52 Report of the President 



In addition to the constant repairs to building and cases, 



construction of cases, pedestals, trays and other equipment, 



the Department of Construction has built an 



Care of office room in the Southeast Pavilion, a new 



Building garage and storage room on the southwest 



and . . ... 



Equipment court and a new receiving room at the toot of 

 the west driveway. This is the logical place 

 for the future receiving and shipping room, and the point 

 should be kept in mind in planning the west front and com- 

 municating driveway which should be so extended as to 

 pass under the first-floor entrance and come out again on 

 Columbus Avenue. 



Galleries have been built or extended in the offices of the 

 departments of mammals, birds and insects, to provide 

 greatly needed storage room, and these are waiting for the 

 cases asked for in 1918, for which trays are already con- 

 structed. 



Much good work has been done that makes no showing. 

 Through the efforts of Messrs. Anthony, Griscom and 

 Coleman, the store-rooms and passageways used for storage, 

 especially those in the attic, are in better condition than at 

 any time in the past decade. The basement corridors are 

 also in better shape than ever. Considerable damage was 

 done in April (12) by the bursting of a water-main on 

 Eighth Avenue, which flooded the basement to a depth of 

 two feet, ruining many articles in the store-room, spoiling 

 considerable print paper in the press-room and putting out 

 of commission the three motors. 



The heating and lighting plant is in excellent condition, 

 in spite of its age, though the old-fashioned installation 

 H . of much of it makes repairs and changes ex- 



and tremely difficult. Coal strikes, labor strikes of 



Lighting various kinds ; the high cost and too often 



poor quality of fireroom labor, coupled with the equally 

 high cost and poor quality of coal, have conspired to render 

 the position of Chief Engineer anything but pleasant. 

 Nevertheless the lighting of the building, due to constant 



