Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-06
JAPAN EXAMPLE
IN FIGHTING QUAKES
U. S. West Coast Should
Build Against Inevitable,
Say SeismoIogists.

"What has happened will happen"
and even as Japan has rebuilt her
earthquake stricken cities with a view
In reducing earth-shock results, so
should cities on the west coast of the
United States rear their newer struc-
lures.
This warning was sounded yesterday
by the Seismological Society of America
in Joint meeting with the seismology Sec
ton of the American Geophysical Union
at the Bureau of Standards. Charles
w Brown presented paper on En-
gineering Seismology in Japan" in
which he reviewed the heroic effort the
Oriental construction engineers are
making to design buildings rigid enough
to withstand earthquake shocks. Japan,
he said, is proceeding on the sage
theory that the disastrous quake of
1923 is not likely to be the only catas-
trophe of its kind. Consequently, strin-
gent building codes have been adopted
requiring engineers to erect buildings
which can withstand shock equal to
at least one-tenth of the power OF grav-
ity itself.
Novel structural features, such as
"honeycombed" concrete foundations as
against the solid concrete construction
of former years, webbed steel bracing in
the miost of reinforced concrete as op-
posed to the former solid-beam con-
Struction, and the wider use of various
types OF arches are among the structural
innovations used by the Japanese in
carrying out their program of making
complete rigidity the watchword of all
building since the quake. Slides show
ing various types of buildings both COM
mercial and residential, were projected
as illustrations of MIR. Browns address.
Japan's Example Pointed.
Following MIR. Browns conclusion, Al
exander McAdie, chairman of the East
ern section officers and chairman of
the morning meeting, sounded the
Oriental warning for the Western
States of the United States. He de-
clared that the earthquake which rent
San Francisco in 1906 is likely to occur
again at almost any time and, he said,
that West Coast builders would do well
to emmulate Japan's example.
John r. Freeman, one of the out
standing seismologists in construction
fields, followed Mr.. Brown with a paper
on the need of chronological data Tor
structural engineers. Mr.. Freeman de-
plored the lack of accurate data on the
motion of the earth during quakes and
the existence in the scientific world of
seismograph capable of measuring
earth tremors at the scene of the dis
turbance during the height of the up
heaval He announced that he Is
asking the United States Bureau of
Standards to develop a seismograph, less
sensitive than the instrument now used,
which could be manufactured cheaply,
maintained without close supervision
and remain in operation throughout an
earthquake. even though set up in the
center of the disturbed area.
Such an instrument, he said, might
be constructed to operate through a
series of reflectors and light beams and
could very easily lack the extreme mag
nifying power of present seismographs.
Such instruments, he declared, should
be set up in Los Angeles, San Francisco
and Boston in sutncient numbers to
guarantee a reasonably accurate average
measurement during any disturbances
which may come in the future. He
advocated no less than ten and con-
siderably more If possible for each of
the California cities, suggesting that
buildings and in the Easements in vari-
Gus parts of the two communities.
The lack of acceleration measure
ment, Mr.. Freeman said, Is an extreme
handicap to practicing structural en-
gineers and to students. The vast ma
lority of engineering text books, he said,
fail even 10 mention earthquakes, so
InaG many men are graduated from
college without even rudimentary
knowledge of the one great force of
nature which they have reason to fear
most in their work.
Quake Dangers Overcome.
Despite the terrific power of earth
quakes and the damage to life and limb
which they have wrought, Mr.. Freeman
said it has been proved that earth
quake danger can be overcome, that
its force is measurable and that it is
not irresistible. This, he said, Is fur
ther incentive for the development of
measuring and recording instruments
now non-existent. The fact that COM
paratively large buildings in the very
center Of earthquake-de devastated areas
both in this country and in Japan
remained standing is adequate testi-
mony, he said, to the possibility of de-