The Repair of Casa Grande Ruin, Arizona, in 1891

Chapter VII: Report of Mr H. C. Rizer

Text size

Smithsonian Institution,
Bureau of Ethnology,
Washington, _November 24, 1891_.

Honorable J. W. Powell,
_Director of the Bureau of Ethnology_.

Sir: Complying with your order directing me to proceed to Florence,
Arizona, to witness the closing up of the work under contract for
the preservation of Casa Grande ruin near that place, and to report
to you the amount and character of the work accomplished, certifying
the amount due the contractors under each item, I have the honor to
submit the following report:

I visited the ruin first on October 20, and found the work well
advanced. Steady progress was made from said date until October 31,
the limitation expressed in the contract for prosecuting it.

In order to ascertain the exact location of Casa Grande ruin and to
aid me in the determination of the amount of work performed by the
contractors, I employed Mr Albert T. Colton, a civil engineer and
the official surveyor of Pinal county, Arizona, within the limits of
which the ruin stands. From actual measurements made by Mr Colton,
based upon official notes in his custody, he informed me the ruin
was located in the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of the
southwest quarter of section 16 of township 5 south, range 8 east. A
congressional township plat on which Mr Colton has marked the exact
location of the ruin is filed herewith, marked Exhibit A, and made a
part of this report [plate CXXV].

On October 29 Mr Colton at my instance took measurements of the
brickwork in underpinning and filling in cavities in the walls and
of the excavation done by the contractors. His estimate, based upon
these measurements, was submitted to me in writing. It is filed
herewith, marked Exhibit B, and is made a part of this report.

I find from these measurements that the contractors excavated and
removed to a point 100 yards from the ruin 570 cubic yards of
débris, 271 cubic yards of which were removed from the interior and
299 cubic yards from the exterior walls of the building, within an
area of 10 feet of said walls.

I also find the amount of underpinning done by the contractors to be
919 cubic feet, and the amount of filling in openings to be 1,161
cubic feet. The underpinning is done with hard-burned brick laid in
good cement mortar extending to a depth of 12 inches below the
original ground level. The face of the brickwork is set back from 1
to 2 inches from the face of the wall and plastered with a coat of
good cement mortar, making it flush with the outer wall.

In filling in cavities more than 500 lineal feet of 2 by 4 inch
squared lumber was used to replace broken-out lintels and laid side
by side across nearly the whole thickness of the walls, with not
more than 1 inch space between the boards. They occupy the same
horizontal planes as the original lintels, and the walls are trimmed
to afford solid resting places for them. The openings above the
lintels have been filled in the same manner as the underpinning,
with hard-burned brick set back 1 inch from the wall surfaces and
plastered with a coating of cement mortar, bringing it out flush
with the original wall.

I further find that the contractors have placed one wooden brace and
two iron braces as designated in the specifications. The wooden
brace is constructed of two pieces of good, clear, squared lumber 6
by 8 inches in cross section, well bolted together, secured by
plates of boiler iron three-eighths of an inch thick and 14 by 18
inches square. The specifications provide for this brace to run from
the south side of the south wall through the center room with a
plate on each side of the south wall and one on each side of the
wall on the north side of the center room. The contractors have
deviated from these requirements in having extended the said brace
through the entire length of the building and placed the plates that
were specified for the north wall of the center room on the
respective sides of the extreme north wall of the building. While
this deviation adds nothing to the security of the south wall, it is
doubtless as effective as it would have been had it been placed as
contemplated in the plan. It may in some degree strengthen the north
wall, and I recommend that it be accepted as in compliance with the
terms of the contract. The two iron rods called for in the
specifications are of wrought iron 1½ inches in diameter, secured by
boiler-iron plates three-eighths of an inch thick and 12 inches in
diameter, securely fastened as required in the specifications. There
was a necessary deviation from the plan as to the place the rod
nearest the east side of the building should be placed. Early in the
prosecution of the work a portion of the debris in contact with the
eastern wall was removed. During the night following this a section
of the south end of the east wall fell, carrying with it that
portion of the wall between the south and east rooms to which the
plan required said rod to be attached. In consequence the
contractors placed the rod so as to connect it with the portion of
the wall still intact. As a brace to the south wall it is placed
advantageously. In excavation, underpinning, and filling in the
contractors have exceeded the limitations prescribed in the
contract, and have therefore performed an amount of work for the
remuneration of which there is no provision. The following table
shows the amount of work authorized in each of the four items with
reference to which the contract was drawn and the amount actually
performed by contractors:

From this it will be observed that, taking the rate of compensation
provided for in the contract as a basis, the contractors have
performed work in excess of that authorized to the amount of $638
[$637]. They are fully advised that there is no provision for the
payment of this excess. The requirements of the contract are, in my
opinion, fully met in the quality of material used and the work
performed.

