Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-18
BAD BRICKS TO BLAME,
Facts About Buildings Dam
aged by Earthquakes.
Edifces Properly Constructed Are
Not Injured.
Erroneous Statements Current in the
East About the TembIor-Two
Sensible Statements
of Fact.

filled recently with erroneous statements
regarding the earthquake of a month or
30 ago in this state. As matter of fact
no buildings were injured by the tenn
blor, which were built OF well-made
brick fastened with good mortar.
The following letter from the Scien-
tifc American is apropos:
To the Editor of the Scientific American:
noticed in the last number of your
paper a letter from correspondent
from San Diego regarding the recent
earthquake in Southern California, from
which your readers might infer that
earthquakes are frequent and dangerous
here.
have lived here more than twenty
years, and the last earthquake was the
most severe that has occurred during
that time. was lying in bed, awake,
at the time it happened, and thought
at first that it was sudden and violent
gust of wind that was rattling the win
dow frames; but soon realized that it
was an earthquake. The rattling was
exactly like, in duration and violence,
the effect produced by a heavy and
close clap OF thunder, but. of course,
without the noise that the thunder
makes. was in we'll constructed,
three-story house. No walls were
cracked, nor any articles knocked from
shelves. A gentleman and his wife,
who slept in the room next to mine,
we're not awakened by the shock. l
did not get out of bed, and was asleep
in few minutes after it was over.
During the "boom" times here few
years ago a great many poorly con-
structed buildings were erected. The
clay from which bricks are made in
Southern California is generally of q
very poor quality. Fuel for burning
them is very high (wood 81 per cord,
coal $11 per tom, and, in consequence,
bricks are very poorly burned. Build
ings constructed from such bricks can
not stand much shaking. In some such
structures the walls were cracked
slightly in a very few instances; but
there was not single case of crack in
any we'll constructed building where
good, hard bricks had been used.
j. THOMSON.
San Diego, April 10, 1892.
The San Francisco Chronicle of Sun
day took a common-sense view of the
matter, as follows:
EARTHQUAKE-PRooF BUILDING.
The Chronicle has received commu
nication from j. g. More, who happened
to be in Solano county when the recent
earthquake occurred there, and who Wis.,
tied Vacaville and Woodland on purpose
to investigate the amount of damage
done. Mr.. More is contractor and
builder, living, when at home, in New |
York, and is therefore qualified to speak
understandingly OF the subject of house
construction.
Mr.. More says: II was astonished to
observe the manner in which the ruined
buildings had been constructed. The
bricks used in their construction were of
the very poorest quality; they had been
laid without being previously wetted, and |
in very poor mortar; and in no case that |
saw had the walls been made thick |
enough. Brick should always be wet be- |
fore being laid in the walls, for if not they |
will absorb the moisture from the NOR
tar and prevent it from setting, and it
then becomes soft, dry and porous in
stead of being, as it should be, as hard |
as stone. A small portion of Portland |
cement should also be added to the NOR
tar just before it is used. Anchors
should also always be used to prevent |
the spreading of the walls. None of |
these essentials seem to have been OBJ |
served in the construction of the dilap- |
idated buildings I examined. Let me
say to California that for its own repu-
tation there is great need of building
reform in the state. Unless such re-
form is introduced soon slight earth
quake shocks will be blamed for dam
ages that will occur when the blame |
should fall upon the builder and his
methods, and California will be injured
by an undeserved reputation for earth
quakes."
To this may be added with propriety
the testimony of those who have seen
the samples of mortar brought down here
from Winters, Vacaville and other places
in the shaken-up district. The best of |
the mortar was so friable that it crushed
readily between the thumb and finger,
and other specimens were simply wash |
gravel, mud and suggestion of lime.
Every one of the samples fell completely |
away from the bricks when touched, and
che only wonder was that brick build |
ings constructed with such mortar would |
bear up their own weight without any
earthquake to tumble them about.
We might as we'll expect house of |
cards to stand before cyclone as to look |
for such houses to withstand the slight
est shock of earthquake. Mr.. More's |
advice is sound to the core, and Califor- |
mia will do we'll to heed and follow it for |
her own sake.