16 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1923. 



which the finial was fastened had decayed and needed to be replaced, 

 which was done. Other repairs to the Smithsonian Building in- 

 cluded sheathing the south wall of the office of graphic arts on the 

 first floor and painting it; attaching ropes and pulleys to the large 

 windows in the herbarium hall on the second floor and painting 

 the inside woodwork of these windows; painting the watchmen'*; 

 room; repairing and replacing and painting all decayed window 

 frames and sills; replacing wornout downspouts, and painting tin 

 roofs. 



The power plant in the Natural History Building was closed down 

 during July, August, and almost all of September, 1922, and during 

 the last month of the fiscal year. Electric current was purchased 

 during this period under contract made by the Treasury Depart- 

 ment, at a slightly lower rate than the actual cost of current gen- 

 erated. This not only gives an opportunity for making the needed 

 repairs to the machinery, but permits the employees in the plant 

 to take their annual leave, thus avoiding the necessity of hiring 

 temporary assistants to take their places after the plant is in 

 operation. 



The winter was very mild but it was ncessary to maintain heat 

 in the various buildings of the Smithsonian group, including the 

 Freer Building, from October 9 until May 19. The total consump- 

 tion of bituminous coal was 3,052 tons, and in addition about 15 tons 

 of stove coal were used in the summer for domestic hot water pur- 

 poses. The average price paid for bituminous coal was $9.06 a ton, 

 whereas during the preceding year the cost was $7.00. 



A most important change made in the plant was the installation 

 of a new Cochran open feed water heater and meter, provided for 

 by a special item of $3,000 in the heating and lighting appropria- 

 tion. The old heater which had been in use for twelve years was 

 not economical, as it was impossible to secure feed water at a higher 

 temperature than 160 degrees, while the new heater maintains eco- 

 nomically a temperature ranging between 200 and 210 degrees. The 

 work of installing this heater was started at the beginning of the 

 year, but owing to the difficulty in procuring necessary pipe, con- 

 nections, etc., it was not completed until September 28, thereby 

 necessitating the closing of the plant until that date. While it is 

 impossible to give the exact saving made by the installation of this 

 heater, because of the nature of the load on the plant, there can be 

 no question but that it has affected the consumption of coal. The 

 coal consumed during 1923 was 270 tons less than during the preced- 

 ing year, although heat was maintained in the buildings for a longer 

 period during 1923. 



The total electric current generated was 376,293 kilowatt hours, 

 at a cost of $.0270 a kilowatt hour, a slight reduction over the pre- 



