14 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1905. 



patterns were remodeled to meet the requirements. The woodwork 

 of the mahogany cases in the north hall was refinished, and that of 

 the black cases in all the other exhibition halls was given a fresh coat 

 of paint. The old pine alcove cases of the bird hall in the Smith- 

 sonian building, which have been a constant source of trouble, were 

 made as dust-proof as possible, and the public reading tables, 

 formerly a feature of the exhibition halls, but temporarily removed, 

 were refinished and replaced. 



To supply the increasing demands for storage facilities in all 

 departments, of a character to permit of the convenient arrange- 

 ment of specimens, cases to the number of 213 and drawers to the 

 number of 1,032, besides storage racks and shelving, were constructed 

 during the year. A quantity of old furniture was also remodeled 

 for the same purpose. Minor items to be mentioned in this connec- 

 tion are articles of furniture for the offices, including file and card 

 catalogue cases; a large number of frames for the descriptive case 

 labels in the exhibition halls; packing boxes for the distribution of 

 duplicate specimens and for field outfits, and a considerable number 

 of crates and cases for the storage in bulk of material for which at 

 present there is no place among the classified collections. 



The heating of the Smithsonian and National Museum buildings 

 and of the three small adjacent buildings on the Mall by the steam 

 plant located in the basement of the Museum building was accom- 

 plished more satisfactorily during last winter than ever before. 

 Steam was first raised on October 8, 1904, and was discontinued on 

 May 2, 1905, being maintained on an average about sixteen hours a 

 day. The heating capacity in the exhibition halls of the Museum 

 was increased by installing two 100-foot Bundy radiators in the ves- 

 tibule at the north entrance and four additional ones on the east 

 and west sides of the north hall. The steam and return pipes from 

 the Smithsonian building to the western workshop were relaid in a 

 more perfect manner, their old covering having caused a too rapid 

 condensation of steam. 



The total amount of fuel used in the main furnaces was 830 tons 

 of coal and 43 cords of wood. 



At the beginning of the fiscal year a new arrangement of telephones 

 was adopted, whereby the cost of this service was very materially 

 reduced without affecting its efficiency. As an additional precau- 

 tion in the event of fire breaking out among the cases and other fur- 

 nishings, six standard alarm boxes, of the pattern used in^the District 

 of Columbia, were installed in as many different parts of the galleries 

 in the Museum building. The system connects with the office of the 

 superintendent, where the location of a fire would be immediately 

 indicated by the number of the station. 



