Lieutenant Emory visited other interesting ruins, at one of which he found sea-shells worked into ornaments, and a large bead an inch and a quarter in length, of bluish marble, exquisitely carved or turned.

The writer of this article, in company with Professor George H. Cook, State Geologist of New Jersey, and S. P. Van Winkle, also of New Jersey, visited Casa Grande in April, 1879. This remarkable ruin lies about twelve miles from the flourishing town of Florence, Pinal County, Arizona. It stands on a widespreading mesa, rising slightly from the main road. The mesquite trees, although low, hide the building until it is nearly approached. For miles distant from the ruin the ground is spread with fragments of broken pottery, in such quantities that it is impossible to reject the idea that the site was at one time densely populated, where now utter desolation reigns. It is natural, under such circumstances, to speculate as to how the people lived; for, if the country was in the same state then as now, the question would be a difficult one to answer. The visitor has ample time to think the matter over from the time he first begins to observe the signs of human habitation until he reaches the building. With our party the conclusion reached was that the Colorado desert may have been

once an inland sea, and the climate widely dif

The walls were originally, as near as may be, four feet in thickness, the exact measurement

being three and seven-tenths feet. The highest point, as the building now stands, is thirtyferent from the present. It must be a consola- high, each of which was eight feet from floor to five feet. It was originally four or five stories tion to those who intend to reside in that part ceiling. The extreme length, carefully measof Arizona to feel assured that no violent earth-ured, is fifty-eight and a half feet, and the width quake could have happened for centuries, for the walls of Casa Grande are in such a condition that they could not withstand even an ordinary shock.

As the traveler approaches Casa Grande he cannot fail to be somewhat disappointed, the more so if he has taken a romantic or poetical view of the published descriptions of that noted building. Instead of the stately edifice he has pictured in his imagination, he beholds only a huge dun colored, almost shapeless mass, looming up strangely from the desolate plain. There is nothing architectural about the structure. It is, at best, but a mud house; though, as he examines it more closely, it seems more and more wonderful, and the mind is filled with conjecture as to the uses to which this great building may have been put, and why it stands so lonely and isolated. But, on examining the ground around about, it will be discovered that Casa Grande is but one of many similar buildings that were scattered city-like over the mesa. Fallen walls of houses older, or which were thrown down by some unknown cause, may be forty-three feet. In the north, south, east, and traced out, or detected by the characteristic west faces of the building, there were narrow concrete which lies in heaps at various points. I doors, centrally placed, through which entrance

was made into the main compartments, and over each door, narrow port-holes, decreasing in width from the bottom upward. The foregoing cut gives the form of them, drawn to a scale of half an inch to the foot.

Some of these port-holes have been built in with concrete, as if they had been found to be unnecessary, or had been filled up for defense. The building faces nearly the cardinal points of the compass, the north and south walls bearing north, ten degrees east, which is nearly the true meridian. The interior must have been dark, as the light was admitted only through the before described port-holes. The inner room was, presumably, like a dungeon

A chemical analysis of the concrete of which the walls are built reveals the secret why the building has for so many years, not to say centuries, withstood the action of the elements, and also the probability that the ancient builders had acquired the art of burning lime, although they were still in ignorance of the use of iron.

ROUGH ANALYSIS OF CONCRETE FROM CASA GRANDE.

Sand and matter insoluble in hydrochloric acid...

pictured walls remain as fresh as if newly painted. They are inclined to think, if at all skeptical, that these statements are exaggerated. Yet here in Arizona we have evidences that, in the warm, dry climate, changes take place slowly. It is not easy to understand why the concrete walls should not last a thousand years as well as a hundred. Some parts of the outer surface remain as smooth as when left by the builder, while in others the tooth of time has gnawed unsightly cavities, like cancer spots. Why this should be the case has caused the writer much thought. For centuries occasional rain storms, and the continued action of the natural sandblast, have gradually worn away the surface, and left their records on the old dun-colored walls. We are apt to overlook the importance of little things, and may forget that an incessant bombardment, lasting for centuries, may produce great changes, even if the missiles be only grains of sand. Professor William P. Blake read a paper before the California Academy of Sciences, January 15, 1855, describing the action of drifting sand as seen by him in the San Bernardino Pass. Even quartz was cut away. Hard minerals, like garnets, were found, in some cases, to have protected softer stones under their lee. After this action had continued for years, a stony finger was seen pointing to windward, with a garnet or other hard mineral at the tip. The writer has observed the same It will be seen by the above analysis that the phenomenon in many localities in both Califorconcrete contains seventeen per cent. of car-nia and Arizona, and lastly on the ancient walls bonate of lime, and it is fair to assume that part of the insoluble portion may be silicate of lime, a substance which forms in the hardening of mortars. There is no reason to think that the builders made use of the limestones so abundant in the immediate vicinity, but the scattered fragments of shells lead to the opinion that sea-shells were brought from the shores of the Gulf of California; although when the fact is considered that seventeen per cent. of the massive four-foot wall is lime, the expenditure of labor seems almost incredible. It may be that the soil of the mesa is in itself calcareous, and that the concrete was prepared much as ordinary adobe is at the present day. But this is not at all likely. It is more probable that lime was burned to mix with the building materials.

