Letter from the Acting Director of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Interior suggesting an examination of CasaGrande with a view to further protection 344 IV. Report of the Director of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Interior on the examination of the condition of Casa Grande by MrWJ McGee, with a recommendation-.
THE REPAIR OF CASA GRANDE RUIX
INTRODUCTION
DESCRIPTION OF THE RUINS
The ruins of Casa Grande occupy a position near the southwest corner of the group, and its size is insignificant compared to the entire group of ruins, or even to the remains of the large structure that occupied the north-central art of the area. Casa Grandei)roper was one of the smaller groups of houses, but it is unique in that the walls still stand to a height of more than 25 meters. Formiles around the Casa Grandethe surface of the earth is easy since from the top of the walls a great extent of the country is brought under view in every direction.
The north-east and south-east corners of the structure fell, and a large mass of the material of which they were composed was scattered on the ground in the vicinity.
CONDITION OF CASA GRANDE IN 1891
The outer surface of the walls is rough, as shown in the illustrations, and the rear inner walls of the rooms are finished with a remarkable degree of smoothness, so nuich that it attracted the attention of every one who visited the rum. Evidence of the original floor coverings is preserved in several tiie. rooms, especially in the north room. All the walls show evidence of a i^riucipal set of beams in the line of holes formed by their ends where they were embedded in the walls.
In the south wall, in parts of the east wall high up on the upper roof and in parts of other walls some stumps or beams remained.
PLANS FOR THE REPAIRS
Evidence of the other features of the floor construction can be seen on the walls in places where they left an impression, as described in the memoir previously quoted. This is especially unfortunate, because openings at their best are an element of weakness in a wall, and here every opening, after the lintel was removed, became, as it were, a center of weakness from which the destruction of the wall mass gradually went on and on. The salti wall, which was in a dangerous condition, was to be supported by three internal braces, as shown in the plan, platecxvii.
The longer brac^e or beam was necessarily of wood, as the wide range of temperature in this region, even between day and night, would be i)ro- . induce 80 much expansion and contraction in an iron bar CO feet long that without any comi)ensing device the wall will sway.
EXECUTION OF THE WORK
It has been found impossible to carry out all the work considered for the preservation of the ruin within the limits of the apjiropriation. The next item of interest was the underpinning of the walls with brick wherever necessary. The third item was the repair of the lintels and the filling of the cavities above them.
In the original plans and in the specifications which formed part of the contract (although this section was not operational) a track for a roof was included.
RESERVATION OF THE LAND
SPECIMENS FOUND IN THE EXCAVATIONS
CONTRACT FOR REPAIRING AND PRESERVING CASA GRANDE
RUIN, ARIZONA
PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE CASA GRANDE RUIN, ARIZONA, 1891
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
- CLEARING OUT THE DfiBEIS
- UNDERPINNING WALL.S
- FILLING IN OPENINGS
- BRACING
- PLANS AND SECTIONS—PRESERVATION OF THE CASA GRANDE
This work must be carried out in conjunction with the substructure of the walls, and must be subject to the execution of the latter, the work being carried out as required by the person who issued the contract for the substructure. The material removed from the building and its surroundings must be removed at an appropriate distance, not less than 100 meters from the building. The walls eroded to ground level should be supported with hard-burnt brick, laid in good cement mortar and extended to a depth of at least 30 cm below the original ground level.
The face of the brickwork must be set back at least 1. inches not more than 2 inches from the face of the wall, and the brickwork shall be covered with a coating of cement mortar, 1 to 2 inches tldck, flush with the exterior wall.. from lintels of oi)enings shall be replaced is by wooden lintels consisting of timber, 2 x 4 inches in size, laid side by side over nearly the entire thickness of the walls, with not more than 1 inch of space between the boards, and of the same length as the original lintels.. exterior walls must be trimmed to provide solid rests for the new lintels, which occupy the same horizontal jilanes that the old ones did. One wooden support and two iron supports must be inserted, as indicated on the plan attached hereto. The wooden brace must be of one piece, or two pieces well bolted together, of selected wood, free from knots and other imperfections, square, and measure 6 x 8 inches.
Two passages shall be provided, at such points as may be directed, side posts of wood, G by 6 inches in section, and the doors shall be made of sawn timber 1 inch by 5 inches, hung on good iron hinges, leaving a clear space not less than 12 feet when open, the whole executed in the best and most workmanlike manner. The stands are made of selected 1 foot square lumber, each in one piece, the lower ends to be planted at least 3 feet below the original ground level, and to be fastened and connected to each other as shown on the plan. The roof should be framed and fixed in the usual manner, and this framework should extend beyond the external wall G.
The cladding should be of good quality corrugated iron, securely fastened to the framing and painted with three good coats of roof paint of the best quality. The whole must be constructed and executed in the best and most skillful manner, entirely of good materials, and of sufficient strength to withstand the storms to which it may be exposed.
RUIN, ARIZONA. SCALE OF ALL THE PLANS AND SECTIONS
The support plates, four to eauli rods, shall be not less than 10 inches in diameter, of sufficient strength and shall be securely and permanently attached to the brackets. The area that may be determined should be fenced with the best quality galvanized iron barbed wire, tied to posts placed six meters apart. The posts should be at least 6 feet tall and planted perpendicularly, with a clearance of 4 feet and at least 6 feet below the ground surface.
