--part1_2b.2a102b5.25f28d86_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --part1_2b.2a102b5.25f28d86_boundary Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-Path: <[email protected]> Received: from rly-yd02.mx.aol.com (rly-yd02.mail.aol.com [172.18.150.2]) by air-yd02.mail.aol.com (v69.17) with ESMTP; Sat, 04 Mar 2000 09:14:22 -0500 Received: from bl-11.rootsweb.com (bl-11.rootsweb.com [204.212.38.27]) by rly-yd02.mx.aol.com (v69.17) with ESMTP; Sat, 04 Mar 2000 09:13:51 -0500 Received: (from [email protected]) by bl-11.rootsweb.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) id GAA16210; Sat, 4 Mar 2000 06:11:21 -0800 (PST) Resent-Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 06:11:21 -0800 (PST) From: [email protected] Message-ID: <[email protected]> Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 09:10:30 EST Subject: Archives Fire Old-To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Windows sub 66 Resent-Message-ID: <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Resent-From: [email protected] X-Mailing-List: <[email protected]> archive/latest/588 X-Loop: [email protected] Precedence: list Resent-Sender: [email protected] Fire Harms National Archives Files Government Front Page News Source: Associated Press Published: 3/3/00 Author: DEB RIECHMANN For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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