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A Great Conflagration!

A Great Conflagration! image
Parent Issue
Day
16
Month
October
Year
1895
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Such a heacliBK as the above is li tble to appear any day in our daily papers. And because of that fact a resolution was introduced yesterday, in the Board of Supervisors by Mr. Srott, which deserves tbe careful consideration of the Board. It relates to the appointment of a committee to considur the necessity of building flre-proof vaults n the various county offices in the court house, to protect the valuable records stored therein. The Courier lias from time to time ulvocated this improvement, and wo ild now more than ever urge apon the board the necessity oí having these vaults constructed. ïliere are thousands of documeuts and records in the offices of the probate court, the clerk, the register of deeds, and the treasurer, which ifo money valué can be plací d upon, for tliey relate to property. to estafes, titles to land, and assessment rolls, that are simply invaluable. And there they are, stored in wooden mi wooden floors, and woul destroyed in a few moinent's time by a tire. The county is running a great ris' . ■-■:■ a pieee oí crii mee. If these documents and records should be destroyed, think of the litigation tliat wouldsurely result! It is siniply appalling, and would easily run up into the millions. It is a fact that the courthouse has been on fire two different times, the result of a detective ilue. Workmeu now think they have fixed it so that there is no danger, but tlien, they have thought so twice before, and were mistaken each time. liad the last flre occurred in the ïright the court house would surely have lieen destroyed. If these valuable records belonged to anyone's private business they would be placed in vaults in a hurry. The abstract iirm of Brown A Keans, do not allow their books to be exposed to destructiou by fire. They have a vault. Any ordinary careful business man has a fire proof safe in' which to store his papers and documents. The banks all have vaults, and rent safety deposit boxes inthem for private individuáis. But this greatrich couuty of Washtenaw, worth millions of dollars, allows the books and records of the people's property exposed to destruction an day that accident muy bring inisfortune "How shiftlesss!" as Aunt Ophelia would say. How unbusiness )ike. It would not cost this county any very greatsuin. We believe that $9,000 or $15,000 would erect these vaults. Now is the time to do the iork, when the greater part of masons and laborers have uo other work to do. Thus the labor, wfaieh would constitute most of the expense would be considerably reduced. The vaults would need to be quite large, so as to hold all the valuable papers ana records. The private rooms in the elerk's and judge of probate's and register of deeds offices would probably have to sufl'er some, but with the great wooden cases now lumbering up tliose offices removed, there would be plenty of room left for all practica) purposes. ïhen one-half of the corridor leading to the east entrance1 could be used without its hurting anything. It might be necessary to take the sherill's office for the treasurer's vault, bnt imot hor place could be found for liini. The Courier sincerely liopes that the supervisors will attend to this at once, and order the improvement made. If the expense proves too great for one year extend it over two or three years. Any way to secure safety for these records and documente:

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier