The director represented the Museum at the seventh annual 

 meeting of the American Association of Museums held in New 

 York City, June 4-7, when he was honored by re-election as sec- 

 retary of the Association. 



BUILDING 



The most serious problem confronting the Museum at present 

 is the condition of the roof. The relation of the roof to the gut- 

 ters presents a grave fault in that the gutters, which form the 

 cornice as well, partly rest upon the brick wall. In order to pre- 

 serve the lines of the cornice they have no fall. This in turn 

 causes them to rust out and allows the water from the roof to soak 

 into the wall, disintegrating the mortar and staining the plaster 

 both outside and inside and ultimately causing it to fall. The 

 greater part of the plaster along the galleries has already fallen, 

 and the exterior of the building, which was put in excellent order 

 and painted in 1909, is now badly disfigured. 



The roof as a whole was in bad condition when the Museum ac- 

 quired the building in 1907. It was repaired and painted as well 

 as possible as a part of the general remodeling. The amounts 

 expended for roof repairs since then are as follows : 1908, $324.99 ; 

 1909, $45.94; 1910, $38; 1911, $29.45; 1912, $91.95: Total, 

 $530.33. These repairs have proved entirely futile. The same 

 leaks continue and new ones appear. Interior plastering, wood- 

 work, floors, etc., suffer from every rain, and the structural in- 

 tegrity of the building is seriously endangered. Cases, speci- 

 mens, books, and equipment are all deteriorating in spite of ut- 

 most care in trying to arrange furnishings where water does not 

 drip. 



Realizing the futility of attempting to make further repairs to 

 the present tin roof, a plastic tile roof was put over the labora- 

 tory in November at a cost of $54.21. This is less than half the 

 cost of a good quality of tin. The material is guaranteed for 

 seven years by a responsible local firm, and requires no paint. 

 This roofing can also be carried over the edge of the cornices and 



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