Evening star., 1909-08-22
BE GOOD, MR.. ROOSTER MOVING IN HAS BEGUN
Your Fate Will Be Decided Storing Collections in the New
This Week. National Museum
DISTRICT WILL VOTE AGAIN CASES PUT IN BASEMENT
Twill Be the Bayard Song Floor Space of the Building Nearly
LOCAL OPTION ELECTION TOO uPTo ELECTRIC PLANT
of
Powe-Tunnel
in to the Smithsonian.
Storing Collections in the New
National Museum.
GASES PUT IN BASEMENT
Floor Space of the Building Nearly
Ten Acres.
UP-TO-DATE ELECTRIC PLANT
Institution Will Furnish Its Own
Heat. Light and Power-Tunnel
to the Smithsonian.


Although the new National Museum
building is by 10 means finished. moving
in has already begun. II is likely that
the building will be occupied for office
purposes by October. but the exhibits Will
not be in shape for the public IL inspect
for several months. Although the new
building does not look 50 large from the
outside. il has in reality about three
times as much floor space as the original
museum structure and will be the best
appointed museum building in the world
II will take considerable strain off the
officials who have been put 10 il for eE-
hibijion space in the old building for
years past 1t will change the exhibits
in the old building to considerable
extent. But the individual exhibits are
constantly changing, anyhow. 1t Is one
Of the peculiaritics of a museum that 1T
is never finished In fact, one of the
best curators in the world says that a
museum which is finished is dead.
The new museum has two floors at its
disposal now. while the Uorhmen are
sill busy with the other floors and the
rotunda. But il has been imperative TO
get the material into the new building.
as there was no other place to put II,
and the work of moving has been going
on for about ten DAYS Ii is not gen
orally understood by the public. hut the
fact remains that the exhibits in big
museum form q very small part OF It's
possessions. and the work of putting eN-
hibits on view for the amusement and
instruction of the public forms but a
small part Of the work OF the offlclaiS.
Collections Stored in Easement.
Thus the first move that is being made
is into the basement Of the new build
ing, where there are big collections of
skins, both of mammals and of birds,
shells. coins and implements that are
used only for study and comparison and
that never have and never will see the
light of day in the public cases
1t is this extra space that is wanted
by the museum quite rs much as floor
space for the public cases.
The total floor space III the new build
ing is q fraction under ten acres. This.
Of course. does not mean that the build
ing covers thai much ground. out ther.
is that much space in the basement and
the several floors. There remain in the
old museum and the Smithsonian build
ing about -four acres Of space. and there
WIS dDpIt dn .ltIt VI Itllltu SlDdte uStu
partly for workshops and partly for
storage that had 10 Dc given up the first
OF the fiscal year because there Was no
further appropriation to pay the rent
Most of the stored collections have
already been taken into the new build-
ing. and the shops have been given tenn
porary quarters wherever they could he
most conveniently located. In the big
corridors on the second floor the casual
| wanderer win skirt a pile Of pla st"I
/ nd Indian
| a vacuum cleaner or a compressed AIR
| riveter, which may or not be part of
/ the collection. ana then Will run into
! stuffcd rhinoceros and a pile of file
| cases. all contcntedly waiting the arrival
| OF the curators 10 send eacn 10 its APP
pointed place.
| Model Electric Plant.
There are more signs OF real activity
| in the engine and boiler rooms than in
! any other part Of the building, and the
museum officials point with pride. or
| words Ia that effect. To the heat. light
| and power installation as being the best
and most economical that has ever been
! put in government building. The
whole of the light. heat and power for
| the new building and the two old ones
as We'll as the several small shops and
outbuildings, will be furnished from the
I single plant in the new building There
will be fiN e-foot concrete tunnel about
I 700 feet long, running from the new
museum building to the old Smithsonian
| building. and this will carry the wires
and pipes for the whole system.
The boilers in the new building are
! big fellows. with a forced draft attach
mont that can be turned on at any time
and make one boiler do the work of two
under stress Of circumstances. The en-
gine is Il new high-speed type. and can
i 10 electric generators 10 furnish
power for all the workshops and laborl
tories in the place. beside furnishing al
/ the electric light needed.
Heat and Ventilation.
The heating plant has 1900 feet #
radiators. but this is only feature
Of the heating and ventilating plant.
/ There is a big system OF galvanized pipes
! running along tn. ceilings with openings
! into it like mesaphoneS This system
can he used TO draw the foul air out
| from the top of the rooms and discharge
! il from the roof. In stress of cold
weather il can take the surplus heat
! from the boiler room and pour il like
water into any part Of the building, on
/ in summer il can send cold air all over
/ the place.
/ Each lathe. grinding machine or other
tool will be by an individual dynamo.
and there will be shafting in any
of the laboratories or shops.
| One of the most importar< things from
/ the viewpoint Of the public will be that
when the museum is finally opened 10
/ the public the market dealers and huch-
sters will be moved from the front II
the building and the space will be kept
clear for visitors.
| The Roosevelt Collection.
| The question about the Roosevelt col
lection of African animals was raised
| with one Of the museum officials. and
] he was asked whether he thought there
would be any attempt to make a sep
| arate collection of it. even for time. 80
that the public could what the eX-
| President had accomplished in the hunt
| ing line. lie replied with decided
No" saying that ii would be the work
of six months year before any con-
siderable number of skins We're mounted.
Lau ha, They. I-nlllal