Volume 1

6

June 30. 1896.

Norman [ ]ng, Esq, Manhattan Club, New York City.

Dear Sir

It has not been possible for us to have a regular meeting of the Museum Committee since your kind call here at the Museum. I have however, seen Mr. Mellor, the Chairman of that Committee, and he expresses himself as quite certain that the Committee would be more than pleased to receive your collections of Indian implements and of pottery subject to your conditions. We would assure you also that we would give them the best possible location in the Museum and arrange them in cases in the best possible way, keeping the collections, as you say, all together.

It is our purpose to make the Museum here in Pittsburg as good a Museum as any in our country and we will be more than glad to enjoy your co operation in this purpose. Should you at any time, during your absence abroad, meet with any objects which you think may be of interest to [ ] and the people here, either in a scientific or educational way, we would be more than pleased if you would remember us.

Thanking you sincerely for your kind offer to deposit your collections with us, I am, with sincere respect.

Yours very truly,

F. H. Gerrodette,

Director

7

July 1st 1896.

C. C. Mellor, Esq., Pittsburg, Pa.

Dear Mr Mellor,

Herewith I hand to you and the committee the list of material now in the museum. I have arranged this list by cases and by owners or donors.

Thus far everything has been completed that can be attended to before the trays, etc are received. As soon as I can get the trays we will push ahead and mend the pottery and prepare collections for exhibition. If your committee will approve of the plans for cataloguing or of any modification of it which they may think best, I can get the books etc in a very few days and get this work under way.

Yesterday I saw the mound on McKee's bluff. It looks as though it had been only partly and superfically opened. This cliff is being cut away by blasting and the mound will soon be destroyed. I think it could be well to explore this mound thoroughly without delay. Steps have been taken to secure the necessary permission from the owners. For this work we would require about four trowels [ ] shovels, one pick, two axes, [ ] hatchet, a compass and

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a canvas. If the committee will authorize me to make the neccesary purchases and for preparations and carry through this work I will begin as soon as the necessary permissions from the owners are obtained. There are two other, prossibly four other, mounds near here which might repay investigation this summer.

I have written to Mr. Spacy as suggested. My letter is in the letter book.

Mr Bergmann called to-day and left the specimens of ore which are on the side table. He asks $25, for one piece, $10, for another, $7 for another and $2.50 for another. For the silver nugget as he terms it, he wants $5. I gave him no encouragement but told him to call on Friday and I would tell him what could be done.

Enclosed is the account of what I have spent to date.

Herewith is also the plan of the Museum rooms, obtained from the architect, upon which I have placed the dimensions in feet and inches. Dr. Holland requested this. I would suggest that in arranging cases the management be made not with reference to the windows etc of the present rooms, any more than can be helped, but rather with reference to having the best cases for future use. Cases that could exactly fit these rooms might not fit others if the museum should be moved.

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The light in the middle room is so bad that it might be well to disregard that coming in at the windows, except in the arrangement of the cases in or near the bow in that end of the room and for the rest of the room have provision made for the proper light by putting in electric lights in the proper places. In that end of the room oppos which is nearest to the office the light must be very bad whatever the case arrangement may be.

In the office it might be advisable to have a desk light, an electric drop light by which we can work here at night. As for ventilation you suggested a fan in the window, I believe.

Miss Paul wishes to charge me 12 1/2 ¢ per letter. This is too high. I do not think it would pay to have her write letters at that rate. I told her I would pay that for the letters she has written but that I could not afford to have more written at that rate.

During your meeting I will be in the reference room of the library, where I will be pleased to have you send for me should you desire my presence.

Faithfully yours

F. H. Gerrodette

10

June 30 / 96

C. C. Mellor, Esq., Pittsburg; Pa.

Dear Mr Mellor,

In what I said yesterday I did not speak complainingly. I have thrown my heart into the work here and I want to succeed. I spoke only in the interest of the museum. If after consideration the committee still desires the present conditions I will go ahead and do the best I can under those circumstances. The committee wishes us to make a creditable showing on November 5th. This will necessitate a great amount of work and a loss of time cannot be afforded. By the present conditions of which I speak great limitations are placed upon us; comparatively little can be done and much time is always sure to be lost. If the committee understands these limitations and still desires us to work under them I will do so. I am here to do the will of the committee to carry out the plans for the museum and to do my best to build up the museum using the best of my ability and judgment. I desire though that the limitations, of which I speak, under which I work, and that probable results may be understood by the committee so that I may not be held accountable