eaadnre ^ppliSI^Goi^tM BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF Hcnrg W. Sage 1891 A.louilding, with Illustrations Secnrit3' Savings Bank . . , . 'rel(|)lione Co.'s Main Office, with Illustration: Tcli'iilioiu- Co.'s East Office, with Illustration, Teleplione Co.'s South OfBce, witli Illustration IMarston Building Alto Bviilding Shreve Building, «ilh Illustrations . Hotel Hamilton, with Illustrations . I'AGE . 0(j . &i . 70 . 79 . 79 . 81 . 81 . 86 . 80 . 8(5 . 89 . 92 . 96 . lOli . 107 . 110 . 124 . 124 . 130 . 132 . 132 . 136 . 139 . 14.5 . 145 . 146 . 150 Hotel Alexander, with Illustrations .... Merchants" Exehange, ivith Illustrations . Mereantile Trust Co.'s Building, with Illustration . Kohl (or Hayward) Buildina:, with Illustrations . Wells-Fargo Building, with Illustrations ... Hotel St. Francis, with Illustrations .... California Casket Co.'s Building, with Illustrations ITnitcd Slates Mint, with Illustrations ... Haas Candy Factory Academy of Science Building, witli Illustrations . Grant Building, with Illustrations .... United States Post-Office, with Illustrations . Hibernia Savings and Loan Society Building, with Illus Colonial Theatre ........ Majestic Theatre, with IllustratioTis United States Sub-Treasury Monadnock Building, with Illustrations . Ruef Building, witli Illustration .... United States Appraiser's Building .... Spreckels Annex Building ...... Hall of Justice, with Illustrations .... Turkish Baths, with Illustration .... Storage Warehouse . ...... Fairmont Hotel, with Illustrations .... City Hall, with Illustrations Union Ferr_v Building Globe Mills Tivoli Opera House, with Illustration Linda A'ista Apartment Hinise, with Illustration . Sub-Stations, San Francisco Gas and Electric Co., witli II Claus Spreckels (or Call Building), with Illustrations Bell Theatre Jackson Brewery, with Illustration .... WhittcU Building Butler Building ratio ustr tion PAGE 1.54 1.58 l(i(3 KiS 172 172 175 179 1S4 1S4 1S7 192 19.5 195 197 197 197 205 205 205 207 211 21.3 213 222 226 226 227 229 229 231 233 236 236 238 Stock House, Wreden Brewery .... Stock House, yVlbany Brewery .... California Wine Association Building Claus Spreckels Residence, with Illustration . General Coimncnts and Conclu.sioii.s Ix)cation of Important Structures . Sub-soil of the San Francisco Peninsuk Cause of the Extensive Earthquake Danuigc High Chimneys and Towers . Satisfactory Behavior of the Tall Build Injury to the Fa<;ades Materials Employed in the Fac^adcs Structural Steel Cast-iron Columns .... Comparative Temperatures The Fire-proofing Materials Hollow Tile Common Brick ..... Concrete Partitions ...... Column Protection .... Metal Lath and Plaster Ceilings . Safes and Small Vaults Metal and Metal-covered Trim Incombustible Floor Finish Ornamental Furring and Lathing . Wood Roofs Theatre Construction .... Dynamiting ...... Protection of Window Openings Reinforced Concrete .... ngs The Lc.s.sons of the Disaster FAOE . 238 . 238 . 238 . 240 . 241 . 241 . 241 . 241 242 242 . 243 . 243 . 247 . 247 . 249 . 2,50 . 2.50 . 2.51 . 2.52 . 2.54 . 2.5.5 . 2.57 . 2.57 . 259 . 2,59 . 260 . 260 . 260 . 260 . 260 . 261 . 264 10 INTRODUCTION The recent disaster wliich befell the city of San Francisco is appalling in its extent and its conse(]uences. Following so closely on the heels of the Baltimore, Boston and Chicago ccjiiHagrations, it shonld prove a whole- some object lesson to other nninicipalities and have a salntary effect on the buildings of the fntnre. The interestino- facts and exact information that haxe been elncidated shonld prove of inestimable value, not only to San Francisco, but to the entire civilized world. Many of tlie defects and omissions in the design of the San Francisco buildings exist also in similar buildings throughout the country. The same results would therefore obtain in a conflagration, if remedial ste|)s are not taken. In Baltimore, two years ago, it was demonstrated that buildings could be so constructed as to be absolutely indestructil)le by fire. The same fact has again been more conclusively proved in San Francisco, together with the additional and eciually important fact tliat such buildings can also be designed to successful!}" withstand earth(|uakcs. If architects and designers will but heed and i)rofit b.\' the lessons which have ])een \ ouchsafed to them at the expense of hundreds of millions of dollars, the buildings of the future will l^e impregnable against earth([uake and fire, will form valual)le barriers and bulwarks in fighting future conflagrations, and become havens for safe retreat in similar xisitations. THE KOEBLING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. THE SAN 1 IIANC'ISCO EARTIKH AKE AND 1 IRE THE earth(|uake M'liieh \isitcd the coast section of California, and the resiiltiny three days' conflagration in the city <»f San Francisco, touether witli tires in otiier cities and towns Avitliin the aflected region, constitute a disaster tliat is unparalleled in modern times. The vast loss of ])ro|)erty and the damage to it will pi'ol^ably reach the enormous sum of a billion of dollars. This does not include eonsctiucntial losses such as rentals, wages, interrupted business, etc. These losses are ditticidt to estimate and will continue for ten or fifteen years until the burned district is rehabilitated. The losses actually coNcred by insurance are |)laced at two hundred millions of dollars. AVhile tliese figures are so Aast as to be almost beyond com|)rchension, tliey ne\'ertheless fail to give even an ai)i)roximate idea of the dexastation, the ruin, the misery and the suffering that followed in the wake of the disaster. T 1 1 1 ] 1 ] A 1 IT 1 1 Q V A K J ] Geology teaches that the earth's crust is ccjnstantly