﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  SECRETARY 
  37 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Eemington 
  Kellogg 
  and 
  Norman 
  H. 
  Boss 
  continued 
  explora- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  Miocene 
  along 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time. 
  At 
  

   little 
  expense 
  to 
  the 
  Museum, 
  various 
  fossil 
  cetacean 
  remains 
  were 
  

   added 
  to 
  the 
  collection. 
  

  

  BUILDINGS 
  AND 
  EQUIPMENT 
  

  

  Usual 
  repairs 
  have 
  been 
  required 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  buildings 
  housing 
  

   the 
  national 
  collections 
  in 
  proper 
  condition 
  during 
  the 
  year. 
  In 
  

   the 
  Natural 
  History 
  Building 
  exterior 
  woodwork 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  court 
  

   was 
  painted; 
  the 
  walls 
  and 
  ceilings 
  in 
  24 
  rooms 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  

   third 
  floors 
  were 
  repainted, 
  a 
  necessary 
  renovation 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  

   postponed 
  for 
  years 
  and 
  now 
  must 
  be 
  completed 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  properly 
  

   protect 
  the 
  surfaces 
  in 
  question. 
  A 
  section 
  of 
  concrete 
  roadway 
  op- 
  

   posite 
  the 
  east 
  wing 
  was 
  renewed 
  and 
  temporary 
  repair 
  work 
  wa^ 
  

   done 
  on 
  the 
  roadways 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  entrance 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  building. 
  The 
  need 
  for 
  planting 
  shrubbery 
  to 
  relieve 
  the 
  barren- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  the 
  approach 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  entrance 
  of 
  this 
  building 
  has 
  long 
  

   been 
  felt, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  pleasant 
  to 
  report 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1928, 
  

   through 
  cooperation 
  of 
  the 
  Office 
  of 
  Public 
  Buildings 
  and 
  Public 
  

   Parks, 
  two 
  beds 
  of 
  evergreens 
  were 
  planted, 
  one 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   drive, 
  greatly 
  improving 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  building. 
  

  

  Work 
  on 
  safeguarding 
  the 
  dome 
  above 
  the 
  rotunda 
  began 
  on 
  Sep- 
  

   tember 
  12, 
  1928, 
  and 
  was 
  finally 
  completed 
  on 
  May 
  14, 
  1929, 
  the 
  

   work 
  being 
  performed 
  under 
  the 
  efficient 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  engineers 
  

   in 
  the 
  Office 
  of 
  the 
  Supervising 
  Architect 
  of 
  the 
  Treasury 
  Depart- 
  

   ment. 
  Two 
  great 
  bands 
  of 
  steel 
  were 
  placed 
  around 
  the 
  four 
  huge 
  

   piers 
  that 
  support 
  the 
  dome, 
  one 
  at 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  

   attic 
  and 
  one 
  near 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  piers 
  and 
  ceiling 
  above. 
  Between 
  

   them 
  steel 
  beams 
  were 
  installed 
  extending 
  vertically 
  from 
  band 
  to 
  

   band 
  behind 
  the 
  piers, 
  with 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  screw 
  jacks 
  between 
  the 
  beams 
  

   and 
  the 
  piers 
  proper. 
  Tension 
  was 
  placed 
  on 
  these 
  jacks 
  in 
  such 
  

   a 
  way 
  as 
  to 
  bring 
  even 
  strain 
  all 
  around, 
  holding 
  the 
  piers 
  from 
  any 
  

   possibility 
  of 
  spreading 
  at 
  the 
  top. 
  The 
  delicate 
  operation 
  of 
  ad- 
  

   justing 
  the 
  screw 
  jacks, 
  which 
  required 
  nearly 
  three 
  weeks 
  for 
  com- 
  

   pletion, 
  was 
  performed 
  with 
  the 
  cooperation 
  of 
  a 
  corps 
  of 
  engineers 
  

   from 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Standards. 
  Work 
  of 
  cleaning 
  the 
  stone 
  surfaces 
  

   in 
  the 
  rotunda 
  and 
  the 
  painting 
  necessary 
  following 
  the 
  work 
  out- 
  

   lined 
  above 
  was 
  still 
  in 
  progress 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year. 
  The 
  

   rotunda 
  has 
  been 
  closed 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  since 
  December 
  1, 
  1927, 
  but 
  will 
  

   be 
  opened 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  next 
  fiscal 
  year. 
  In 
  the 
  Arts 
  and 
  Industries 
  

   Building 
  the 
  cafe 
  at 
  the 
  west 
  entrance 
  was 
  remodeled, 
  walls 
  and 
  

   ceilings 
  in 
  various 
  rooms 
  were 
  painted, 
  and 
  necessary 
  refinishing 
  on 
  

   exterior 
  surfaces 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  was 
  practicable. 
  

  

  