two thousand
dollars; and the President is authorized to reserve from settlement
and sale the land on which said ruin is situated and so much of the
public land adjacent thereto as in his judgment may be necessary for
the protection of said ruin and of the ancient city of which it is a
part.

[Footnote 1: 25 Statutes, p. 961.]

On the 12th of April, 1889, there was a conference between the Secretary
of the Interior and the Commissioner of the General Land Office looking
to the execution of the law, and on the 16th of that month the
Commissioner submitted a statement on the subject, calling attention to
the fact that the appropriation would not be available until July 1
following, and suggesting that a special agent should be sent out to
examine the ruin. This suggestion was approved, and on April 27, 1889,
Special Agent Alexander L. Morrison, of the General Land Office, was
instructed to proceed to the ruins for the purpose of investigating and
reporting as to what method should be adopted for their repair and
protection. Mr Morrison was further instructed to report "all the facts
obtainable as regards said ruins of 'Casa Grande,' in order that
appropriate action may be taken by the Department for its preservation."

On May 15,1889, Mr Morrison submitted a report to the Commissioner,
describing his journey, the location of the ruin, the ruin itself, and
other ruins in the vicinity. He stated that danger to the ruin was of
three kinds--(1) by vandalism, (2) by elements, (3) by undermining. He
recommended the construction of a roof and an underpinning of stone for
the walls. Finally, he gave some historical notes, and closed with a
peroration.

Mr Morrison's plans were found impracticable, as their execution would
require an expenditure of many times the sum appropriated, and on
September 23, 1889, all the papers in the case were transmitted by the
Secretary to the Director of the Geological Survey, "for appropriate
action under the clause of the act referred to, as being within the
province of your Bureau." It was ordered that the work be commenced
without the least delay, and November 27, 1889, Mr Victor Mindeleff, of
the Bureau of Ethnology, was detailed by the Director and ordered to
proceed to the ruin and report on the best means of repairing it and
protecting it from further destruction. He was also directed to make
other investigations in the vicinity, which have no relation to the
present case