I have seen this message several times now, so thought I would pass it on to you. Barbara Dr. Barbara Inman Beall, Ph.D, BIBeall@email.msn.com, BBeall43@yahoo.com Lancaster-Wormiston Press P.O. Box 173 Broomfield, CO 80038-0173 Home Page and for Access to Website: http://mail.ancestry.com/ancestry/users/bibeall >http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20000302/aponline182434_000.h tm > >Fire Harms National Archives Files >By Deb Riechmann >Associated Press Writer >Thursday, March 2, 2000; 6:24 p.m. EST >WASHINGTON –– Archivists are using hot air and blotting paper to salvage >hundreds of thousands of pages of government records damaged in a fire at a >National Archives storage center just outside Washington. Among them were >veterans' records and papers connected to a lawsuit over mismanagement of >American Indians' money. >The fire occurred Tuesday at the Washington National Records Center in >Suitland, Md., which stores more than 3.7 million cubic feet of records. >Archives officials said 3,000 cubic feet of records were stored in areas >where sprinklers activated, but fewer than 300 cubic feet – approximately >700,000 pages – were actually damaged or destroyed. >The bulk of the records were from the Department of Veterans Affairs. >"These are inactive files of deceased veterans who previously made claims for >benefits," said Robert Knode, records officer for the veterans benefits >administration. "Sometimes we recall these files when somebody wants a copy >for genealogical or other purposes, but there should be only a minimal >effect." >Another 60 boxes of damaged records were involved in a lawsuit over brought >by American Indians charging government mismanagement of a $500 million >system of trust accounts for American Indians. >The water damage to those records was just the latest problem with documents >in the case; other Indian trust records have been inadvertently shredded or >found dumped in a trash-strewn shed on a North Dakota reservation. >Also damaged were records were from District of Columbia government offices, >the Labor Department's Hour and Wage Division and the U.S. Patent and >Trademark office. The patent and trademark records were scheduled for >disposal. >"We regret the loss of a single page, but we're not sure yet what the loss >is," said Gerald George, communications director for the archives. "We have >some record damage and we regret that, but on the other hand, our fire system >contained the fire so that it didn't do widespread damage." >Conservation work is under way. >Warm, dry air is being blown into the storage stacks and blotting paper is >being used to extract moisture from pages, said Susan Cooper, a spokeswoman >for the archives. Drying chambers have been set up and refrigerated trucks >are being used to store records that are very wet. >"They keep the records cold to prevent mildew from forming on them," she >said. >© Copyright 2000 The Associated Press >