“Higinbotham went from the fire directly to Mr. Leiter’s home, and told him of a plan he had formed for the re-establishment of the business. Mr. Leiter threw up both hands and exclaimed, ‘Oh, Higinbotham! It is too early to make plans—Chicago is gone!’ Mr. Higinbotham replied, ‘No, no—we have got to do these things anyway.’ His plan was for Mr. Field to give his attention to finding a place wherein to re-establish the business; Mr. Leiter was to take charge of the saved goods, and have them inventoried so that the inventory would show the contents of each case. Higinbotham had in mind the adjusting of the loss, as that was one of the first essentials. Mr. Willing, a junior partner, was to go to Valparaiso, Indiana, stop all goods coming from the east, and warehouse and insure them until the Company was ready to have them sent in. Mr. Higinbotham was to take his family and Mr. Leiter’s, and all the bookkeepers and books of account, cash and valuable papers, and go at once to Joliet and there remain until a place had been arranged for at least an office in the city. This plan, which was formulated while he was saving the goods, was carried out in every particular. In Joliet the office of Field, Leiter & Co. was for two weeks in his mother’s house, and she took care of a number of the bookkeepers during their stay. He then went with his wife and baby to Cincinnati, St. Louis and San Francisco to adjust and collect insurance. A number of the companies in these cities having no agencies in Chicago had failed. It was his business to ascertain how much their assets would pay, collect the money and return as quickly as possible. “The business was soon re-established, and went through that year with a net profit of over three hundred thousand dollars, notwithstanding that two and a half millions had been burned up in a single night. It was then that Mr. Leiter said, ‘Higinbotham, we are going to give you an interest in this business!’ meaning, of course, a share in the profits. Later he was made a partner and remained in the firm until 1902.” Unfortunately, Mr. Higinbotham’s sudden death prevented his completing this autobiographical sketch with any fulness of detail. We have merely a few rough notes—two or three typewritten pages—in regard to his public activities, of which his work for the World’s Columbian Exposition was the most important.