EARTHQUAKES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 18, 22 January 1927, Page 17

EARTHQUAKES

BUILDINGS THAT FALL

"Earthquakes and Building Construction." By C. Reginald J?ora. Wol- • Ifaigton: Whitcombe and Tombs, liimited.

: New Zealand, as we all know, is a country practically every part of which is liable''to experience earthquakes. That the shocks are in most cases minor tremors which cause little or no structural damage does not rule out the possibility that some-day "Wellington, or some other city of the Dominion, may experience an earthquake comparable in intensity to those of: 1848 and -1855, or even to the- great San. Francisco, 'shake of ,1906, or to the great Tokio earthquake of 1923. In both the latter there'was appalling loss of life, but hitherto loss of life from earthquakes in. the Islands of New' Zealand has been negligible because the big shakes of 1848 and 1855 occurred at a time in 'our history before the advent of large •cities and big modern buildings. What guarantee have we that, if New: Zealand was to be visited by a really sev-:i .ere seismological disturbance, the loss 6£ life would not run into thousands? It may be- an appalling thought, but i.such a possibility must be "faced, and, what is of greater importance, can tie prevented^ j' -■. '■- BEYOND HUMAN POWEE. The occurrence of the earthquake itself cannot be prevented, but any ae- . companying loss of life may be ..very i , largely, if not quite, prevented by con- ' itrueting buildings of the right type. The official report upon the San Francisco earthquake contains these signi- j £cant words: "The earthquake -'could aot have been averted,, but its disasr irons effect on structures could have been prevented by the use of materials r correctly applied, in the execution of skilful and scientific designs, carried out ty good conscientious workmen under honest and able supervision." A report by a group of engineers upon the damage to buildjngs in the recent earthquakj at Santa Barbara concludes • ihuss—"ln every building damaged the damage is due to, jfoor workmanship, inferior'quality of materials, improper design, or to a combination of all three." And it must be remembered that, except in the'very rare cases when the earth opens up and engulfs' • the inhabitants, the loss of life from an earthquake is due to falling buildings and to falling buildings alone. PREOATJTIONARY MEASURES. , „ It is pleasing therefore to note, that New Zealand architects and builders are alive to the necessity of construct- ■■'■; ing buildings calculated to stand up to the severest Of shakes. Mr. C. E. Ford, well known in New Zealand architectural circles, has studied deeply the problem and the result of his esearches , : is published in "Earthquakes , and -•'Building Construction;" Although :< primarily intended for the guidance of : architects, the technical.: parts of this volume need not'deter the; ordinary 'reader, who will find therein a number of interesting facts about earthquakes ■v;'and "iheir effects on. buildings.,. Numerous photographic illustratidn^, drawings, aud diagrams make clear the points th,»t the author desires to em- : phasise. He suggests in his conclusion ■ an awakened public conscience in order, to areinedy undoubted, serious defects in,'• our building bylaws, many of which ■are defective, although much is being dono already, in the larger cities at any :'xate^ to project the innocent and good -intentioned.. To erect a building without making adequate provision for the .occurrence of a big earthquake is to .i flirt with death, and Mr. Ford strongly advocates the appointment of a joint • committee of the engineering and archi- ; tectural profession to study the' whole, question and to study the information' /obtained by investigators in other countries liable to earthquakes. As he rightly points out, the,need of action is imperative and immediate. No man can. foretell the day or the hour when New Zealand's buildings will be test-: Xed'.to the utmost by one of Nature's 'convulsions: it may be this year or it .'may not be for another hundred "years. ■-. Whether this happens or not, human life is too sacred to be endangered by i lack of the necessary steps to ensure the building of structures which will -aot fall and crush the , occupants or " : . passers-by.