The Washington times., 1904-10-30


Z canser of destruction by IRE, the
ffth largest library I'm this country now
lies buried in San Francisco says r
~. Child in the Boston Evening
Transcript Even those who have
heard Cf TIC Sutr0 collection have now
forgotten It's eEislcuce- even those more
persistent bibIomaniacs who have at
times str-ven 10 Eaiu access TO It's un-
known treasures have long ceased their
attempt Here on the Pacific Coast. one
If the four most valuable Libraries ia
the Elited States, containing a wealth
of material fer original research, Ul-
described volumes. manuscripts and lie
Illuminated monasnc tones, remains usi-
needed, useless, hopelessly bound up ir
litigation.
Adolph Sutro was very rich and
wel-krown man I'm California. In the
early days of mining in Nevada he was
interested In the long famous Comstock
lode at Virginia City; IL was ne who in
itiatcd The gigantic plan of boring
through the lode. and even today the
Sutro Tunnel is famous through the
West. Then Surro brought his millions
20 san Francisco. spending from time
10 time large slices of them I'm local
philanthropy. On the far prominence
OF the city, overlooking the Golden Cate
and the Seal Rocks. he built a park and
adorned the edge of it with many
statues and decorations OF unquestion-
able muDlECCCCe but OF somewhat
e"ubtful art. At that time the car line
charged q -C-ceuI fare 10 the park,
enough 20 forbid many a poor man from
taking his family 10 the cliffs for an
outing Sc Sutro, having pleaded and
stormed for cheaper rates. without ef-
1ect built a line OF his own and forced
The older corporation 10 come down 10
scent fare. Ii was like Sutro 20 do
this-a part of the same spirit that built
the Sutro Tunnel
For a time the phiIanthropist was an
ohcenolder, and his last term as mayor
or san Francisco lasted until 1895 Along
with his political prominence came his
mania for collecting books the last ff-
teen years OF his life he turned energy
and money toward amassing the vast
uncatalogued. disordered library that is
now so successfully locked uD in two old
buildings in the heart OF the city To-
day, iI you aye curious you may stand
on the corner of Washington and Mont
gomery Streets, not many yards away
from the What Cheer House. made Ia
nous by Robert Louis Stevenson. and
look up through the dusty panes Of the
Weather-bsaten Montgomery Block. at
the shelves OF books. ceiling nigh That
IS, probably. the most YOU VIII see Of
The sutro Library
Involved in Litigation.
Unfortunately. AdoIph sutro left no
VIII behind him. He had some male
heirs be had a daughter, and another set
or children came clamoring about after
ms death 10 say that they were his
All the property became involved Ia
dire hugation-the library with the Test
"a legal pot, anxious TO boil and slow
70 cook For seven years this stew has
zlmmeredi Tor seven years the vast col
lection Of books has been locked mp
with the key dangling ar the enj OF a
hopeless length OF red tape. and those
who are interested ia the dnaI DISPOSE
ton or the library have been wondering
what VIII Doe IT'S last resting place. III
IL goes 20 the male heirs, who cannot
De said TO be SO ardent iu their pursuit
OF literature as in their fondness for
money, IL win probably be sold. IT, ON
The other hand Sutro's daughter. Dr.
Emma Sutro Merritt "a physician. in
heriFs the library fl viii doubtless be
given 10 the city or 10 the university
Stanford would like 10 have the coIIe5-
liou- Already Dr. Andrew ID. White
has refused "a professionally there be-
cause research library was lacking.
1he attractions OF such "a library would
obFiate this objection not only iu the
ease OF Or. White. but with some other
scholars as Wen. Meanwhile the books
are perched iu the very section of The
city where the worst hres take place-iu
ore building over a bakeshop. which S.
Hot9riously a spot demanding a very
high insurance.
Comparatively little is known about
tne 5utrJ library even the luckiest Of
I'D O. arr
over the books The mayor was a
zealot as "a collector and there are prob
ably more than z25.f-9 titles, bat DE was
lilt az discriminating as he might have
been, so nearly half the collection, and
-lls applies 90 nearly ala Libraries, is
ancient trash The word ancient Isl used
adF-sedly. because the major portion Of
tle books date before 100 and perhaps
third, before 1eC8. There are f0reegles
among them. and che other monuments
r. tho Wlles practleed by the bookseller
l4f1l Lhe uusuEpeCtins enthusiast. but
IN does not take "a half-h0ur 10 run
across a dozen clriositiez and a finger
count of some ~ the greatest treasures
known 10 the bibli0plile.
Interesting ShakespeaIsans.
The shaEesDearesna is alone OF con-
Eumire interest. 5utT0 had agents con-
EtiuIly an work in England, and some or
the books and documents procured by
them were sent ouI OF the British Isles
under strong protest OF certain British
scholars In the Sutro library one finds
The Rent Roll OF Shottery Meadow, "
me original entry book with a vast
number or facts about Shakespeare s
Kin and the blood relatives OF his wife
lt IS only one Of the many legal docu-
u1ents which bear on the life OF the
great poet and here also are the four
"Folios Of the Plays. perhaps the most
interesting volumes OF English print
The rest OF the books, bearing upon the
various masters and schools or English
literature. are most interesting. but two
things are particularly noteWorthy-the
lack u q Chaucer collection. and the