Freshmen Eat Lunch Despite Union Damage

Licking its wound, the Harvard Union yesterday served lunch to freshmen and took stock of the damage it suffered Thursday from the onslaught of flames, water, and firemen.

Electric fans and extra heat had helped the Union's plaster to dry well, so that damage was not so great as it might have been. In particular the high, fancy ceiling of the main dining room remained perfectly intact. But repairs to roof timbers, upstairs walls, and furnishings will still bring the cost of the fire up to $15,000, according to Cecil A. Roberts, Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds.

As soon as the fire trucks had left Thursday, Buildings and Grounds men were at work putting temporary planking over the place where the roof had been cut away. Permanent repairs of the two burned-out roof timbers, the planks and slate of the roof itself, and the metal flashing will begin on Monday, Roberts said. Workmen will also begin re-plastering walls at the time, but will have to wait until the present plaster dries thoroughly before doing any painting, he added.

Roberts confirmed that a roof repairman from his own department had started the fire. The worker was welding drainpipe metal and overheated his torch, so that the wooden supports underneath the roof began to burn, the Superintendent explained.

Insurance payments for damage to the Union building will come from the University's self-insurance fund. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences, however, will have to use its own money to replace damaged furnishings like chairs and rugs.

Fogg Museum yesterday had already stored away the 25-odd paintings that were removed from the Union Thursday. Director John P. Coolidge '35 reported that none of the portraits, which are worth a total of approximately $20,000, was damaged.