The San Francisco call., 1906-08-05
PLAN To TEST ALL
MATERIALS.
Structural Association Is
Now Experimenting
at the State University

The Structural Association Of San
Francisco. which was formed immedt-
ately after the conhasration. has ad-
vocated the establishment of a fire.
testing and experiment. station in our
midst Such laboratories have been es-
tablished in New York City IN con-
nection with Columbia University, and
at the Massachusetts, Institute OF
Technology at Boston. The results OF
fire tests and studies OF insurance
problems and fire protection IN gem
eral at these stations have added most
valuable matter to engineering Htera-
ture.
In the light Of the confagrations at
San Francisco and Santa Rosa IL IS
most timely that a station with tha
same purpose should be established on
the Pacific Coast for the benefit OF
California. A number OF iniuential
members OF the Structural Association
have already donated or have expressed
their willingness to donate money for
a fund toward the establishment OF a
fire testing station. President Benz
jamin Ide Wheeler Of the University
OF California has very generously and
cordially coop perated with the Struc-
tural Association and has approved
the plan to establish fire testing
station at Berkeley under the i'm
mediate direction OF the faculty OF the
college of civil engineering. Funds for
the prosecution OF this station are from .
time TO time TO be supplied by the
Structural Association. fe
TESTS OF BRICK CONCRETE
This fire testing and experiment. /
station already exists, although many
OF it's necessary equipments have not
Yet been arranged Through the kindly
cooperation OF the University of CALI
fornia. however. the testing labOra-.
tories of the State University are at ,
the immediate disposal OF the fire :
testing Investigations, and at the pres
ent an exhaustive series Of tests upon +
brick concrete are In progress. 1t is,
intended TO study the nature and be-
havior Of brick concrete made from
the ruins Of brick buildings within the
San Francisco fire zone.
A series Of tests Of reinforced con-
crete are being proposed. tests not
merely intending TO learn the strength
of reinforced concrete. but also its 3
resisting abilities when subjected to
fire and water. Before long IL is hoped
to test also various types Of fire pro-
lection to windows and doors and other
openings in buildings. Rolling shut
ters, metal window frames. metal
doors. wire ribbed glass and sUch
things will be carefully examined and
from this one field of work alone. IN
stituted and encouraged by the Struc
tural Association of San Francisco.
mucn good can result or lasting benenr
to the State of Calf MIA
Under the auspices OF the Structural
Association a public lecture will be
given at Hearst Hall. Berkeley. This
lecture will be delivered on the even
Ing OF August by Professor Charles
Derleth Jr. of the structural engineer
ing department Of the college of civil %
engineering. Professor Derleth is also e
secretary-treasurer OF the Structural
Association OF san Francisco The lee
ture will be entitled Destructive Ex-
tent OF the San Francisco Earthquake"
Professor Derleth has made very 2
careful examination OF the earthquake
belt, having visited every important
locality in a region fifty miles wide
and stretching 500 miles along the
coast of California, with San Francisco
at It's center. He has traversed the
fault line of the sO~called earthquake
rift from Point Arena and Fort Ross
in the north to HoIlister and Salinas
in the south. This lecture will be gem
erously illustrated with lantern slides
made from photographs taken IN San
Francisco, Santa Rosa, San Jose, Palo
Alto and many other places.
OBJECT OF LECTURE.
The object OF the lecture is TO give
the engineering view point not only
OF earthquake destruction to buildings,
but also the effects OF fire upon human
constructions in San Francisco and
Santa Rosa The Structural Associa-
tion Of San Francisco expects to give
other lectures in the near future upon
the earthquake and fire problems.
treating them from their architectural.
engineering and structural points OF
view. 1t is intende1 to charge an ad-
mission fee OF fifty cents for these
lectures, it being the feeling that the
public at large win find itself amply
repaid by an evening spent listening
to a practical and scientific argument
concerning the recent disaster. which
may throw light upon the state OF
building construction as 1t has existed
in San Francisco.
Professor Derleth holds that with
sound and intelligent construction and
honest use OF materials. and with good
workmanship, our buildings can %
made TO Withstand with little damage
an earthquake such as We experienced
on April Is; and more than that, that
In our densely populated cities our
buildings can be so constructed with
fire protection both within and without
that a large confiagration would be
impossible in the future. The studies
of Baltimore" he says. have already
taught many fire insurance and IRE i
protection lessons. but that is no rea-
son why the people OF California.
especially OF San Francisco. should not
make the problem their own"