Carbonate of lime.

Iron and alumina.

Water.

Organic matter and loss.

Total...

74.00
17.00

I. 10

4.80
3.10

100.00

The inner surface has remained these long years intact, the smooth face showing no sign of decay. The little wrinkled marks, left when the surface dried, remain the same as when, centuries ago, the builder laid aside his tools, and the work was declared finished. Readers of works written by travelers in Egypt wonder at the accounts given of temple and tomb, whose

of Casa Grande.

The central series of rooms was at least one story higher than the others. From A into E there is a port-hole in the second story, from room to room. From E into D there was originally a port-hole of the same size, but it has been filled in. From E to c there is a door, but none from C into B, instead of which there are several curious circular openings, from eight to ten inches in diameter, extending through the thick walls, and resembling modern stove-pipe holes. They are still perfectly smooth on the inside. What use these singular openings were put to can only be conjectured.

After making an examination of so remarkable a building, it was perfectly natural to speculate as to the uses to which it could have been put, and this is precisely what our party proceeded to do. It is amusing, even now, to remember how many suggestions were made, and how absurd some of them were. All were finally abandoned, and we were obliged at last to admit that no clew to the mystery had been discovered. One of the party suggested a grain warehouse, as the extensive irrigation works and the signs of a dense population indicated

that large crops may have been raised. But | bridge built by Trajan over the Danube was

found to be superficially petrified, but the interior wood was sound after sixteen hundred years. The timber supports used by the ancient copper miners of Lake Superior are still remarkably sound and well preserved. But wood still more ancient has been found in Egyptian temples, which is known to be four thousand years old. Considering these facts, it is

antiquity having been built at a period very re

mote.

this theory was rejected when it was seen how small the floor rafters were. Any one of the many rooms full of grain would have crushed the floors, if not the walls themselves. Another thought that the building had been a temple, or some kind of religious edifice; but the smallness and multiplicity of the rooms, and the still greater number of doors and port-holes, argued against such a supposition, although the myste-fair to admit the possibility of this remarkable rious central rooms and the unexplained cylindrical openings were suggestive of pagan rites. The interior of the building has been burned out long ago; still the ends of the rafters are well preserved, having been deeply embedded in the walls. On digging them out, it may be seen that they have been cut with a blunt instrument, the marks of which are to all appearance just as they were made by the hand of the workman. It may be argued that the floor joists being of wood, and showing but little, if any, mark of decay, the age of the building may be overestimated. As an offset to this objection, however, may be cited the mining of cedar logs in the ancient swamps of New Jersey. Dr. Beesley, quoted by Professor Cook in the geological reports of the State, estimates the age of some of the fallen trees at fifteen hundred and fifty years. They are at the present time being split into shingles and sawed into lumber, to be used in building in the cities of New York and Philadelphia. The piles upon which old London bridge is built were driven five hundred years ago, and are still in a good state of preservation. One of the wooden piles from the

Several attempts have been made to discover a clew to the age and uses of Casa Grande by digging, but with indifferent success. A gentleman at Florence informed the writer that he had a piece of gold, resembling a coin, found within the ancient walls. A Mr. Walker made some excavations on an appropriation granted by the Legislature of Arizona. Others, from time to time, have made similar attempts, resulting, as before stated, in disappointment. Some visitors have said that a hollow sound could be heard in the inner room by jumping on the floor. It is quite evident that a portion of the walls have fallen inwardly, which may account for the sound, if it is true. Nothing of the kind, however, was noticed by the writer or party. Steps should be taken to preserve Casa Grande from the vandalism of visitors. Unless something be done to effect this end, it will eventually be carried off piecemeal. The Territorial Legislature should enact a law for its protection, and this cannot be done too soon. HENRY G. HANKS.

MODERN ARCHERY.

With the antiquity of archery this article has nothing to do. From very early days, it has been the means of supplying man's wants in the chase, of fighting his battles; and to-day it furnishes a pastime, innocent, healthful, and fascinating. The fascination of the long-bow is something seemingly indefinable-growing, gaining on its votaries with each repetition of its use.

After the probationary period of sore fingers, tired muscles, so far untrained, and other preliminary steps necessary to the acquirement of the art, comes, with increasing skill, the love of it, ever growing until so firmly rooted as to almost defy removal. The many diffi

culties to be overcome by the ambitious devotee are but so many incentives, and the more they block the way, the greater the perseverance, the more determined the efforts, until a satisfactory degree of skill is acquired. The bow of today is different from the bow of our childhood days in nearly every respect. No boy would be a boy without bow and arrow, and the fact of being its manufacturer undoubtedly added greatly to its value in the owner's eyes. Anything bendable was utilized. An old barrelstave, or shapely sapling dried in the oven, answered every purpose; and with such crude weapons, the small boy has from time immemo

"So long since I shot a bow-rather out of to those who lead sedentary lives, and it is from practice."

