The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-29
BUILDING BOOM STARTS UP.
CONTRACTS FOR NAVY STRUCT-
URES IN san FRANCISCO.
I%'ndismayed by Losses the People Prepare
FOR Business on a Large Scale-D de-
tailed List Of the Libraries That We're
LOst-Thplr Value Was So 600 900.

bOht-IUfW dih was G"P
OAKLAND, Cal, April 29.-There was much
activity to-day throughout the burned Sec
ton of San Francisco. many men being en-
gagged in clearing away the debris in prep
aration for the immediate construction OF
temporary buildings. Further warning was
sent out to all those who a safes in the
debris of the burned buildings advising them
not to attempt TO open the vaults or safes
of any kind for the present. Several persons
opened small safes taken from the ruins
Yesterday and the contents Immediately
took fire and were consumed
While the ashes are Ut yet cool in the
burned business district Of the city, con-
tracts are already being let for new struc-
lures to cost millions The Marlborough
Estate Company is to begin the construc-
ton often new stores, steel buildings, as
soon as the material can be obtained. John
G.. Agar, manager of the company, ar
rived from New York yesterday. He said
all the destroyed structures would be re-
placed at once.
The buildings Of the Marlborough Estate
Company destroyed by fire were the Cali
fornia Hotel, California Theatre, California
Building, at Suffer street and Grant avenue;
the building at Grant and Union Square
avenues, the building at Market and Front
streets, the building at Market and st,
Stuart streets. the building at Fourth and
Market streets, the building at Fourth
and WEIGH streets, the building occupied
by Kragen's Furniture Company on Market
street and the Whist Club building at Mason
street near Makter.
Mrs. Hermann Oelrichs of New York has
agreed to repair the Rialto Building and
build again OH the site of the Crossley Build
inp. She and her sister, Mrs. W. *. van
derbilt, Jr.. nave also stated that they VIII
put up solid office structures on their waltz
able Montgomery street property
In a few months the Fairnont Hotel on
Mob Hill. designed to be one of the most
picturesque and costly hotels in the world,
will be open for business. The Law
brothers have already begun the work OF
, removing the burned woodwork and Will he
della yed in their original plans for opening
the hotel only about three months.
Among the almost irreparable losses en-
tailed by the fire which devastated the
centre of the city, none will be more keenly
felt than those of the libraries. With the
single exception Of the Free Public Library
in the City Hall. which, while badly wrecked
by the earthquake. escaped damage by
flames, none of the big public collections
and few OF the finest individual collec-
tions of books escaped. Great collections
| OF invaluable records that had taken years
to collect disappeared in a day. Thousands
! of volumes. more priceless than gold to
historians. furnished food for the hames'
and will never rise from the ashes.
No accurate estimate can be made oil
/ ~, ,,o,atar, ~, worth IF the hpDkS DESTROYED
for dollars and cents cannot express the
loss. but it is believed that the market value
il in excess of So, GOO, 600. Among the coIlec-
tions that vanished we're those contained
in the main Public Library and two OF its
branches: the Mechanics Institute Library,
the Mercantile Library, the Sutro Library.
the Pioneer Library, the Bohemian Club
Library, the B'nai Birth Library, the French
Library. the San Francisco Law Library
and the Library of the Supreme Court.
The number Of volumes in these COL
! lections was not less than 100000 and the
losses of individual owners of libraries
ran up to more than $1,000 900.
Librarian George NJ. Clark OF the Free
Public Library, which incidentally was the
eiohth largest institution of its kind in
the United States, says:
III Nlle mann ''a So
OF CITY Hall we had 1870. 900 books. This
was a total loss. the structure housing
the volumes being shattered by the earth
ouake and swept by fire. The California
Academy of Sciences and Society OF
Pioneers collections included invaluable
data relating to the early history OF the
State. These, of course, can never be
repls ced. Fortunately the Bancroft Lii
brary, which was recently purchased by
the State, had been emoved to the Uni
yersitv of California at Berkeley, and this,
of course, was saved.
Among the many private losses perhaps
ths most serious were those of jerome A.
Hart, editor of the .Argondui, in whose
library were relics and data of the days OF
40 worth their weight in gold, and Reuben
n. Lloyd. whose quarters in the Nevada
Bank Building were crammed with books
and the finest private collection of curios
from every part of the world on the Pacific
coast.
From morning until late at night every
boat takes hundreds of people to San Fran
cisco who's sole purpose in visiting the
city is to dig among the ruins and carry of
such articles of value as they are able to find
with small effort. Laden with suit cases,
baskets, bags and satchels they are eager
to grab from the streets and houses any
thing that may have a possible historical
or pecuniary value Toward nightfall
thew return across the bay, carrying proofs
of their days labor.
Throughout Chinatown and along kear-
ney street, where bazaars filed with ORR
entail wares once stood, tho harvest Of loot
has been particularly rich, the men, women
and children fearing neither the presence
of the military nor the danger of WtNDlirg
walls. Among the ruins Of many family
hotels looters have been very fortunate.
In the ashes Of pawnbrokers' IS dblish-
ments also they have gathered trinkets.
Despite the fact that the apparatus of
the fire department was more or less dam
aged there is still sufficient to COPE with
any other fire. Twenty engine houses were
burned, three engines, two water batteries
and a hook and ladder truck were destroyed
hv fire. Half a dozen engines were 80
badly warped that they are now at the cor
p~oration yard being put into condition.
All the Oakland banks are open informally
and doing business in a regular way,
save that they do not deal in San Francisco
exchange or cash checks and drafts on San
Francisco banks. They are amply fortified
with money drawn from the Mint, and are