BUILDING COLLAPSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20084, 23 October 1928, Page 8

BUILDING COLLAPSES.

STEEL SHED FRAMEWORK.

NO WARNING OF CRASH.

GIRDERS BENT AND TWISTED.

FREEMAN'S BAY STRUCTURE.

With a crash that was heard several blocks away a large steel shed .framcwoik which was ncaring completion on tho Steel Construction Company's property in Sale Street, Freeman's Bay, collapsed in in a twisted mass on Sunday evening. Spread over nearly a quarter of an acre the network of girders presented a sorry spectacle yesterday. The damage amounts to at least some hundreds of pounds. The structure was intended to be an open shed to protect work being done for tho now Auckland railway station. The section adjoins the Steel Construction Company's workshops, arid the frame was erected over an area of about 150 ft. by 60ft.

The steel ridgo was about 40ft. from tho ground. Tho structural work was commenced eight or nine days ago, and within a few days roofing would havo commenced. Steel and iron had been used principally for tho frame, some dozens of tons going into tho work. Massive girders measuring 24in. by 7in. and weighing 551b. a foot were placed in position for overhead crano rails. Lighter material weighing about 221b. a foot was used on some other portions of tho frame. Bolts varying from three-quarters to seven-eighths of an inch wero employed. Ono side of tho structure was joined to the roof of the existing building alongside. Under ordinary weather conditions the building at this stage would havo been perfectly safe, but wind brakes would have been necessary to withstand tho brisk breeze which sprang up on Sunday cvening.

There was no warning of the impending crash. Residents in the vicinity heard a grinding of metal followed by a crash. The roof frame apparently buckled suddenly, collapsing toward the centre of the property, dragging the uprights over and bending heavy steel beams as though they wcro wire. There was no second fall, the portion of the twisted frame still standing yesterday showing no tendency to fall further.

Between 200 and 300 tons of structural steel which is to bo used for the railway buildings is stacked 011 the ground, but this is in no way damaged. Some of the damaged framework may be straightened, other sections will have to bo cut and a considerable quantity of new material will havo to be used for reconstruction.

"Tho wreckage looks worse than it really is," said Mr. W. J. Buckley, a member of the firm yesterday, fie added that the shed should bo completed without trouble in about threo weeks.