124 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



payments liave been made through his office. The question of receipts 

 and expenditures will not be discussed in this report, since it is in- 

 cluded, as hitherto, in the report of the Executive Committee of the 

 Board of Eegents of the Smithsonian Institution. 



Buildings and Labor. — Under the administration of Mr. Henry Horan, 

 superintendent of the buildings, the watchmen, mechanics, and the 

 laborers have rendered exceedingly efficient service. The published 

 regulations * have been put into effect, and found not only practicable, 

 but of great advantage in promoting the efficiency of all departments. 



There are now upon the permanent roll in this department one 

 superintendent of buildings, two assistant superintendents of buildings, 

 one engineer, one assistant engineer, three firemen, three carpenters, 

 two painters, one mason, twelve watchmen, four janitors, twenty labor- 

 ers, four messengers, and two cleaners. 



In addition to the permanent force, several mechanics, chiefly car- 

 penters, have been working, under the direction of the superintendents, 

 on the construction and fitting up of cases. It has been found more 

 economical and satisfactory to build cases in this way than to put them 

 out by contract, but lack of room has rendered it impossible to do this 

 ■except in a few instances. The regular employees of the Museum have, 

 as in former years, been required to wear a simple uniform. The clean- 

 liness of the building and its preservation in good repair, as also the 

 general public-comfort service, have been efficiently attended to. 



The safety of the collections has been more carefully guarded during 

 this year than hitherto. The numerous private doors in the old build- 

 ing have been closed, and a watchman is now stationed at every en- 

 trance. No persons, except officers of the Museum, are allowed to 

 •carry packages out of the buildings without a written pass, and no 

 one is allowed to carrry umbrellas or canes into the exhibition halls. 

 These rules have caused considerable dissatisfaction, both among em- 

 ployees and visitors; but in my opinion strict custody is absolutely 

 necessary for the safety of the collections. Even now it is impossible 

 to keep people from handling and disfiguring objects which are not 

 -covered with glass ; and on Saturdays and other holidays it is necessary 

 to employ a considerable portion of the laboring force in guarding un- 

 oovered objects in order to prevent visitors from carrying them away 

 piecemeal. One of the worst annoyances with which we have to con- 

 tend is the mania of the " relic-hunter," who, devoid of all conscience, 

 does not hesitate to break off and carry away with him pieces of any 

 objects that may come within his grasp, especially such as are the more 

 interesting on account of historical associations. The more precious 

 the objects, the greater is his greed for the possession of fragments. 



The number of persons employed in guarding and caring for the 

 building seems, at first sight, unnecessarily large, and it certainly is a 



* "Plan of Organization and Regulations," Article CXL (on requisitions), Appendix 

 T!(o. 1 to Proceedings of United States National Museum, Vol. iv. 



