14 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1910. 
consisting of alarm boxes of essentially the same pattern as those 
used by the city, and of fire extinguishers, and many lengths of hose 
kept attached to fire plugs. There may also be mentioned a series of 
call boxes throughout the building, from which the watchmen turn 
in their signals to the central office during each of the night rounds, 
and a comprehensive vacuum cleaning plant, with pipes leading to all 
parts of the building. A very complete system of electric wire con- 
duits was included in the building construction, and the more necessary 
of these were wired in the same connection. Nearly all of the light- 
ing fixtures required on the ground floor and third floor have been 
installed, and the hanging of the ceiling fixtures in the exhibition halls 
was well advanced before the close of the year. 
As explained in previous reports, the new building, erected for the 
natural history collections, contains four full stories, in addition to 
which a large part of the attic space is available for storage. The 
two middle stories are designed wholly for the public exhibition of 
specimens, while the lower story, with the exception of one exhibition 
hall, and the third story are arranged for the laboratories, the storage 
of the reserve collections, the offices, the mechanical plant, and the 
workshops. 
In the matter of furnishing, preference has been given to the 
ground and third stories over the exhibition stories, in order that the 
laboratories and the mass of the collections might be moved as soon 
as possible, and the scientific staff be established in the new building 
where its members could more conveniently work out the somewhat 
difficult problems which confront them in planning and arranging the 
exhibition collections under the greatly improved conditions now 
offered as to amount and character of space. The furniture for these 
two floors, except the tables and chairs, will be almost wholly of steel 
or steel covered. Excellent designs for the several patterns of cases 
required were secured, and in view of an extensive competition the 
prices have been kept at a relatively low figure. Some cases had been 
constructed during the previous year, but the work was much more . 
actively continued during the past one, in view of the larger appropria- 
tion available. On account of the special patterns and of the excel- 
lent quality of work demanded, it was not to be expected that con- 
tracts could be promptly filled, but the results have been extremely 
satisfactory. The pains taken with this subject not only redounds 
to the profit of this Museum, but will be helpful to museums generally 
throughout the country, since the national establishment is looked 
upon as a sort of central bureau for supplying information and advice 
in matters of museum equipment and operation. As it was not 
feasible to await the completion of all or of any considerable part of 
the metal furniture, wooden cases from the older buildings were 
largely made use of in the beginning, being replaced from time to 
