University of Iowa - Hawkeye Yearbook (Iowa City, IA)

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' University! again replace. The Chancellor sought a cool retreat in the science building, Prof. Veblen and his assistants worked steadily away in the Latin quarter, drying and polishing the wet and injured ments from the physical laboratory, while the Librarian opened an office in Prof. Wilson ' s room. The beginning of a new library, with everything on consumed and the shelf-list and card catalogue gone, was no easy task. The professors, whose departments suffered most from the fire. rendered valuable aid in making out lists of books for their departments. Later, the Librarian ' s office was moved to the dental building. When the term opened another move was made to the basement of the Unitarian Church. As soon as the old library building was repaired, the office and the new books made another trip across the campus. In the mean time two rooms in the basement of the Central Building had been fitted up to hold the blackened remnants of the Talbot library. Purchases and donations of new books have amounted to over five thousand volumes. These have been catalogued and placed upon the shelves. Available funds are nearly exhausted and all look hopefully to the coming legislature for much needed priations. 23

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ister and its artistic stand, which were presented by the class of 1893. In the same ruthless manner it destroyed the elegant hogany clock presented by the class of 1894. On the walls were the portraits of all of the presidents of the University except Dr. Dean and Dr. Schaeffer; also a fine photograph of Samuel J. Kirkwood, and large photographs of several of the early ors of the Institution. There were plaster busts of Homer, Shakespeare, Scott, Goethe, and Franklin; there was the silk flag given. by the girls of the Uni- versity to the boys who went out as hundred-clay men during the war; the plaster cast of the Rosetta Stone; the inter-class cup; the individual donations of books amounting to several hundred umes. Perhaps no library in the west had a finer collection of tions of Goethe and works in early English than this, but they were all burned and there was left only a pile of roofless rubbish ing in pity to an open yet pitiless sky. Before the burning ceased, the librarian and a few firemen, at their peril, entered the building, the firemen to remove the body of their dead comrade, and the librarian to begin the rescue of such books as might remain. Many willing workers proffered ance. Baskets and shovels were secured, the smoldering piles searched for unconsumed treasures, and whatever was worth ing at all was carried to the Central Building to be dried, and, if possible, saved. The hall, the President ' s office, the rooms of Profesors Currier, Wilson and Loos were invaded by wet and charred books. On chairs, tables, window-sills, and floors were piled the sorry remnants. Under suitable direction, over thirty willing workers, ladies and gentlemen, began the task of drying books. The June phere, instead of lending aid, grew more- and more humid, so that the last resort was to put on heat. This materially hastened the process of drying, although much to the discomfiture of those working, as well as to the annoyance of the Chancellor in his rooms above stairs. The law lecture room and the law library were utilized and possible was done to save what money may never 11

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JOHN VANFLEET CRUM 24