The preservation of the ruin is incomplete. There are six places
where lintels have disappeared and not been replaced and a
corresponding number of cavities that should be filled. Deep seams
have been cut in the walls by the action of the elements, and unless
far greater provision is made for its protection the work already
done will be of small avail.

At many places where the débris came in contact with the wall
disintegration seems to have resulted. At a slight touch it
frequently crumbles. Owing to this fact two sections of the wall
fell during the progress of the work when the debris was
removed--one from the east wall, described above, and one from the
south wall near the west extremity. These breaches maybe observed as
shown in two of the six accompanying photographs [plates CXX, CXXI].
These photographs were taken ten days before the work was completed.
There being no professional photographer in that vicinity I was
compelled to take advantage of the kind offer of Mr H. H. Burrell,
an amateur photographer, who happened to be there at that time. Thus
the views I secured failed to show all the brickwork done. The
coating of mortar was not applied until after the date on which the
views were taken, in consequence of which the bare bricks are shown
in the views.

During the progress of work in removing the debris a number of
articles of interest to the ethnologist were found at various depths
and localities. They have been packed by the contractors and will be
sent to the National Museum.

The floors in the center, north, and east rooms were found to be
about 8 feet above the ground surface. The material was similar to
that of which the walls are composed. The west and south rooms
appeared to have had floors at one time on the same level, but the
surfaces had disintegrated, and there was a mass of loose earth,
which was removed to a depth of 6.9 feet below the floors of the
other three rooms, where another floor was found slightly less firm
than those.

Reverend Isaac T. Whittemore, who has been designated by the
honorable the Secretary of the Interior as the custodian of the
ruin, rendered me valuable assistance in the performance of my
mission. He has manifested a zealous concern for the preservation of
the ruin and has given time and labor to that end. There is no
provision for his just compensation. I therefore recommend that if
any funds be found available after the payment of the amount due the
contractors the same be ordered paid to Mr Whittemore for his
services.

Very respectfully,
H. C. Rizer, _Chief Clerk_.

SUPPLEMENT

CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORT RELATING TO THE CONDITION OF CASA GRANDE IN 1895, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING ITS FURTHER PROTECTION

I. _Letter of Reverend Isaac T. Whittemore, custodian of Casa Grande, to the Secretary of the Interior, recommending an appropriation for further protecting the ruin_

Florence, Arizona,
_July 25, 1895_.
Honorable Hoke Smith,
_Secretary of the Interior_.

Dear Sir: It is with great hesitancy that I write to add to the
burdens of one so busy and burdened as I presume you to be. But it
is not for myself but for others that I write, and will try to be
laconic.

Can you embody in your next report to Congress an appeal for an
appropriation of $7,000 or $8,00[0] to roof the Casa Grande ruin, to
fence 40 acres, and make excavations of all the mounds in the
vicinity for the purpose of learning the history of the wonderful
people who once lived here and erected the buildings and built
canals?
* * * * *
Very sincerely, yours,
Isaac T. Whittemore,
_Custodian Casa Grande_.

II. _Indorsement of the Mr Whittemore's by the Acting Secretary of the Interior_

Department of the Interior,
_August 7, 1895_.

Respectfully referred to the Director of Bureau of Ethnology for
consideration of so much of within letter as relates to the Casa
Grande ruin, and such recommendation as the facts may warrant, and
report.

Wm. H. Sims,
_Acting Secretary_.

III. _Letter of the Acting Director of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Interior suggesting an examination of Casa Grande with a view of its further protection_

Smithsonian Institution,
Bureau of American Ethnology,
_Washington, August 28, 1895_.

Sir: Your request of August 7 for a report concerning a
recommendation by Reverend Isaac T. Whittemore, under date of July
25, that provision be made for further protecting Casa Grande ruin,
near Florence, Arizona, by the erection of a suitable roof, has been
under consideration.

