The San Francisco call., 1907-06-16
By Ira e. Bennett

connections BY the best riveting combinations
and knee and other bracing, particularly at or
the utmost Importance. and also is the
that the swaying referred TO should be dimin-
ished by the liberal introduction of diagonal AMI
wind bracing throughout The proper bracinS
in the lower stories has sometimes been omitted
upon the demand of owner or lessee to afford
more glass or light space, but such design has
q weakening effect and should be discouraged
Columns. exterior and interior. should be put
in literally in future upon the first and
second stories and the strongest joints and con-
nections should be adopted in order to resist the
bending and shearing These improvements will
greatly stiffen the steel frame and prevent the
cracking of the walls.
with such strengthening the high steel
structures will safely endure an earthquake of
even greater severity than that of April is.
This kind of building has proved its worth and
has come 10 stay. 1t has been tried and has not
been found greatly wanting. Minor improve
ments as advocated will produce perfect
structure.
In another class are to be placed. but not as
failures concrete and reinforced concrete
structures. These structures have become popu-
lar for construction with large number of
designers in San Francisco on account of the
claimed strength. indestructibility. facility of
use and fire and rust protection their materials
were very few structures Of concrete
inforced concrete IN the city at the time or aer
great trial; but these few behaved weh during
both the earthquake and the resulting FIRE.
NO FIREPRooF BUILDINGS
Richard L. Humphrey. the third ex-
pert, SuIIS up his fISll IO tue IulIltQ
city with the following: Large con-
f7agrations demonstrate that there is no
such thing as a fireproof building. To
label one as such is bad practice, since
1t gives d false sense of security and
causes a relaxing of necessary precau-
tions." Continuing. Mr.. Humphrey
says:
The preparation Of the new building code is
also operating against the best interests of the
cir rf1f Gle xxa
will result IN more harm than good The efforts
of those interested il the preparation directed
largely to Office and other large buildings. ap
parently not realizing that the great percentage
Of reconstruction will consist of small three or
four story buildings.
Because structure IS built Of steel and FIRE
proof does not make it superior TO other types of
construction for poor materials and workman
ship may produce of inferior quality.
The proposed code discriminates against rein
forced concrete buildings in designa ting them as
class structures While not Intentional this
conveys the impression that it is next in order
Of superiority to class A structures. Glass A
should embrace buildings well designed and
constructed of first class materials that they az
ford the maximum resistance to IRE and should
represent the best method of freproof construc-
tion regardless of type
The loss of life from earthquakes IS usually
very great. That IN San Francisco it did not
exceed 500 is accounted for by the fact that at
of the morning most of the Inhabitants were in
houses 90 per cent of which were of frame This
type of structure withstood the earthquake shock
particularly well, which accounts for the mini
mum loss of life
Had the earthquake occurred four or Eve hours
later. when the people were performing, their
daily tasks in Offices schools ETC.. or on the
streets. the loss of life must have been very
great
The damage to property IN San francisco is
estimated at $500. .ooo. 600, but this sum. Large
as it is. is exceeded bv the total annual expendi
lures for new construction in New York.
In three days the tremendous of more
than 1888 acres was burned destroying entire.y
400 city blocks and in part 81 blocks. OF this
I 4 M
which there was $3.50. .ooo. 900 insurance, prob
ablr representing value Of at least $780,
IN the Baltimore Gre -54s buildings were de-
stroyed, having assessed value of So 90s, 800.
placed BY $40 buildings. whose assessed value
is $50, ,o00, ooo These new buildings are larger
than the old and the widening OF the streets
has eliminated zoo building lots. 1t is expected
that when the reconstruction within the burned
district is complete there will be less than 500
buildings, Of which the assessed value viii he
1t is therefore quite reasonable TO suppose
that the assessed value Of the new San Fran
cisco will be at least double that at the time Of
the catastrophe.
The experts offer still another sug ges-
tion to San Francisco which seeks to
safeguard the people against a con-
I7hagration. In discussing the water
works system, Captain Sewe1l says:
In city subject to earthquakes 1t seems
Of construction which viii make the mains
and distributing pipes. in all cases, perfectly
secure, In my, my judgment the only Tened remedy 1 Is
city itself, distributed among various reser-
voirs and to have more than ordinarily COM
plete gridiron Of mains with gate valves ar
ranged TO cut out any main at every intersec-
ton: further. the mains should be larger than
would ordinarily be required that if por-
tion OF the gridiron were shattered. it could .e
cut out but the water brought IN undiminished