undergoing an adjustment of stress and strain, due to the eonti-action of the surface })y cooling. There are certain localities that in tiie ])ast have de\eloped lines of weakness where elevations or depressions have caused portions ot the crust to slip past each other, the contact surfaces of these movements being termed "faults." Tlie surface manifestations or moxements due to these disi)laeements or slips along fault lines are called eartlu|uakes. Certain sections of tlie earth's surface, as California and Japan, for instance. i)Ossess numerous fault lines of this character, and are nuich more liable to crustal moxements than other sections where these faults do not occur. Eartlupiakes are therefore natural phenomena and seldom cause loss of life, except indirectly, as when buildings collapse, etc. California has been the seat of considera})le crustal and x'olcanic actix^ity in the geological i)ast. It contains a number of extinct x'olcanoes. 31t. Shasta in tlie noi'thern part of the state l)eing perhaps the most noted, and having the most extensive lava beds surrounding it. Crustal movements have been frequent, as is abundantly proven by the numerous fault lines whieh are jjarallel to the predominent mountain ranges tra\'ersing the state. The span of human life is, however, so short comparatively, that only the violent shocks of 18()8 and of 1872 can be recalled, e^'en by ])ersons of advanced years. It is uiifortun.ate tliat no attempt was made until recently to kee]) accui'atc and scientific records of these phenomena. The line of the fault of the earthciuake which \isited the California coast on April 18, 1*J0(), extends from a ])oint below Chittenden, Santa Cruz County, in a northwesterly direction, touching the coast at Muscle Rock on the western boundary of the San Francisco peninsula, and thence follows the coast line to Point Arena, a total distance of ap])roximatel3" 200 miles. The area affected comprises a strip on both sides of the fault line averaging ,50 miles in width, or about 10,000 S(piare miles. Within this area all structures and ])ublic works were more or less damaged, the injury ^'arJang from a few cracks in the plaster finish to total collaj)se and destruction. Tlie effects of the earth- (juake were most violent ii\ close proximity to the fault line and decreased in intensity in ])roportion with the distance from it. The city of San Francisco occupied a central ]Josition on the fault line and conse(iuently felt the maximum efiect. The main shock occurred at about 5.1,5 A, INI. It was accompanied by a loud, crashing, rumbling noise, caused by the creaking and cracking of timbers, the precipitation of chimneys, cornices, etc. , the falling of loose and fragile articles and human voices. There were subse([uent minor shocks at .5.19, 5.21, 5.26 and 5.4.'j, with a sharp shock at 8.14 A. ]M. The duration of the main shock is given at from 28 to 40 seconds at different points along the line of the fault. The accom])anying illustration is a record bj^ the seismo- graph of the Chabot Observatory at Oakland, Cal, by Prof Charles Burckhalter. This record is made by a tracing point, which is independent of the earth's movement, on a chart which moves with the surface. The instrument mao-nifies six times, so that the actual mo\'ement of the earth's sm-face would have been recorded SEISMOGRAPIIIC RECORD of the earthquake at the Chahot Observatory, Oakland, Cal., by Prof. Charles Burckhalter. 14 within a rectanole about I " x -■^". Tlic sudden and jarring motion of the earth's surfaee can, however, be easily imagined by the number and jwsition of the hues traced witliin tlie siiort time of 28 seconds. The earthciuake was sufficiently \'iolent to awaken everj^one who was asleep at the time. I'ictures hanging on the walls were re\'ersed; i)ianos, beds and other articles of furniture on casters moved away trom the walls. Safes and top-heavy furniture were overthrown, and clocks, bric-a-brac, ornaments, dishes, books, etc., were thrown from mantels and shehes. The effect of the earthciuake was to shake down about 9.5 per cent, of all the chimneys within the area affected. JNIany of these chimneys broke through the wooden roots and fell within the l)uildings, freciuently causing loss of life and much damage. In a few in- stances the chimneys were broken loose at the roof level and were turned i^art way around, remaining in this eccentric position after the earth(piake subsided. The Dewey Monument in I'nion Scpiare, San Francisco, had the four upper joints of its granite shaft loosened and slightly shifted to the cast, but it still supports the bronze life-size female figure at the top. The great majority of the buildings in the aflf'ected area were two to four stories in height with shallow foundations. When erected on compact, original soil, there was little damage or displacement to the founda- tions; but when located on soft, incoherent material, the foundations were invariably more or less displaced and the building tilted out of plimib. Well designed and executed wood or ' ' frame buildings were but slighth' injm-ed by the earthquake. ml J- T p 4-1 1 ■ 1 1 • 4-1 HATjTj of records. San .To^i'. Sliowino' a section of ston-^ The topphng over of the chmmevs and cracks m tlie , i i ■ i i i ■ ti , , ■ , t t .i. > ' ' '^ • work ana Ijrick backmn; that was sliaken out oi one oi the dormer plaster finish and cellar walls usually represented the total windows by the eartluiuake. 15 fe . 5SS - SSfiS-' r- OJ ^J) n biO^ -^ O f) p CC =1=^ « o ^'' ^ M 0^ t? S^ ^ -^ r/j ^' tH -« ^ O S H 01 '-O; ^* t^ aj r/i i-' O C u o J2 C r-i C3 03 r?- 3 C T3 Cj C3 o K s o Is o -< CU 1— ( M; <. ^ ^H -^^ o o XI « [« m f^.^ ^ ^ -n ■<1 ^ -^ n H-"' "X^ o s n H .. SI s t? o o W ^ bf 'X OJ "t; T-, « +- o O ,^ M 16 daiiiaoe. Sometimes sueli lniildino;s were shifted a trifle from their original positions on the foundations. Even where the toundations ^^■ere alieeted, the dama.oe was oenerally eontined to phister eraeks and a slight racking of the trame. and was always less than in the ordinary l)riek or stone walled struetures. " IJalloon " or eontinuous frames showed the l,est results. ^^'hen the different stories were framed separately and well tied and braced, the results A\ere ecpially good. The fexv frame buildmgs that collapsed lacked suitable ties and braces, or were of flagrantly poor construction. IJuildings with masomy walls of stone or brick generally sustained considerable damage. The chim- neys. |)araijet and gable walls and all corbelled-out oi- overhanging cornices were imariably shaken down. In the cities and towns this damage was \xay general, every building having a mass of brick or stone work lying around the outside walls at the ground. AVhere the Avorkmanshi)) was particularly bad, or where the foundations were materially dis])laced, entire walls were shaken down, causing the collapse of the floors and the com])lete destruction of the buildings. jNIany liAcs were lost from this cause. High factory chimneys were in all eases broken off midway from the top. The buildings designated as "Class E " in the San Francisco building ordinance had brick, stone or other incombustible walls, with wood floors, supported by metal framing. They were built to heights of six and eight stories. The walls were generally bearing walls with the steel- work anchored to them. Occasionally steel rod ties were also used. The foundations Avere necessarily much deeper and more substantial than in the ease of the smaller buildings, and consc >-:-. p; n ^ 1 (H ;>^ u ^ -^ Oj -r! C C3 i^ ■r s "r3 bn M rt d o H ^ ^ 0^ o J2 s -^ X lU 0^ (-1 ■ ^ c E ^ en 0^ br O O r^ r/l r^ O Cm o o o 0^ c3 e- "n .:: ex (^ o a1 ^ a,' 'Jr b/: ■^ t. ^ -3 0^ 3 O 'o Lh rjl "*^ en rSj ^ >~. S is o -§ en 03 w ■^ o O O p OJ -r. ^ ^ >, a ^ :3 ;- .c IS ^ -Q O ca 18 EARTHQUAKE EFFECT. A fissure on East Streel near the water front. iXote tlie seUlenient (f tlie sireet sur- face as shown by the exposed curb at the riglit hand side. In this h)eality the f;round \^as " made," or avtihcially filh-d in. 10 EARTHQUAKE EFFECT. Distortion of the surface of Mission Street near Seventh, showing the southeast corner of the United States Post -Office Buikiinff at the left hand side. 30 Buildinos with steel skeleton frames nnd curtain walls (/. c, walls su])ported I)}' the steel frame) generally sustained the earth([uake sliock witliout structural daniaye. Tliese buildinj^s, midway between the top and the bottom, sometimes showed characteristic X cracks in the Avail jjiers between the window openings, indicating that that portion of the structure was subjected to aljnormal sti-ains, and tln'ough structural flexil)ility the top part of the building Avas unable to folhjw the movements of the base. A racking motion therefore resulted, causing the cracks. The failure of the chinmeys at mid-height M'as no doubt the result of the same cause. The physical effects of the eai'th([uake Avcre also very noticeable in surface mo\ements. Fences tliat Avere originally in a straight line, sometimes had otfsets as much as ten to fifteen feet, and there Avere ele\'ations and subsidences throughout the entire length of the fault line. Great damage Avas sustained by Avater Avorks in the ru])ture of mains, and the injury to reservoirs, jjlants and eciuipments. Elevated Avatcr tanks sui)portcd by steel and tim])er framing Avere fre(picntly Avrecked. The raij- Avays also suifcved enormous damage througli displacements of the roadbed and serious injuries to the bridges. The sin-face movements Avere Acry much more a|)|)arent in tlic cities and towns Avherc the alignment of the streets, railway tracks. ])ole lines, etc., Avere materially altered. Street rails Avere severed by tension in some places and buckled at others. Large areas, constituting many acres, settled as nuieh as from ten to fifteen feet, badly distorting t'lC ])uildings Avhicli did not have dec]) foundations. \ careful analysis and study of the effects of the earth([uake indicate that tlie motions Avere largelv in a horizontal plane and slightly rotary. It is e\ ident that tlie Avhole region affected moved generally as a unit, and that tlie sudden and jarring motions had the effect of causing local disturbances and displacements AvhercA'er the soil Avas soft, incoherent and deep, as in the river bottoms, artificially filled areas, etc. JNIarkcd disturbances and deformations of the softer material always restilted along the lines separating a hard, compact material from one that Avas soft as, for exanii)le, the line of contact of the rock formations Avith the silt of the Aalleys. THE FIRE Immediately after the main earthquake shock on the morning of Aj^ril ISth, numerous fires occurred throughout the stricken area. These generally emanated from collai)scd buildings, and in the larger cities and toAvns sometimes consumed entire blocks Ix't'orc the flames could ])e checked. In the city of San Francisco there Avere a dozen or more of these incipient fires iir as many different locations, most of them being in the business section of the city. 21 CHIMNEYS. All that remains of many magnificent residences are the chimneys. The top portions of most of tliese chimneys were shaken off at the roof level by the earthquake before the fire, which accounts for the ragged appearance of the tops. Chimneys of smaller size and poor workmanship were generally overthrown in the fire. 22 The lire depurtiiient, cclcbriited ;ill oxer the worhl for its edieiency, was imiuefhately at hand, hut found on attaeliinu' the lioses to the i)iu,ii;s that there was no water. IMuy after phiy Avas tried in the \ieinity of tlie fires, but all in vain, the mains iiad been broken. In the meantime the fires spi'ead with yieat rajtidity, fanned by a liiyh wind. The helplessness of the firemen was maddening, and to add to the eonf'usion it was disco\'ered soon afterward that the \ eteran chief of the Fire Department, Mr. Dejinis Sullixan, had been fatally injured beneath the fallen Malls of the California Hotel. It soon Ix-eame api)arent that a eonfla,eared and then blew away the ashes. So com])lete was the combustion that even the odor of smoke and soot was absent. The heat of the burning buildings was so intense that the stone ]:)aving blocks of the streets were fre(|uently scaled and spalled over large areas. The character of the buildings in the burned district varied greatly, and the manner in which they were affected by the earthciuake and the fire w^as correspondingly different. For convenience in discussing them, they will be di\'ided into two general classes: ( 1 ) The Non-Fire- proof IJuikhngs and (2) The Fire- proof buildings. THE XOX-FIRE-PROOF BUILDIXCiS In this classification are included all the buildings in wdiich the floors and roofs were com[)osed of combusti- ble materials. Almost the entire city is composed of these buildings, and they occu])icd the greater portion of the burned district. These structures ranged from the workman's simple one-story cottage to the pretentious office building and hotel. The Avooden buildings completely disa|)peared, leaving nothing but the fallen chimney to mark the site. BuildingSLwith brick or other masoniy walls and wood beams fared little l)ctter. Nothing was left of the interior, and the exterior walls were generally o\'erthrown while the structure was burning. Occasionally por- tions of the walls remain standing, but in a w^eak and tottering condition. 25 Tlie Class B biiildino'S developed even less fire I'esistanee tlian those without metal frames. When these buildings were attaeked by tire they were totally wreeked. The buruiiiL!; of the wood floors in all cases caused the failure of the metal fi-ames which colla|)sed into a twisted, tanyled, sliaj^elcss mass in the interior of the building. The metal frame Ijeing anchored to the walls usually ])ulled them down when it collapsed, or i)ushed them outward, when they fell on adjacent buildings, causing enormous damage and destruction on account of their great height. The general failure of the walls of the non-fire-proof buildings filled a large ])ortion of the burned district with tJrick and mortar debris to an a\'erage dei)th of about 4 ft., comi)letel\^ obliterating street and proi^ertj^ lines and obstructing the streets so that thej' Avere impassable cxccjjt for ])edestrians. Occasionally buildings of superior workmanshii^ and materials showed better fire resistance, and some of these are described in detail elsewhere. A few non-fire-proof buildings escaped destruction in the burned district by fortuitous circumstances. One other (the California Electrical Co. 's Building), built in accordance Avith the rules of the Massachusetts IMutual Fire Insurance Comj^anies, was e(piipped with a sprinkler system and fire- resisting barriers at the openings, and thoroughly demonstrated the \'alue and efficiency of these safeguards. The detailed descriptions of the most important of these buildings follow : Palace Hotel. S. W. Cor. iSIarket and Xcw Monti,^onirry Strc'cfp. John C. GAy.Non, Arcliitei-t. Shakiin Estate, OwritT. Detuih of Construction: This is a large seven-story structure, and was one of the cclel)ratcd hosteh'ies of San Francisco. It covered an entire city block. The walls are of brick l)uilt in a first-class manner, and rigidly tied together by steel bars. All the interior divid- ing walls are also of brick, not less than 13" in thickness. The wood floors were generally supported by the walls, but in some cases by steel girders. Efccts of the Fire and the Eartlujuakc : The foundations evidently arc first-class, as there is no ap- parent damage to them. The walls remain ])ractically })lumb, .show only a few slight earthquake cracks, and are ap])arently in good condition. I'he entire interior of this building, A\hicli consisted of wood flooring and finish, has completely disaji- peared, leaving nothing but the walls and girders. Si'Tiio & Co. Building. East Side uf Mniili,'iiiiKT,v Strcrt, near California Street. This is a small three-story building with brick walls and wood fioors. It stands adjacent to the Kohl Building, and the rear is protected by the ^lercantile Trust Building. The wind blew in a favorable direction at the time that the otlier buildings were consumed in this neighborhood. This building was protected on two sides by fire-])roof buildings and ])resented a blank brick wall with a paraj)et on the third side wliich faced the otlier buildings of similiir construction that were consumed. Owing to these fortunate circumstances it escaped without damage. Paukott Estate Bi'ildixg. N. W. I'"!-, c'alifdvnia and Miiiil^nmei-.v Streels. STurn i:.N- \\'ir,LiA.Ms. Ardiiteet. This building was erected in 185;5 by Chinese labor, and the granite was imported from China. It is three stories high. The backing of the granite facing, and the rear walls ;ire of common 36 ^l ^"^ y'4>" r-i^ ,it*^f;L.5t6h THE PALACE HOTEL, Northwest Corner of Market and New Montgomery Streets. Tlie exterior walls are of briek, well tied b)- steel rods and bands. The interior dividing walls or partitions are also of ))riek. The floors and interior finish were of wood. The e.xcellent design and workmanship of the walls prevented any material damage by the earthnstible contents, leaving oidy the walls, which remain in good condition. It is the best preserved building of the non-fire-proof ty[)e in the burned dislrict. l)rick. Tlic floors and interior columns were of wood. It. lias a first-class foundation, and the materials and workmanship are considerably' above the average for this class of building. The fire spalled the 4" granite facing around the window openings, and the entire interior of the building was consumed. The walls, however, show very little structural damage, and illustrate in a very marked maimer the superior results of good construction. A sample of the mortar that was inspected was evidently gauged with Portland cement. Other buildings of the same character around it were com- pletely wrecked by the earthquake and the fire, and are in ruins. FOLGER BlTIT.IlING. SIrePls. S, W. Cor. Howard nml S]k Henry A. Kcptttt.tz. .Arrliilprl. .1. A. Fnr.nKR, Owner The Folger Building is a large four and fi\-e story building, with brick walls and wood posts aiul floors, tliat miraculously escajjed from the fire. It has pile foundations. It is at the edge of the burned district, and owes its preserva- tion to the fortunate change of wind at tlic critical moment, when it was aliout to be ignited. This building was very little damaged by the earthquake, about one-half of the parapet wall on the south side having been shaken down. The street level settled about 2 ft. at the northeast corner of the building, but there are no cartliquake cracks visible in the walls at this j^oint. IMoNTGOjrERy Street and Taylor Street Blocks. The Montgomery Street block was bounded Iiy Clay, Wash- ington, Sansome and Montgomery Streets. The buildings of this block were of ordinary construction, some of them being built wholly of wood. They were generally two, three and four stories in height. On account of changing winds and various other accidental circumstancus, this block escaped the fire. The Taylor Street block was bounded by Taylor Street, Broadway, Jones and Greene Streets. It also escaped the fire, althougli standing in the midst of the burned district in this part of the city. California Electrical Works. N. W. Cor. Folsoiii .tnd llawlhorne Streets. F. F. Sewell. Arcliiteet. California Electrical Works, Owner. Details of Construction: This is a large four-story building of the " slow burning " tvpe, lijiving brick walls antl heavy wood floors and roof. The fronts are ornamented with sandstone. The cornice is of gal- vanized iron. All the window openings were supplied with For- derer metal frames and sash, with wire glass glazing, except four windows on the fourth floor which were glazed with plate glass and protected witli corrugated steel shutters. The east side of the building is a blank brick wall, the only door opening being equipped with double, metal-covered, stand- ard underwriter's doors. All the walls are laid in cement mor- tar and rest on sjiread concrete footings. All the stairways and elevator shafts are enclosed in brick walls. The building is equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system. A 50,0()0-ga]loii tank to supply the sprinkler svstcm is located on the roof. A covered tank with a capacity of 120,000 gallons is also available and is located under the shipping area at the rear of the building. In the design and the equipment of this building, the rules and rec[uircments of the Mutual Fire Insurance Companies of the State of Massachusetts, for factory buildings, were complied with. It was probably the only building that complied with these rules within the liurned district. Effects of the Fire find the Eartliejunke: This building stands alone, the fire having consumed all the other buildings around it. Its escape from the flames is due exclusively to the eflicient protection of the window and door openings throughout. A four-story warehouse of similar construction, except that the openings were unprotected, occupied by Waterhouse &' Price, located just west of this building and about 30 ft. distant, was eiitirelv consumed. Between the two buildings, piled to the height of the second- floor ]e-\'cl, was a large quantity of wooden cross-arms. The burning of these cross-arms, and the Waterhouse & Price ware- 28 house, furnished ;i severe fire test for the metal window i'runies tli.'it it sliotil(.l apjic'd not only to architects and eiif^ineers, but and sasli and wire ghiss. The ghiss was cracked (juite f;'ener- to business meJi and owners as welL This, and siinihir treat]jient ally on this exposure, and the niotal frames and sash were Ijlis- of the opem'ngs, jias been urj^'ed in the stroiig'est jjossible terms tered. Putty ran out of the seams, but the wire glass remained by tlu' National J5oard of Fire Underwriters, insurance experts in place and pre\ented the flames from entering the building. and others e\'er since the Baltimore tire. The efficiency and On the north side of the building the earthquake shook down ad\antage of fiix'-rcsisting barriers in the door and window a section of the parajiet wall and the main wall to a point two o])enings was also tiemonstrated in that conflagration, feet below the roof level, and exposed some of tlie wood-work. All buildings of fire-jiroof construction, and in fact all build- This was ignited when tlie conflagration reached other buildings ings with masoni-y or other incombustible walls, should have fronting on this side, but the flames were ])ut out bv em])loyces. the openings protected bv fire-resisting barriers. The addi- The two metal-covered doors protecting the door openings tional cost to j)rovide tliese safeguards is more than compen- on the east side fulfilled their pur])ose admirably, tin' door on the sated for by the reduced insurance. side facing the fire being practically destroved, but the inner As fire did not enter this building, the temperature within door remaining intact and but little daniagefl. was never high enough to operate any of the automatic sprin- Excepting the damage to the toj) of the wall on the nortli klers. The available independent water supply' was a valuable side of the building, the exterior walls arc uninjured. This safeguard, and was utilized by em])loyecs in extinguishing the building was occujned as before the fire at the time that it was fire at the i-oof l(\el in the rear wliere the earthfpiake had ex- inspected, post'd the wood-work. It is noteworthy tliat the burning of the Imildings on the opjuisite side of the strei't, wliich is alxnit 85 ft. wide, did [n'ac- Tlie wisdom of protecting the window and door o])enings, tically no daniagc lo tin' windo\\s on tliis side of the building, even in a building which does not ha\e an incombustilile interior, ]5usiness in this building was only susj)ended a few davs is thoroughly demonsti-ated by this building. The fact that during the fire. The re|)aii-s will be insignificant and will be fire-resisting barriers can be provided for the window and dooi' limited almost exclusi\ely to regla/.ing aiul repainting the win- openings, witliout disfiguring the bin'ldings, is also shown by do\\s on the west side of tlie building and restoring the brick this example. It is an object lesson so plain and so convincing parapet wall in tlie rear. 20 PANORAMIC VIEW of the porlion of tlie San Franciscii burned district containing tlie firc-])roof buildings. 1. Pacific States Telephone and Telegraph Conipanj''s Jlain 9. Office, Bush Street near Grant Avenue, i?. Union Trust Buildinp-, Ciu-ner Montgomery and ^Market 10. Streets. 3. AVells Fargo Biiilding, Jlission and Second Streets. 11. 4. Crocker Building, Junction of Post and Market Streets. 1-- .5. Sloane Building, Post Street between Kearny Street and 13. Grant Avenue, (i. Shreve Building, Corner Post and Grant Avenue. 11. 7. Chronicle Building (New Addition), Corner Kearny and 15. Market Streets. Ifi- 8. Monadnock Building, Market between Third and New Mont- gomery Streets. 30 Mutual Savings Bank, Junction of Geary and Market Streets. S]irecl-;els or Call Building, Corner Third and Market Streets. .\ronson Building, Corner Third and Jlission Streets. Kamm Building, Market Street near Third Street. Whitehall Building (Skeleton), Geary Street lietween Grant Aveiiue and Stockton Street. Spring Valley Building, Corner Geary and Stockton Streets. The Dewey Monument, Union Square. Butler (Newman & Levinson) Building, Corner Geary and Stockton Streets. SiWiili! Bllliilll t ■ rAXOJ{AMIC VIEW of tlie portion of the San Francisco burned district containing the tire-proof buildings. 17, Hotel St. Francis (and New Annex in the course of con- struction), Corner Powell and Geary Streets, opjiosite Union Square. IS. Hotel Alexander, Geary Street between Powell and Mason Streets. 19. James Flood P.uil'.s. In these, tlie walls, floors, roots and ixirtitions are of incombustible material, gjid the floar loads are supported by protected steel framiny. These buildings stand out jirominently amidst the ruins and destruction of all the other buildings. Their exteriors are seared and scarred, but all of them remain standing and intact, mute monuments to the superiority of modern methods of construction. Fire was communicated to the interiors of the fire-proof buildings, witliout exception, when neighboring com- bustible biuldings were consumed, the flames entering through tlie unprotected window openings and spreading upward from story to story by the burning of the wood frames and sash. The wood finish and all the combustible contents of these buildings were generally destroyed. Much of the incombustible finish and ornamentation was also irreparably damaged. All exposed metal work, such as elevator framing and fronts, stairway strings, piping, ornamental iron, mail cluitcs, etc.. was i)ernianently defiected and buckled out of line. Debris consisting principally of ])laster and hollow tile blocks frcosing tlie cellular spaces. The earthquake disrujjted })ortions of the parapet wall, and in removing these careless workmen permitted a small section of the wall to fall over on the hollow tile roof, breaking a hole through it and through the floor underneath, dropping entirely through to the basement. The hollow tile protection of the large girders sup- 41 UNION TRUST BUILDING. Top Story. Showinn; tlie deflected steel work of the roof and hung ceiling, also the damage to the hollow tile partitions, column covering, and the book tiles of the hung ceiling. The steel work supporting the ceiling was tinusually heavy. When the hung ceiling failed, the fire greatly damaged the steel work of the roof construction causing it to deflect badly. See also a difl'erent view of the same story on the opposite page. 42 UNION TRUST BUILDING. Top Story. Showing the failure of the heavy steel work .siipj)orting the hung ceiling, and the damage to the steel framing of the roof. Showing also the condition of the hollow tile column covering and partitions. The additional fuel of an attorney's library is responsible for this damage. 