In many respects Casa Grande ruin is one of the most noteworthy
relics of a prehistoric age and people remaining within the limits
of the United States. It was discovered, already in a ruinous
condition, by Padre Kino in 1694, and since that time it has been a
subject of record by explorers and historians. Thus its history is
exceptionally extended and complete. By reason of its early
discovery and its condition when first seen by white men, it is
known that Casa Grande is a strictly aboriginal structure; and
archeologic researches in this country and Mexico afford grounds for
considering it a typical structure for its times and for the natives
of the southwestern region. Many other structures were mentioned or
described by the Spanish explorers, but the impressions of these
explorers were tinctured by previous experience in an inhospitable
region, and their descriptions were tinged by the romantic ideas of
the age; very few of these structures were within the limits of the
United States, and nearly all of these situated in the neighboring
republic of Mexico disappeared long ago; there is hardly a structure
left, except Casa Grande ruin, by which the early accounts of
Spanish explorers in North America can be checked and
interpreted--none other of its class exists in the United States.
Casa Grande ruin is, therefore, a relic of exceptional importance
and of essentially unique character.

Unfortunately this structure, like others erected by the most
advanced among the native races in the southwest, is of perishable
material; it is built of adobe, or rather of cajon, i.e., of a
puddled clay, molded into walls, dried in the sun. Such walls would
stand a short time only in humid regions; but in the arid region the
material is desiccated and baked under cloudless sky and sun for
many months at a time, and becomes so hard as to resist, fairly, the
rare storms of the region. It is by reason of climatal conditions
that cajon and adobe have come into general use for building in
southwestern United States, as in contiguous parts of Mexico; and it
is by reason of the same conditions that a few of the ancient
structures remain, and the best preserved of all is found in the
Gila valley, one of the most desert regions on the western
hemisphere. Yet the best of the cajon structures is perishable; so
long as the roof remains and the summits of the walls are protected,
disintegration proceeds slowly; but when the projecting roof is
removed, the rare but violent storms attack the walls, and they are
gradually channeled and gullied by the storm waters, while the
exterior surface gradually disintegrates and falls away under the
alternate wetting and drying. Even in the most arid regions, the
earth-built structures typical of the southwest are surely, albeit
slowly, ravaged and destroyed.

Several years ago Casa Grande ruin was brought into general notice
throughout the United States in consequence of southwestern
explorations; and in 1889, in response to a petition from several
illustrious Americans, the Congress of the United States, at the
instance of Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts, made an appropriation of
$2,000 for the purpose of undertaking the preservation of this ruin.
This appropriation was expended in works urgently required to
prevent the falling of the walls and final destruction of the ruin;
they included metal stays for the walls, with brickwork for the
support and protection of the walls at their bases. Subsequently an
area of about 480 acres, including the ruin, was reserved from
settlement by Executive order. A custodian was also appointed, and,
as this office has been informed, has been continued down to the
present. This action on the part of the legislative and executive
branches of the Government can only be regarded as indicating a
desire and continued intention to preserve the ruin for the benefit
of the people of the United States.

The expenditures thus far authorized for the preservation of Casa
Grande ruin have been made in such manner as to meet the most urgent
needs only, and without them the structure would probably have been,
before this time, beyond the reach of preservation. The preservative
works were undertaken as emergency measures, rather than as steps in
carrying out a well-considered plan. From the outset it has been
understood by architects and archeologists and others familiar with
the structure that preservation can be insured only by throwing a
roof over the entire ruin in such manner as to protect the walls
from the fierce rainstorms which occasionally occur in the Gila
valley. No lesser work will preserve the ruin more than a generation
or two; and unless this work of roofing is contemplated and is
undertaken within a few years, the emergency work will be of little
avail and the money expended therein will be lost. Accordingly,
assuming a desire and continued intention on the part of the
Government to preserve this noteworthy relic, no hesitation is felt
in recommending that a suitable roof be placed over Casa Grande
ruin, at such time as may be expedient; and, in view of the rapidity
with which destruction is now in progress, there is no hesitation in
saying that the work should be undertaken at the earliest
practicable date.

It should be added that neither the Director nor any of the
collaborators in the Bureau of American Ethnology have visited Casa
Grande ruin for some three years, and accordingly that there are no
data in this office to indicate whether there is especially urgent
necessity for undertaking preservative work at this time; but much
confidence is placed in the judgment of the custodian, Reverend
Isaac T. Whittemore, who is known to several collaborators in the
Bureau.

