Evening star., 1941-10-12


renely and unperturbedly on this side
of the Atlantic Ocean, thousands of miles
away from the German bomberS who
are today unloading their death-deal-
ing and devastating explosives on Eng
land and Russia, when priceless, un-
told works of art and records are be-
ing destroyed abroad, we wonder just
what is being done here at home to
safeguard our own precious treasures
and records from destruction by the
enemy, should he some day attempt to
invade this country with his merciless
horde of air pilots, and pay the capital
of our Nation a hostile visit? Indeed,
the thought is almost too tragic to con-
template.
Strange to say, there are relatively
few people who realize the possibility
that such thing might take place,
and yet, the press tells us every now
and then of the mammoth fighting
planes we are building that are able
to fly to Europe and discharge their
load of dynamite and return without
refueling. And, of course, the Nazis
can do the same thing, and many of
our higher-ups realize this situation
as among the possibilities, if and when
we engage in open warfare with Ger
many. and they are now giving serious
consideration to general plan to pre-
serve our valuable public documents and
records in the event of such an in
vasion.
Never Returned
In our second war with Great Britain
(1812-15) and the Civil War, due to the
lack of forethought, many valuable ir-
replaceable documents were lost, and
this was due, no doubt, almost entirely
to the fact that no effort was made to
put the Governments rare books, val
liable papers and relics in place of
safety until the enemy was almost en-
tering Washington, when the matter
had to be attended to hastily and in
a disorganized way, with the result
that many of the records taken from
the Federal departments, with the best
of intention, at the time, were, never
theleSs, never returned, and this was
particularly true Of the capture of Wash
ington by the British, when many patrl-
otic residents helped to convey public
documents to places of safety, but failed
to restore them at the close of the war.
And the destruction by the British upon
this occasion, so far as possible, was
rather complete.
One of the pieces of private property
HnctrOVpH Robert SpUpl1
then near the northwest corner of Mary
land avenue and Second street NE
This was done for the retaliation of
the killing of two British soldiers and
the horse on which Gen. Ross was rid
ing as he entered the city by some per-
sons concealed in this dwelling.
The Office of the National Intelli-
gencer then the official organ of the
party in power, and Daniel CAROLS
Hotel; two houses erected by Gen.
George Washington on North Capitol
street between B and C streets NV
and, no doubt, still recalled by many as
the Hillman House-Were especially sin
gled out, as it was believed they con-
tanned public records large ropeworks
which might be of use in making supplies
for the Navy. Generally, the enemy was
quite considerate in the destruction of
private property.
In addition to setting fire to the Vir-
ginia end of the Long Bridge, our own
troops, before. abandoning the city to
the enemy, destroyed the Benning and
the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridges
The total value of property destroyed
was then placed at $l,O0O,0O0, which es-
timated in present-day currency would
amount to maybe 10 times as much.
This, of course, has no reference to the
Congressional Library, for there is al
ways something in a reference room of
this nature which cannot be replaced,
and the many public documents de-
stroyed at the time made the actual loss
stupendouS.