Page:U.S. Department of the Interior Annual Report 1879.djvu/58

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The superintendent of the Yellowstone Park reports the continuation of improvements by the opening of new roads and trails, building of bridges, and the construction of necessary buildings within the park for the accommodation of the force employed and protection of the property of the United States.

It has been suggested that measures should be taken to preserve upon this reservation specimens of the notable wild animals common to the country, but fast disappearing from the forests, mountains, and plains of the West. The American bison and buffalo, the elk, moose, and deer, and mountain sheep would thrive in the Yellowstone Park, and I am informed that certain portions of it could, with but little trouble, be so protected as to secure their immunity from destruction. The suggestion is a good one, and early direction should be given to carry it into practical effect.

The architect of the Capitol reports the completion, during the year, of many needed improvements in the Capitol building. He again calls attention to the insecure condition of the old Hall of Representatives, which, from its wooden partitions and roof, is liable to destruction by fire. Prompt measures should be taken to make this portion of the Capitol as nearly fire-proof as possible. The architect calls attention to the means employed for the ventilation of the building, and, for the purpose of securing a supply of purer air, suggests that the strip of government land running from the Botanical Garden to the government reservation at the junction of New Jersey and Virginia avenues be thickly planted with trees so, as to deflect any currents of air, tainted with malaria, which may come from the low lands along the Potomac. He reports the Capitol as in good repair, and suggests the importance of providing additional room for the growing demands of Congress. In his opinion the projection of the center portion of the building at the eastern front would be in accord with architectural beauty of proportion and furnish the room required.

As provided by the act of March 3, 1879, a fire-proof extension has been erected to the Government Printing Office.

Attention is called to the lighting of the Capitol by means of electricity. The voltaic battery formerly used in lighting the gas-jets has been superseded by the more economical dynamo-electric machines. Experiments are being conducted with a view to secure a steady electric light for the rotunda and the two chambers of Congress. Advances have been made in this direction, promising complete success, but no change in the method of lighting will be made until a steady electric light is secured.

Satisfactory work has been done upon the Capitol grounds in accordance