The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-14
THOUSANDS VISIT IT
MANY NEW AND VALUABLE EN-
HIBITS ARE BEING ADDED.
Will SOON NEED A NEW BUILDING
The Semi Annual Report of cura'or BrimIey
The Museum Of Great EDUCATIONAL Value
to the People of the State.
Contributors of Specimens,
Contributors of Specimens.


The semi-annual report of Mr.. Ii. II.
Brimley, Curator of the State Museum,
was yesterday made to the Board
of Agriculture. 1t gives the follow
ing facts in regard to the popularity of
the Museum, as shown by number of
visitors:
I'm 1898, the first year of which we
have any record, the total attendance
was 4,2G9. In the past six months, from
June to November, inclusive, during
which time the automatic register has
been in operation. the attendance has
to 23.S19 which is at the rate
of about $4,000 per annum, a thousand
per cent. increase III five years. During
Fair Week of this year and the follow
ing Monday, seven days in ALL the num-
her of visitors was 4,541, which is more
than during the whole of 1893. To show
the way in which attendance, and there
fore appreciation, follows progress in
Museum work, it may be stated that the
first noticeable increase i'll number of
visitors began to show itself in 1879,
that lis to say, as soon as the forward
step made in 1894 began to be appre-
ciated. Fair week in 1895 was nearly
Il hundred per cent. above the same
period in 1894. In 1896 and 1897, visi-
tors began to come in too thickly to be
properly counted or estimated. The
second great step in the onward march
of the Museum, the building, furnishing
and nearly filling of the additional three
large exhibition halls, which work has
extended over the last two and half
years, has caused at least as great an
increase in attendance, the Fair week
figures for this year being 3,51S as OPP
posed to an estimated total of 1,713 in
1895.
For several months past the Curator
has been engaged in securing informa-
ton and statistics from the directors
of all the largest Museums in the coun-
try regarding the ACCESSIBILITY of open
ing museums at night with the idea of
using the result in the conduct of this
institution. / had hoped to be able to
make full report on the subject to this
meeting of the Board, but owing to a
press of other work the full results
are not all in, nor are those in yet tabu-
lated. SO far the tendency in other
museums seems against opening such
places at night, but many of them ia
vor Sunday afternoon opening instead.
This is particularly so in the New Eng
land States. It has been suggested to
the Curator by the authorities of the
National Museum in Washington that
this report embodying all available facts
relating to opening museums at night he
published for the benefit Of similar in
stitutions throughout the country. | re-
spectfully request that the Board au-
thorze this to be done in limited
pamphlet edition of, say. five hundred
copies.
THE six cases and the jars of fruit
loaned the Experiment Station for the
exhibit at Omaha. have been returned to
the Museum. The cases have been put
up and placed, cleaned and re-varnished,
and thoroughly renovated by the Station
and are now in excellent order. The
fruits need some attention before again
going on exhibition, and this will be
given them in the near future.
THE exhibition series Of specimens in
every department has been increased by
valuable additions, except in Agriculture.
While the additions in that department
exceed those in any other, vet, owing
to the nature of the display cases, the
difficulty of changing samples and the
necessity of first cleaning and then
a number of samples at a time,
it is better to wait until the whole new
series is secured before commencing the
change
''In the Department of Geology and
Metalliferous Ores the whole collection
of iron ores, manganese, coal, graphite,
mica, tale and kaolin have been sorted
over, re-arranged and placed on exhibit
ton, completely filling twenty half-cases.
A new set of labels for the specimens
has been begun and all the case labels
renewed. There have been no note
worthy accessions III this department,
but every inch of case room is filled,
and there are now geological specimens
in the hands of the Geological Survey to
fill about fourteen more double cases.
SIN Mineralogy, Mr. Ramsey has col
lected number of rough gems from
the corundum regions of Macon county.
These were sorted over and the best
sent OH for cutting, resulting in the addi-
ton of number of fine garnets,
amethysts and rubies to the collections.
Among the rubies, although all were of
small size, two turned out to be of much
better quality than any previously pos
sessed by the Museum and as such are
valuable additions.
"In the Forestry Department there
have been no additions of note, except
fine specimen of long-leaf pine, with
three faces and turpentine boxes. This
was a much needed specimen.
Gin Agriculture, as noted above, sew
eral hundred new samples of grains and
other products have been secured, and
are only awaiting a completion of the
number required before preparing and
placing them on exhibition. In Horticul-
ture, few new fruits and a sample of
native grown pecan nuts have been pre-
pared and are now on show.
'In Ethnology, the chief additions
have been in the line of firearms, war
material and relics. In this line Mr.. G..
III. Dortch. of Goldsboro, has been liber-
al in loaning the Museum his collection