Three double wire lines are stretched and tied securely to the poles, the first at a distance of '2 feet from the ground, the second at 3 feet, and the third at 4 feet from the ground.
15 ETH 22
OATH OF DISINTERESTEDNESS
I solemnly swear that the contract (•he) annexed hereto is .. an exact copy of the contract made by nie personally with 'riicodore Louis Stourterand Frederick Emerson White; that 1 did tiie same fairly, . without any benefit or advantage to myself, or permitting any such benefit. open to or benefit the said Theodore Louis Rtoufter and Frederick Emersou White, or to any other person or persons; and that the accompanying documents include all that pertain to said contract, as required by statute in this case made and provided for.
BIDS
E. WniTK
- INDORSEMENTS
Removal of waste from the interior of the ruins, 320 cubic meters, more or less, f1 per 140 cubic meters from the outside of the ruins for CO cents per To determine the exact location of the Casa Grande ruin and to help me determine the amount of work done by the contractors, I employed Mr. AlbertT. Acon-. gressional township plat, on which Mr. Colton has marked the exact location of the ruin is herewith filed, marked Appendix A. and made a ])art of this report [plate cxxv|.
On the 20th of October, Mr. Colton, at my request, took the measurements of the masonry in the foundation and filling of the cavities in the walls, and the excavation made by the contractors. The specifications call for this buttress to run from the south side of the south wall through the central room with a slab on each side of the south wall and one on each side of the wall on the north side of the central room. It may strengthen the north wall to some extent, and I recommend that it be accepted as in accordance with the terms of the treaty.
Earlj- during the prosecution of the work, part of the debris in contact with the eastern wall was removed. During the night following this a portion of the south end of the east wall fell, carrying with it that part of the wall between the south and east rooms to which the plan called for the bar to be attached. As a result, the contractors placed the rods so that they connect with that part of the wall.
There beiiiji no professional photographer in that vicinity I was obliged to take advantage of the kind of presentation of Mr. II. II. Whittemore, who was appointed by the Honorable the Home Secretary as the custodian of the rum, rendered valuable assistance in the financing of my mission.
SUPPLEMENT
CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORT RELATING TO THE CONDITION OF CASA GRANDE IN 1895, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERN-
W. Powell, Director
Report by Ike lUnitor van tin-Hnrean of the American Eihnnloijiito de Seeretarii of the Interior on the assessment of the condition of Cam. The first series was made in 1892 before conservation work authorized by Congress began; the second series concerns work in progress, during recent research into the poor condition of the ruin, carefully compared with the condition shown in the photographs. In some other cases, particularly along the southern and eastern walls, the profiles are more extensively modified; some points and knobs seen in the photos have disappeared, some old crevices have become wider and deeper, and some new crevices are appearing; and in some places it can be seen that the walls have been lowered several inches.
Overall, the change in the profiles of the walls is limited, but still such as to indicate destruction. proceeds at a not inconsiderable speed. It would be clear that the destruction would proceed more quickly along the walls and along the peaks. Examination of the walls for their apparent strength and stability revealed that virtually all of them are in fair to good condition.
This section was unfortunately not reinforced or attached to the stronger internal wall when the protective works were carried out in 1892. MiNDELEFF] STATE OF CASA GRANDE IN 1895 349 We examine the structure to determine the effect of the protective works of In 1892 it turned out that in counteracting the destructive processes, in particular the stretching of the walls by splashing rain and blowing sand, the results in most cases were excellent. The inside of the central section of the southern outer wall is being excavated at ground level, and also along the rows of transoms for the first and second floors, and in a few other places the protection appears inadequate; but in general the expectations of the projectors of The protective works seem to have been realized. The most serious of the destructive processes was undermining, and this process has almost been stopped by the pilot works. The second was the removal of the surface and subsequent eating away of the walls by driving rain and frost, and this is still ongoing at a moderate pace.
The least serious process was the wearing down of the tops of the walls by rain and wind, and this still goes on to an appreciable degree. In view of the slow but ever-increasing rate of destruction of the ruin, and of its great interest as a tangible record of the prehistoric inhabitants of this country, there is no lie in recommending that the structure be further protected and practically perpetuated by a suitable roof , thus designed to shield the walls from rain and sun and at the same time allow an unobstructed view of the ruin from any
INDEX
Kruhm,Henry,.steatitequary-on farmof. sprog, studie af xlviii, Hii. Lalakonti ceremoni af Hopi 262 LailETAlRlE,—, Arkansasnoteret af 193 Lang,J. LenoxLibrarybesøgt xl Leverforbrug steatiteworking ill. xliii.xlvii.liii,Ivi,xcii. Side.- IMtOJErTiLE POINTSproducereilved Making 26 phoi'KHTY.di(*iiosal(if cix.cxiv. resumeofprogressof Ixxxviii PuEHLOcuLTiUE, gcogiaphic extension of... 252 Pueblo bosettingsidentified xxii Wroclawn ceremonien, F. Kva.