His own efforts rather spoiling his stories, citizen falls back on aboriginal reminiscences. The Indian is always to be relied on as subject-lover of the gentle art. For a long time Amermatter for a yarn, and possesses the further advantage of not being on hand to test the accuracy of citizen's remarks:

Target shooting is practiced in "rounds," the usual shooting in this vicinity being at the "American round"-thirty arrows each distance, at forty, fifty, and sixty yards. With growing skill and experience, the archer, if ambitious, as is usually the case, seeks new laurels in attempting the "York round," the present national round of Great Britain and of this country in public competitions. To get any satisfastory scores at this round is a work of much time and practice, not to mention pedestrianism, as it requires two dozen arrows at sixty yards, four dozen at eighty yards, and six dozen at one hundred yards; and those who flatter themselves into the belief that they are experts at the American round shooting, are usually surprised to see how often they do not hit the target at the longer ranges. The walk

twelve or fifteen dollars will fit out the intend- | limit for what is known as short-range shooting. ing archer ready for the range. A straw target, thoroughly made, with regulation painted facing, will cost say six dollars, but can be bought by a club, or a few friends joining together, for common use. Once the probationary period is passed, the archer will become ambitious, and desire a better bow-and here his taste can be gratified with a large variety to select from. What are known as backed bows, made usually from two different woods (occasionally three), abound in styles and numbers, at from seven to twenty-five dollars in price, according to quality, through the various grades. Snakewood, beefwood, partridgewood, lemonwood, lancewood, yew, and so forth, joined with ash or hickory for the back, are in common use here, and can be seen on any archery range. Perhaps the handsomest in appearance are the snakewood and hickory, the beautifully mottleding required to retrieve the arrows shot at the dark wood contrasting well with the white. The more expensive bows of this class are marvels of finish and workmanship. Every part is wrought out to a certain scale so delicately graduated as to secure the best results in accuracy of shooting, elasticity, and strength. The yew, however, is the bow par excellence, and is unequaled in smoothness and elasticity of pull, quickness, and lack of tendency to "kick," noticeable in all other bows. The archer desirous of doing the handsome thing by himself can get a fine yew bow for two hundred and fifty dollars. Should that frighten the intending purchaser, perhaps a statement that a yew can be secured for fifteen or twenty dollars may be reassuring. The fortunate possessor of a fine bow is envied among archers less favored, but at the same time has a little extra care on his hands in giving it proper attention, although that should be done with every bow, whatever the quality. A frequent rubbing with an oiled rag is to the bow what careful grooming is to the race-horse; and the better taken care of, the better the results in every way, in either case.

Once provided with a satisfactory outfit, and having learned how to hold the bow, how to "loose," and other details, the question of advancement is simply one of practice. Systematic, persistent work in time accomplishes the desired result in the way of skill, and in a few months the novice becomes an expert at the shorter ranges. Many, in beginning, start at ten or twenty feet distance from the target, and practice until they become proficient enough to hit the gold (the bull's-eye) a majority of shots. As skill is acquired, the distance is gradually increased, until the archer is almost sure of "a hit" every time up to sixty yards distance, the

York round is rather more than could be anticipated without reckoning. An archer shooting alone, and three arrows at an "end" (each time the bow is used), will have walked nearly three miles at the hundred-yard range alone. To attain a respectable degree of proficiency at the York round is a work of years, and requires ambition and persistency on the part of the archer, as progress seems provokingly slow. Of course there are those who develop unusual aptitude, as in all sports, and acquire a condition of effectiveness so much sooner than many others who shoot in company with them that the effect is rather depressing on the slower ones; yet the peculiar attractions of archery are likely to stir up the rear ranks to greater effort in such cases. Time will tell, and it is generally a matter of time, after all. The archer, facing the target for the first time at a hundred yards, is usually more or less surprised to see how it has seemingly diminished in size, notwithstanding the four feet of diameter are still there, inviting the flying shaft. There is, possibly, a little trepidation, more determination, and still more curiosity, as the first arrow is started on its way—an eager straining of the eyes, watching the flight, and accompanying guessing as to its landing place. Following the arc, the archer half expresses aloud the thought, "That went over." Same with the other shots, and, hurrying to the target to ascertain the result, nine times in ten the arrows will be found sticking in the ground far short of the mark-a rather puzzling demonstration of optical delusion. Finally, the eager archer hears the dull thud denoting a hit, and, as it is usually a difficult matter to see an arrow in the target from that distance, mental conjectures as to its proximity to the center abound until the certainty is known. The first hit re