43 « g ^ S4_ \ > <; =^ 5 ^ CO 7, ^ .."E C ;-, U "i- fcJO^ X' 5 ■? ^ O 0; it - ■r c ^ ^ o c ,,.2 O *! rt J K ;-< c ^- m ^ « t::; -J 4-- -C Oh^ 44 porting the roof is in fair condition. The large glass dome in the rear of the banking room is uninjured structurally. This was glazed with thick plate glass without wire. Much of the glass is cracked, but only about 15 per cent, of it fell out be- cause of the small size of the panes. Coviments: There was comparatively little fire in this building. The high dome and the ornamental plaster work of the banking room are only slightly damaged. IMuTT'Ai. I^iFE Building. S. E. Ci>r. San^i Clixt<;>x Day. Architect. lie iiuil Calii'oniia Streets. Mutual Life Ins. Co. of N. Y., Owner. Details of Construction : The ^Mutual Life Building is nine stories in height, and was used for offices. The facades consist of granite for two stories, and pressed terra cotta brick with terra cotta ornaments above. The cornice is of terra cotta. The metal frame is of steel, the walls being self-supporting. The fire-proof floors are 9" end construction hollow tile flat arch blocks, with skewbacks of side construction. The shells and webs are ^s" and l^i" thick respectively. The partitions throughout are of 3" hollow tile blocks and the wall furring of llo" hollow tile blocks. The column protection is of 3" hollow tile blocks built independently of the partitions. The soffits of the beams and girders are protected by tile slabs anchored to the skewbacks. The floor finish is of wood laid on sleepers and sleeper fill. The finish in the public halls is of marble tile. Effects of the Fire cmd the Earthqucil-e: This building was subjected to a normal fire only. The granite of both the Sansome and California Street fronts is badly spalled around the window openings, and will require almost total renewal. The pressed terra cotta brick and terra cotta ornaments of the upper stories are in good condition, being onl}^ slightly spalled. The west wall face brick are bulged from the backing at the northeast corner, midway from the top, and a large diagonal crack extends from the centre of this wall, at the base, to the south side at the top. There are also small earthquake cracks in the wall of the southeast L extension. The south brick wall is in good condition. The levels on the water table show that the foundations are practically level, there being less than y^" difference in the elevation of the corners. The greatest observed variation of the walls from the plumb is about •J4" at the northeast corner, where the north wall leans to the south. At the northeast corner, the east wall leans to the east about %". The steel frame work in the lower stories is in good condition. The roof was supported by three large trusses within hollow tile partitions. The latter failed in the fire, exposing the trusses to the heat, causing them to buckle and deflect. The middle truss failed, partially fracturing the top of the wall columns supporting it and falling to the seventh floor. The impact of the steel frame work and roof tiles striking the seventh floor, knocked out four spans of the hollow tile floor arches, which in falling broke down many of the arches of the floors below them. The wreck of this truss bulged the east and west walls badly, so that they are temporarily tied together by cables. The para- pet wall on the east side is down. The floor arches are in fair condition. There are many places where the soffits of the tile blocks have fallen away, ex- jjosing the cellular spaces. The partitions are badly damaged throughout, a large proportion of the blocks having fallen down. Safes also caused the failure of some of the floor arches in this building. The column protection having been set independently of the partitions, is in fairly good condition. Some of it has been forced away by bulging pipes, but the columns are apparently uninjured. The exterior wall furring has fallen ofl' in spots and is loose in many places. The elevator fronts and cast-iron stairway with marble treads are considerably damaged. The steel framing in the elevator shaft is bulged out of line. Comments: This building exemplifies very forcibly the necessity of pro- tecting large trusses in an efficient manner. The protection should consist of some material which will remain in place and 45 -=s .2 0^ fi X^ n -C t, , ^ p hf !< -o -C Oj O H s o +-' c 0/ br rt i. Oj C bl s^ ^ — ' 11 3 rt -o ■^ 13 ■M bc^ -C Xl ^ 13 r^ ni n O bXj ts j: c o CAJ "^ -^ -d o C O 3 ij 'll C ■ 1 ! (H. O 0' tii ^ o H 3 O o _5J rfi o 1— ( P C4 -O H-l P « -^ o fd _c o fi< i n hJ 0^ b/c j: be j:; -»1 3 _3 "o o H O S i— > 1) ^H -r; ^ >< Oj "^ « [S T3 (/) _0 03 o ^ 46 MUTUAL LIFE BUILniXG. Ninth Story. Showing- a truss sii]i])iirtni<;- the roof in the re;ir, badly lniel■""* '■^'"inm uninjured, ami the sus,,eiided ceiling under- The fire-i)roof floors consist of segmental hollow tile arches, Heath is m goo.l condition, a large portion of the ],laster still the spans between the beams being 7' -. ft. Over the arches is adhering to it. a good cinder concrete fill flush with the tops of the beams. -^ '"'-K'''- ]"-<']'<>rtion of the hollow tile ],artitions remam r^nderneath the floor arches throughout is a flat Roebling wire ■-huiding m tins builtling than m any other fire-j.roof building lath and plastere.l ceiling, the lath being laced to the ceiling "' ^I't burned district m wliicli tins material was used. The par- supports with No. 16 B. .V- S. gauge copper wire. The roof tier ^ition blocks over -'■ I'-'^l' ^"(1 plaster ceiling was susi.endetl about 6 ft. below columns are of Z-bar section, filled with common brick to the ^he roof, the ptirtition blo<'ks were earned only to the untler outer e.lcre of the section, and then en<-losed by ii" hollow tile ^"1'' ''^ ^he ceibng. Tins permitted the blocks to expand when blocks. The soffits of the beams an.l girders are protected by ''"^^ed, and the partitions m this story are more stable than tile slabs suitably anchored to the hollow blocks. " ''» '"h^ other. It is particularly noticeable that the blocks over The floor finish was of wood laid on sleepers and sleeper fill, except in the corridors, which had an incombustible finish. door openings in this story remain solidly in position. The column covering is in fair condition, being damaged only in spots and fulfilling its ])urpose sufficiently to ])revent any Effects of tlic Fire and the Earlhguake: column failures. The Market Street front is sliglitly spalled around the win- One of the most celebrated cafes in the city was located in dow openings, and is but little damaged by the fire. The the basement. This portion of the building was comjjletely fire 49 50 -^ 0^ b/j I' >. '^ '^ ^ S r; -- ^ -77 tjj ^-fi ^ o ^ O ■> 3 rt -^ 'i^'-V: O 0^ 0^ 1^ 5 !L '^ p ., - (S « !J Ph i W '-- ^ &, .i 7; i/.'l ■^ *- fcc 0^ 0; ■3 — — i = ~ i i- 0^ -^ ° 3 tt ^ ^ — •^ 1^ _ ij- f^ J2 0. ^ "o ■?; . o - M O O Q =^ ^ 1^ --S ^ ^.J= o o ^ o a. j: c3 ^ ^ ^ "X P5 o o fa ^ s^ o 6 c « 't9 ^ _2 'C ^ ■£ B =3 o 2 3 V £ be o o S o o &< 61 1 fciC OJ I i^ C -t^ ■ ^ i: ._: J-.4- ,._^ £ -x c pq.x.