The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-03-31
PROOF AGAINST EARTHQUAKES,
Designing Buildings to Withstand
Moderate Shocks.

Moderate Shocks.
In Japan many of the cottages built
| III districts afflicted with earth.
| quakes are of wood, and have frames
designed 20 as to be more or less
elastic. They will yield without
breaking, and will recover their orig,
mai form after temporary distor-
ton. These dwellings are good ones
TO live in, and are far more secure
than rigid walls of brick or stone. In
Northern India similar problems are
presented by the same evil In an
engineering periodical printed in that
part of the world, J. H. Stephens says
that, besides the material employed
IN building, some attention can profit.
ably be paid to the soil under the
foundation. If a soi.u structure rest.
ed on cushion of rubber it would
stand a good deal of shaking before
1t would collapse.
1t has been found that when a
building rests on a bed of clay it is
liable to continual motion In the wet
weather the clay expands and the
building is raised upward. In the
hot weather the clay contracts and
the building is lowered The result
Is that such buildings, however we'll
constructed, are very .mucl cracked
The clay bed seems to have lines OF
least resistance, which can be traced
for miles in the hot season by open
assures in the surface of the earth. |
Where a building intercepts such a
assure in the surface of the clay bed |
there is large crack in the walls and
roof Of the building. However good |
the quality of the construction, moth |
ing can save the building from crack.
ing, and the opening is invariably in
line with the cleavage in the bed of |
clay.
Mr.. Stephens says that he and two
other engineers, named Chisholm and
Irwin, decided to cOunteract the ten.
iency by going down to permanent
moisture. They then filled their foun-
lation trench with compressed sand
and started their walls. Such build.
ng, though erected on clay and sub
ected to all the variations of expan-
sion and contraction in the clay sub
soil. yet never cracked. These facts
cad Mr.. Stephens to say:
is this security due to the cushion
If sand below the foundation? If a
'ushioI Of sand can protect build.
ng from the motion due to the con
raction and expansion of the subsoil,
an It also, in certain degree, pro-
ect building from the motion due
o an earthquake? Do you not think
nat the matter is worth experiment.
ng on? In Calcutta and in the North
ererally, where earthquakes have al.
eady done so much damage, l am not ,
ware that any attempt has been
lade to protect buildings or to do
nything to mitigate the evil. 1t is
Opeless. perhaps, to do anything to
xisting buildings. But l understand
lat large building schemes are in
le afr, especially the grand Victoria
[emorial. Can nothing be done to :,
rOtect these? A good cushion of sand
as been frequently tried down South, y
nd has resisted the motions in the
lbsoil caused by expansion and con.
action. 1t is true that this motion y
slow compared to the motion in the
lbsoil caused by an earthquake, but =
hat has done complete good in one .
Lse may do a little good in the other
any rate, 1t ought to be worth ex
on There may be ways
using this or any other materia :,
: which .Ae shock of an earthquake u
ay be averted"-New York Tribune =
= q