The subject of the preservation of Casa Grande, in many respects the
most noteworthy ruin in the United States, is deemed important; and
if the Secretary of the Interior desires more specific information
concerning the present condition of the ruin, as a basis for further
action or judgment, it will be a pleasure to have an officer of this
Bureau make a special examination of, and report on, the ruin during
the autumn.

I have the honor to be, yours, with great respect,

W J McGee, _Acting Director_.
The Secretary of the Interior.

IV. _Letter of the Acting Secretary of the Interior to the Director of the Bureau of American Ethnology, approving the suggestion that Casa Grande be visited with a view of determining the desirability of its further protection_

Department of the Interior,
_Washington, September 12, 1895_.
The Director of the Bureau of American Ethnology,
_Smithsonian Institution_.

Dear Sir: I am in receipt of your letter of the 28th ultimo
submitting a report upon the recommendation made by the Reverend
Isaac T. Whittemore, custodian, that provision be made for further
protection of the Casa Grande ruin near Florence, Arizona, by the
erection of a suitable roof.

In response thereto I have to state that more specific information
concerning the present condition of the ruin and the probable cost
of providing proper protection for it is desirable in the
preparation of an estimate to be submitted to Congress with a view
of securing appropriation for the work. To this end the Department
gladly avails itself of your offer to send an officer of your
Bureau, at its expense, to make a special examination and report on
the ruin during the autumn of this year.

Very respectfully,
John M. Reynolds,
_Acting Secretary_.

V. _Letter of the Director of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Interior regarding the examination of Casa Grande by Mr W J McGee_

Smithsonian Institution,
Bureau of American Ethnology,
_Washington, October 18, 1895_.

Sir: Pursuant to your request of September 12, 1895, Mr W J McGee,
ethnologist in charge in the Bureau of American Ethnology, will in a
few days repair to Florence, Arizona, for the purpose of examining
Casa Grande ruin and determining the desirability of further works
for its preservation. * * *

In accordance with terms of preceding correspondence, it is of
course understood that the cost of the work will be borne wholly by
this Bureau.

I have the honor to be, yours, with great respect,

J. W. Powell, _Director_.
The Secretary of the Interior,
_Washington, D.C_.

VI. _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 Mr W J McGee, with a recommendation concerning its further protection_

Smithsonian Institution,
Bureau of American Ethnology,
_Washington, November 15, 1895_.

Sir: Pursuant to a proposal made in connection with a report from
this office relating to the ruins known as Casa Grande, near
Florence, Arizona, under date of August 28, 1895, and to the
acceptance of this proposal in a communication from the Department
of the Interior under date of September 12, 1895, Mr W J McGee,
ethnologist in charge of the Bureau of American Ethnology, has
within a few days made an examination of Casa Grande ruin with the
view of determining the need for further protection of the ruin by a
roof or otherwise.

There are in this office two series of photographs representing the
ruin. The first series was taken in 1892 before the protective works
authorized by the Congress were commenced; the second series
represents the work in progress. In the recent examination the
present condition of the ruin was carefully compared with the
condition represented in the photographs.

On comparing the profiles of the walls, it was found that in many
cases the irregular upper surfaces retain the exact configuration of
1892, even to the slightest knobs and rain-formed crevices; the
correspondence being so close as to show that the injury and loss by
weathering during the interim has been imperceptible. In some other
cases, notably along the southern and eastern walls, the profiles
are more extensively modified; some of the points and knobs shown in
the photographs are gone, some of the old crevices are widened and
deepened, and some new crevices appear; and in some parts it can be
seen that walls are lowered several inches. On the whole the
modification of the profiles of the walls is limited, yet such as to
indicate that destruction is proceeding at a not inconsiderable
rate.

On comparing the scars and crevices on the sides of the walls, it
was found that, while many remain essentially unchanged, most are
enlarged and deepened. This is particularly noteworthy on the
eastern and southern walls, which are most beaten by wind-driven
rains, and which are also most modified in profile. It would appear
that destruction is proceeding more rapidly along the sides of the
walls than along the crests.

