Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-14
MONASTERY WITH
COTENTS BURNED
MOUNT WILSON is SCENE OF
$4,000 FIRE
Valuable Papers Destroyed, but
Nothing Which Cannot Be
Replaced in Course
of Time
rsneclal 70 The EIerald.1

PASADENA, Dec. 13.-From fire
by an overheated range, the Carnegie
Mount Wilson solar observatory bar
racks, known as the Monastery,
burned to the ground in twenty min
utes today. The fire started at il
o'clock this morning, and so fast was
the spread of the flames that it was
practically impossible to save any of
the contents of the building. The loss
is estimated at $4,000, with $4,000 insur-
ance, but the principal loss is due TO
the destruction Of the library of the
observatory, which contained many
valuable books, books which can lie
replaced but for lack of which the
work Of the observatory may be tenn
porarily delayed.
The building was occupied exclusively
by the men connected with the obser-
vatory, and the fact that no women
were allowed in it brought about its
peculiar name. As the men connected
with the observatory come from the
four corners of the world it was natural
that their personal possessions should
include a lot of articles exceedingly
valuable through associations, and
practically all of these articles We're
burned. All the observatory board had
in the building was the library and the
cooking outfit, both Of which are part
ly covered by insurance, there being
contents.
Can Be Rebuilt Cheaper
The building was erected about three
years ago. the lumber out of which il
was built being carried to the mountain
top by means of burros or horses. it
will not cost as much TO rebuild the
structure as it did to build it in the first
place, as there is now a wagon road
from bottom to top upon which an
especially built auto truck Is operated.
Prof. J. c. Kapteyn of Holland at
first stopped in the Monastery with
his valuable data, but he is now living
in one of the several cottages near the
hotel, and none Of his valuable Collec-
tions of scientific information is lost.
The original data of the Mount Wilson
observatory is kept in a special vault
in the observatory building itself, and
so none Of the records lost are such as
cannot be replaced in time.
1t is announced at the peak this even
ing that the building will probably he
rebuilt at once, and with cement as the
material this time.
Water Supply Limited
When the fire was discovered prac-
tically the entire kitchen was on fire
and the flames ran along the woodwork
of the interior with almost incredible
rapidity The supply of water on the
mountain peak is small, and while all
the men of the observatory We're soon
at work, reinforced by those from the
hotel. little could be done to get the
valuable contents out of the building,
while practically nothing could be done
to check the spread Of the flames over
the structure itself.
The building, which had a frontaga
of over sixty feet by a depth of about
forty, was built about a small court
It was never considered one OF the dis
play places of the peak, being prac-
tically closed to the public and was
principally of interest because Of the
technical library it contained. The OBJ
servatory authorities state that they
can duplicate this library but that it
will take time and cost a consider
able sum.