once Mayor gives
color TO this contention.
But while lawyers wrangle and heirs
disagree. rats, bookworms, dust, water
and fire threaten the legacy. If the courts
decide in her favor II is believed that Mrs
Merritt will present the library to the pub
lie. but if 1t fall into the hands Of the heirs
at-law and thus become part of the resid
uary estate, il will be sold and scattered
Adolph Sutro. who built the great Com
stock tunnel through Mount Davidson in
1881 and left an estate of $2,5OO,O 600, as
sembled this library also, He devoted
the last thirty years Of his life TO collecting
books. From the Sunderland library, sold
by the Duke of Marlborough, he obtained
one of the most complete sets OF politica!
broadsides relating 70 the war between.
Charles /, and Parliament 10 be found
anywhere. He bought largely from the
Duke of hamilton. from he Royal Davarian
Library, from the CarthUeian Monastery
~ D'NkntHH, Ilt' ktI' Hcl'i lUlS
pertaining especially TO the drama. lhe fire
arts and the history Of the American CONT
nent wherever they could be found In dis
way he Obtained quantities Of rare Spanish
works from Maxico, several th0u'nra
copies of Chinese classinS and many Hebrew
manuscripts
In the HAhrnw collection ia tome Gu
tiled "Zenacl. which is a history of the
world from The earliest times 10 1892 printed
at Frankfort -on-the- Main in 1900 by David
Cans. and lying uncared for in an old show
case in the Mont gomery street division are