258 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1903. 



Smithsonian building it reaches only some of the offices and corridors, 

 a few storerooms, and the dark center of the main exhi})ition hall. 

 The current for lighting is taken from the mains of one of the city 

 companies at the southwest corner of the Museum building. On only 

 a few occasions has the entire Museum building been lighted at night, 

 and regular night opening for the public can not be undertaken without 

 an additional appropriation to cover the extra expense of electric 

 current and watchmen. 



All of the cases in the cxhiliition halls containing especially valu- 

 able specimens, as in the historical and gem collections, are supplied 

 with electric burglar alarms. There is also a system of electric call 

 boxes distributed through both l)uildings, which must be visited every 

 hour during the night watches, any failure to perform this service 

 being at once automaticallv announced at the office of the IVIutual Dis- 

 trict Messenger Company in the city. For the prompt conduct of 

 l)usiness it has likewise been found necessary to make extensive use of 

 the telephone system for conmiunication between offices in different 

 parts of the building and with the city. 



The heating of the Museum building was until 1901 accomplished 

 t)y means of four 60-horsepower steam boilers. In the latter year 

 these were replaced by two 150-horsepower high-pressure tubular 

 boilers, whose capacity is sufficient to heat both of the large buildings 

 and the smaller adjacent Iniildings on the Mall. The boiler room is in 

 the basement of the southwest pavilion. There are also two boilers of 

 48-horsepower in the basement of the Smithsonian building, which 

 can be used in case of emergency. The new plant is ver}' satisf actor}", 

 and much more economical than .the old one. 



Soon after the Museum building was completed, the north-west range 

 was set apart as a temporary lecture hall, being furnished with a plat- 

 form, lantern screen, and several hundred folding chairs. This was 

 one of the smaller ranges, and proving inadequate for the require- 

 ments, its fittings, somewhat improved, were transferred to the west- 

 north range, which continued to be assigned to this purpose, though 

 sometimes used for the preparation of exhibits, until the increasing 

 demands for exhibition space caused it to be turned over to the Depart- 

 ment of Anthropology. It was found, however, practically essential 

 to have some place for scientific meetings, and by placing material in 

 storage it became possible to vacate for this purpose the east- north 

 range, immediately to the cast of the main entrance, and thus equally 

 as convenient as the former range. The hall remains in a condition 

 suitable to be turned over to exhibition uses at any time, but its 

 fixtures for lecture purposes are more permanent in character than 

 before. The walls and ceiling have been painted in several tints of 

 green. There is a large speaker's platform and a lantern screen, and 

 on the opposite side a smaller platfoi'ui or balcony, where the lantern 



