NATIONAL MUSEirM BUILDINGS. 221 



Museum in the Smithson building has been increased to about threefold. It is pro- 

 posed, as was stated in the last report, to devote the room in the west wing to speci- 

 mens of geology and mineralogy, and the large room in the second story to specimens 

 of archaeology and paleontology. As preparatory to the fitting up of these rooms, 

 a series of designs has bt'en prepared at the expense of the Institution l)y B. Water- 

 house Hawkins, the well-known restorer of the ancient animals which illustrate the 

 paleontology of the Sydenham Palace, near London. 



ALTERATIONS AND REPAIRS SUBSEQUENT TO 1877. 



On December 10, 1877, the President of the United States trans- 

 mitted to Congress the report of a commission, consisting of Lieut. 

 Col. Thomas L. Casey, U. S. Army, the Supervising Architect of the 

 Treasur}^,^ and the Architect of the Capitol, appointed b}^ him on 

 September 27, 1877, to examine the several public buildings in this 

 city and determine the nature and extent of their security against 

 conflagrations and the measures to be taken to guard the buildings 

 and their contents from destruction or damage by fire. This com- 

 mission recommended in respect to the Smithsonian building that — 



All the combustible materials used in the construction of the museum portion of 

 the building should be removed and the parts renewed of fireproof construction, 

 and the openings connecting with other parts of the building should be supplied 

 with fireproof doors. 



On the same date the Secretary of the Interior submitted to Con- 

 gress an estimate "to provide additional security against tire in the 

 Smithsonian building for the Government collections, $3,000," and on 

 March 27, 1878, Secretary Henry wrote as follows to Senator A. A. 

 Sargent: 



I have the honor to inform you that shortly after the fire at the Patent Office the 

 Smithsonian building was visited by the Government committee of inspection and 

 suggestions made by them as to the fireproofing of the portion of the edifice devoted 

 to the collections of the National Museum. These suggestions were at once acted 

 upon, at an expense of $2,803.29, as per detailed memorandum herewith, and I 

 write to beg that you will kindly consider the propriety of having an item intro- 

 duced into the deficiency bill whereby the Smithson fund may be reimbursed for this 

 outlay. 



The action taken was described as follows: 



Attention having been specially called to the condition of the public buildings in 

 this city on account of the destruction by fire of part of the Patent Office, it was 

 deemed advisable to give additional security to the valual)le collections deposited in 

 the Smithsonian edifice. The main building, which contains the National Museum, 

 is entirely fireproof, but the connecting ranges and the two wings are not so. It 

 was therefore highly desirable that the main building should be entirely isolated 

 from the ranges and wings. For this purpose the large windows facing the wings 

 were bricked up and all the doorways leading from the museum into the ranges 

 either bricked up or fitted with iron instead of wooden doors. The carpenter's and 

 machinist's shops were removed to the main basement and inclosed in brick walls. 

 The storage rooms were made fireproof by replacing wooden partitions and fioors 

 by those of brick. In the high central tower brick partitions have been constructed 

 on the stairways, to prevent the passage of fire from one story to another. 



