gutters, cornices, and other metal-work associated with the roof, 

 and with general building repairs. The entire building was 

 minutely inspected and put in excellent repair. 



The relief and satisfaction in having a real roof in place of a 

 sieve can be appreciated only by those who have lain awake while 

 it rained at night and tried to remember whether books or other 

 objects might have been left under any one of the fifty or more 

 leaks in the old roof, or those who have seen pools of water on 

 the tops of cases or on the floor of the library within a foot of the 

 book stacks. For several years it has been a shop rule that all 

 case tops must be built water-tight. 



Concrete Steps. The appropriation provided for concrete 

 steps at the front entrance to replace the old wooden steps which 

 had been unsafe for some time. These steps furnished a difficult 

 problem of construction, because the building stands on made 

 land— made of saw-dust and salt v/ater in about equal propor- 

 tions. This mixture cannot be depended upon as a building 

 foundation and a system of re-inforcing the concrete of the steps 

 was designed to carry the entire weight on the large pillars of the 

 portico and the piling on which they rest. The work was com- 

 pleted on this plan in October, and it is confidently expected 

 that no trouble from settling will be experienced. 



Painting. The entire exterior of the building was painted in 

 November. Again we were favored with good weather, not a 

 single hour being lost from rain in four weeks. 



The plan of doing the work with our own men proved highly 

 satisfactory and economical. The saving in actual cost as com- 

 pared with payments to a contractor for the last previous paint- 

 ing was 15 per cent. Allowing for additional work done this 

 year and for painting tackle retained as a permanent asset, the 

 saving by doing the work ourselves is 26 per cent. It is probably 

 safe to say that Mr. Mclntyre has accomplished 25 per cent 

 more work under the entire appropriation for repairs than could 

 have been expected on any other plan of procedure. Perhaps 

 the greatest satisfaction, however, arises from our complete 

 knowledge of the quality of all material used and of the work 

 performed. 



Three weeks in December were devoted to interior painting 

 necessary to repair damage to walls from leaks in the old roof. 



All of this painting may be reasonably expected to wear much 

 longer than the painting done in 1909, because practically all the 

 damage the latter had suffered was due to leaking water. 



6 



