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:
Item |1. Excavating and clearing out débris.
| |2. Underpinning walls.
| | |3. Filling in cavities.
| | | |4. Braces.
----------------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+
Maximum authorized | 350 cubic | 750 cubic | 825 | 1 wood |
| yards | feet | cubic feet | and 1 iron|
| | | | |
Performed by | 570 cubic | 919 cubic | 1,161 | 1 wood and|
contractors | yards | feet | cubic feet | 2 iron |
| | | | |
Excess | 220 cubic | 169 cubic | 336 | |
| yards | feet | cubic feet | |
| | | | |
Contract Price | 60 cents | $1 per | $1 per | $200 |
| per cubic | cubic foot| cubic foot | |
| yard | | | |
| | | | |
Maximum allowances | $210 | $750 | 825 | 200 |
under contract | | | | |
| | | | |
Amount contractors | 342 | 919 | 1,161 | 200 |
claim to have | | | | |
earned | | | | |
| | | | |
Excess of contractors'| 132 | 169 | 336 | |
claim over amount | | | | |
authorized | | | | |
----------------------+-----------+-----------+------------+-----------+
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_.