REPORTS OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE. 703 



connected with the subjects noticed in the foregoing remarks, the committee refer to- 

 the report of the architect hereto appended. Respectfully submitted. 



(Signed) JEFFERSON DAVIS. 



HENRY W. HILLIARD. 



WALTER LENOX. 



Washington, January 7, 1851. 

 To the Honorable the Building Committee of the Smithsonian Institution : 



Gentlemen : By a resolution of the Honorable the Board of Regents, passed July 

 3, 1850, it was determined to change the plan originally adopted for the finish of the 

 interior of the central building, which consisted of wooden columns and girders, and 

 to substitute in its place a plan of fire-proofing. 



In accordance with the above resolution, the undersigned prepared and submitted 

 to the honorable the committee, charged with the examination of the building, four 

 different plans for fire-proofing, and the one preferred by him was adopted. 



This plan may be described as follows : The foundation will consist of a series of 

 stone piers, connected by a system of inverted arches of brick, resting on base courses 

 of long stone and laid in cement-mortar ; the inverted arches are arranged in such 

 manner as to insure an equal pressure in all parts of the foundation, and thus to 

 counteract, as far as possible, any unequal settlement of the earth upon which the 

 building rests. The first story of the building, containing the library, &c, will be 

 constructed with piers and groined arches of brick, laid in cement-mortar ; and the 

 second story containing the museum, will be finished with cast-iron columns and 

 girders and a groined ceiling furred with wrought-iron. The whole interior will be 

 plastered on the above-described brick and iron work, in the same manner as was 

 specified in the original contract, so as to complete the building in harmonv with the 

 original design. 



Though this change, in construction, will add to the expense of the building, it is 

 believed that the additional cost will be repaid by the permanence of the fire-proofing, 

 and the perfect security it will afford to the valuable collections which may hereafter 

 be placed in this portion of the building. 



The above determination of the honorable the Board of Regents, also rendered it 

 necessary that only such portions of the work embraced in the original contract for 

 the building as would harmonize and become an integral part of the fire-proofing, 

 should be constructed by the present contractor and that the expense of the portions 

 not necessary to effect this change should be deducted from the original contract price. 



It therefore became necessary to determine accurately the exact amount to be paid 

 to the contractor under the above alteration in plan, and the undersigned, by the 

 direction of the honorable the Building Committee, made a pro rata estimate of all 

 the work embraced in the original contract, which estimate was based upon the origi- 

 nal contract price. 



From this estimate an exact decision was then made of the amount to be paid to 

 the present contractor for the work, which he would be required to finish in con- 

 formity with the plan of fire-proofing, which was found to be $185,154. The follow- 

 ing is an estimate of the cost of completing the whole building and its accessories, on 

 the amended plan : 



Amount to be paid G. Cameron, for completing portions of building 



embraced in original contract, and necessary in amended plan $185,154 00 



Expense of fire-proofing central building, estimated at 44,000 00 



Plastering central building ^ 8,000 00 



Galleries to Library and Museum 2,000 00 



Stairways to " " 425 00 



Furniture to " " 4,700 00 



Extra cartage 200 00 



Materials 1,000 00 



Heating Central Building 3,500 00 



Furnaces already put up 1,135 63 



Architect, superintendent and incidental expenses of office 16,500 00 



Grounds 4,000 00 



Additional furniture . 4,000 00 



274,614 63 

 Add for contingencies 9,385 37 



Making the total amount of ._.- $284,000 00 



