REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I9II J 



SO far as replacement is possible. Numerically the loss is about 

 10,000 articles, of which not one-twentieth part, even of the stone 

 implements, was saved. Such statements however take no account 

 of the intrinsic value of the collection to students of ethnology, for 

 these collections were widely known for their excellence and 

 completeness. 



The hope of replacing this loss in the quality of the materials 

 destroyed can not be entertained, but there is still a reasonable 

 expectation of making good some part of it by the acquisition of 

 collections now in private hands among the citizens of New York. 

 It is probably true that the last great collections of. such culture 

 relics have now been made. To replenish the lost collections from 

 actual excavations is a rather remote chance. What is to be done 

 to repair these -collections should be done promptly before the 

 private collections become dispersed as parts of estates. 



The director does not mean to convey the impression that all the 

 Indian collections of the Museum were thus destroyed. A goodly 

 part of the more recent acquisitions were in another building at the 

 time of the fire. All the wampum belts of the Iroquois which were 

 received from the Six Nations some ten years ago and some specially 

 notable articles besides were in safety deposit. The life casts and 

 all the appurtenances of the Six Nations groups which are under 

 construction were in other buildings. 



The Museum was in a way fortunate in not losing all its scientific 

 collections exposed in the Capitol. In the senate gallery corridor 

 leading to the western stairway were a number of special exhibits, 

 some of recently excavated Indian relics, others of fossil sponges, 

 mineral crystals and pottery. The flames swept by the open end of 

 this corridor taking everything in their path but nothing in the cor- 

 ridor itself was harmed. These cases still remain where they stood 

 before the fire. 



On account of the accumulation of the reserve stock of Museum 

 publications it seemed wise at the time of the removal of this stock 

 from one storehouse to another, to undertake a general distribution 

 of the items of which the reserve was needlessly large. This reduc- 

 tion of stock was accomplished without impairing the necessary 

 reserve for future demands and several thousand copies of these 

 publications were thus distributed, for the most part to European 

 libraries. 



A^aluable accessions to all departments of the ATuseum have been 

 made during the year. Their character is given under chapter IX of 

 this report, 