On examining the walls with respect to apparent solidity and
stability, it was found that nearly all are in fair or good
condition. The only portion that would seem in special danger is the
central section of the southern exterior wall. This section seems
insecure, and might at any time be overthrown by a heavy wind
following a rain storm. This section was not, unfortunately, braced
or tied to the stronger interior wall when the protective works were
carried out in 1892.

On examining the structure to ascertain the effect of the protective
works of 1892 in staying the destructive processes, particularly the
undermining of the walls by spattering rain and drifting sand, it
was found that in most cases the results have been excellent. On the
inner side of the middle section of the southern exterior wall
sapping is in progress at the ground level, and also along the rows
of joist openings for the first and second stories, and in a few
other places the protection seems inadequate; but in general the
anticipations of the projectors of the protective works seem to have
been realized.

The most serious of the destructive processes was sapping, and this
process has been nearly checked by the protective works. The second
was the desurfacing and subsequent eating away of the walls by
beating rains and frost, and this is still in progress at a moderate
rate. The least serious process was the wearing away of the crests
of the walls by rain and winds, and this is still going on at a
perceptible rate. It is impossible to determine, and difficult even
to approximate, the rate of destruction quantitatively, especially
so since it goes on cumulatively, with constantly increasing
rapidity, as the cemented surfaces are destroyed and the crevices
widen and deepen; but judging from the history of the ruin, and from
the rate of destruction indicated by comparing the photographs of
1892 with the present aspect, it would seem safe to conclude that,
if protected completely from vandalism, the ruin will be
comparatively little injured during the next five years, and will
stand perhaps half a century, without further protective works,
before moldering into dust.

In view of the slow yet ever increasing rate of destruction of the
ruin, and of its great interest as a tangible record of the
prehistoric inhabitants of this country, no hesitation is felt in
recommending that the structure be further protected, and
practically perpetuated, by a suitable roof, so designed as to
shield the walls from rain and sun and at the same time permit an
unobstructed view of the ruin from any direction.
* * * * *
I have the honor to be, sir, yours, with great respect,

J. W. Powell, _Director_.
Secretary of the Interior.

INDEX

Adobe construction, what constitutes 323

Burrell, H. H., Casa Grande photographed by 343

Clauton, M. E., bid of, for repair of Casa Grande 339 Colton, A. T., on Casa Grande reserve 340 Contract for repairing Casa Grande 333-335

Doran, A. J., affidavit of 335
contract with, for Casa Grande repair 334

Eaman, C. B., witness to Casa Grande contract 334

Garlick, C. A., cooperation of, in repair of Casa Grande 327

Henry, C. D., bids of, for repair of Casa Grande 338-339 Hoar, G.F., interest of, in Casa Grande 346 Hunt, Jeff, witness to Casa Grande contract 334

Kebbey, F. C., witness to Casa Grande contract 334, 335 Kebbey, J. H., affidavit of 335 Kino, Eusebius, Casa Grande visited by 323, 345

McGee, W. J.
directed to examine Casa Grande 347
examination of Casa Grande by 329
examination of Casa Grande recommended by 344-347
report on Casa Grande by 348-349
Mindeleff, V., report by, on Casa Grande 327
Morrison, A. L., report by, on Casa Grande 326-327

Specimens found at Casa Grande 330-332 Stouffer, T. L., bid of, for Casa Grande repair 328, 338 contract with, for Casa Grande repair 334

White, F. E., bid of, on Casa Grande repair 328, 338
contract with, for Casa Grande repair 334
Whittemore, I. T., appointed custodian of Casa Grande, 329
compensation of, recommended, 318
cooperation of, in repair of Casa Grande, 327
judgment of, regarding Casa Grande, 316
on further protection of Casa Grande, 341
Williams, A. G., affidavit of, 335
contract with, for Casa Grande repair, 334

* * * * *

[Errors and Anomalies:

W J McGee
_except in the Index, this name is consistently printed without
periods (W. J.)_

Plate CXVII shows the extent of this area, and six sections are shown in
plates CXVIII and CXIX
_text reads_ Plate VI ... VII and VIII (_as if numbering from I within
article_)

Very sincerely, yours,
_comma in original_

Indorsement of the Mr Whittemore's by the Acting Secretary
_wording as in original_ ]

Comments

The Repair of Casa Grande Ruin, Arizona, in 1891Chapter VII: Report of Mr H. C. Rizer

0%17 min left in chapter