The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-06
GREAT LIBRARIES SWEPT 40:
AWAY IN THE FLAMES
Only the Bancroft Collection Escapes-.- Losses
{ That Will Be Utterly Beyond
Repair.

One Of the greatest and most irrep-
arabic losses to the city and country
at large was the destruction of its
libraries and the collection Of the
Academy OF Sciences. One after an
other the libraries. the collections of
years. disappeared in fire and smoke.
In few hours the work and expendi-
ture Of over half a century was swaI-
lowed up in the sea Of fire that swept
over the city.
The old Mercantile Library. the Me-
chanics Institute. the Pioneer Library
the Public Library and that of the
Bohemian Club, the B'nai Birth. those
Of the French, German and other socie-
ties, the San Francisco Law Library
i the library of the Supreme Court and
$others. The total volumes in these
II libraries footed up over 700 COO and the
( losses of individual owners swell the
total to over 1000, 900 volumes. the
monetary value of which can hardly be
s7Fstimated although the most conser-
aISyative place the figure at So GEO. 600.
Their value in historic interest and to
the world at large is incaIculable
One of the most valuable was that of
the Mercantile Library. In the early
years of the city paid agent was
kept abroad who bought up the libra
ries of noblemen and other individuals,
culled out the best and most valuable
and shipped to this city while the 9TH
ers were sold. In this manner was COL
lected library that was not equaled
on the Coast, and in the number of
lrare old books was not excelled by any
library in the country. Many of its
44~r<Tr
ago. and the only copies of some extant
are in' the British Museum--old black
letter books, printed on parchment and
other paper that has not been made
for over two centuries Histories of
the old days, written and printed when
history was hot in the making and in
valuable as works of reference to the
historian and the student OF today.
MECHANICS INSTITUTE.
The library of the Mechanics In
stitute, while equally as large in the
number of books, was collected more
with view to advancing the sciences
and mechanical arts, and hence may.
in great measure, be restored with
money. That of the Mercantile
never.
The Pioneers Library was invalua-
of the doings and the days of the
argonauts and the pioneers. The Sutro
z library, from the students standpoint
Skas probably the most valuable. Old
sfianuscript volumes, Illuminated and
bound in vellum before the art of print
ing was invented. Thousands OF
volumes from old monasteries in
Europe, some written in the Middle
Ages and during the Crusades on down
through feudal times, comprising a
political and religious history of the
world during those times. These
volumes were stored in two buildings
in the burned district below Mont
gomery street. One part was said to
have been In the Montgomery block.
which escaped the flames, and some
may be preserved, but if is doubted.
In addition to the scientific library,
the Academy of Sciences lost its mag
nificent collections, birds, animals, rep
tiles and insects. It's collection of bird
specimens was recognized as one of
the finest in the world and men have
come here from the Far East and from
Europe to study it, It took years and
the expenditure of many thousands of
dollars to collect it. The greater part
of it may be restored after many years,
but there were some specimens that
cannot be duplicated. they having been {
the last of their kind.
FREE LIBRARY GONE.
Librarian George T. Clark of the S
San Francisco Free Public Library
tells what happened to the city's col +
lection, which incidentally. was the
eighth largest institution of its kind in /:
the United States. He says:
In the main library in the eastern
wig of the City Hall we had 100000 t
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