£^o„^?;s Q O bJJ C J5 O t. JJ S ■? = ^1 1 c s""^ 2 S S i ^ "S .s •- S^ S ^^ g ji ° I i g^ ii ■? .2 H "5 = ■:^- (U ■■j: " .t; c- S •" £ s .= s ?^ g b*:? M 52 g tc ^ C "^t ^ O o .S ?^ 3 r ' — ' o ^ "T r^ o ^ ^ K ^ ::; "^ ll-H W -+ ra hf ■^ > ^ — a*- ^ ■ |~! o O -T-". Tj — y. Q ^ ~ " J ^ ■^ ■V -*- ^ c '-5 "2 Q^ x- • i :i 9 0^ V .r: ? a^ o r^ X H T rt G r- fcc - — ^ C ^ ;; 3/ - X tS :h * '5 '■'' 0^ -w t. in •" -^ ^ =« 7^ ^-2 |c| I !~! ?" '^ <=^ '1 r -S .^ ^ "^ o ^ 3"? S^ . O rJ= C O; n Vj o «^ ^ ^ ^ c. !r 5^ 5= «^ ?^ -S o ^ -h !S 5^ f^ --■ T p; 0^ C 1* O _ > S - " g- c 3 -a 53 swept, damaging all the expensive decorations and ornamental work and the grand staircase to the street. The ornamental work in the banking room in the northeast corner of the build- ing is also damaged, but the safe deposit vaults in the basement are uninjured. The cast-iron stairways, with marble treads, are but slightly damaged, the injury being confined ]n-incipally to the marble treads, many of which arc broken. The wire lath and plaster ceilings remain generally in good condition, with the exception of the spots already referred to. The large skylight at the third story level was greatly dam- aged and the glass broken out by fragments of brick and stone whicli spalled from the interior surface of the light court al)ove. This light court was faced with brick, bonded every sixth course to the backing, with projecting terra cotta ornaments. The latter sj)alled quite generally and did tlie most of the damage to the skylight below. Sash weights from the uj)per stories also rained down upon the Rocbling concrete roof of the light court without causing any damage otlier than to break one hole about 5" square through it. The elevator fronts are bidged out of line and damaged at some places. The electric conduits and ])ipes in tlie northeast corner of the building arc carried within the same enclosure as the column covering, but first-class workmanship and materials prevented any damage to the colunms in this case. The ])ower and mechanical plant in the basement sustained considerable damage. Comvicntu : The design, materials and workmanship of this building were as good as any of the fire-})roof buildings in the Ijurned district. The foundations remain le\el and the walls pluml). The damage to the exterior by the earthquake and fire can readily be re- paired, as there is apparently no serious structural damage. This building was sul)jcctcd to a comparatively moderate fire only, as there are a numlier of places, especially in the third story, where there is considerable charred wood-work still re- maining. The falling away of the wire lath and plaster ceiling in the first story, where there was as intense a fire as in any part of the building, is due to the fact that the lath was laced to the ceiling supports with No. 16 B. & S. gauge copper wire. Had a mild steel wire (whicli fuses and weakens at a much higher temperature) been emploj'cd, these portions of the ceiling would no iloubt have remained in place, and the damage to the hollow tile blocks above would have been prevented. The advantage of carrying hollow tile partition jjlocks only to the wire lath and plastered ceiling, instead of through the ceiling against tlie rigid firc-])roof floors or beams above, is clearly shown in the top story, where the jjartitions remain in better condjtujn tlian in any other part of the building. When hollow block 2>artitions arc erected between rigid incomljustible surfaces, there is no opportunity for the material to expand under heat; consequently, when expansion takes place in a fire, tlie blocks over door openings are forced down into the openings and fall out. The expansion also causes an immediate tendency to buckle or deflect the partitions, Avhich in many cases causes failures sooner than would otherwise be the case. Parkott Building. Miirkct SUVL't, bctH-wo Fuurtli and FillL SIn'cIs Albekt I'lSslBj Aix-hitect. r'Ai;lLuTT l']sTATE, Owner. Details of Construction: The Parrott Building, also known as the " Kmporium," is a very large building that was originally foiu' and seven stories in height and was occupied as a department store and office building. The three lower stories are of fire-proof construction; the upper floors were of wood, supported by steel columns and girders. The building was planned with a large interior light court ajiproxiiiiately 50 ft. in diameter, extending from the tliird floor level to the roof. The IMarkct Street fa(,'ade consists of copper-plated, cast-iron piers and large windows for the first and second stories and Colusa sandstone above, including the cornice and the balus- trade paraj)et. The walls on the other three sides are of com- mon brick witli sandstone ornamentation. The building was of steel frame construction. Above the third floor, the wall columns were omitted and the walls w^ere used as bearina' walls. The fire-proof floors in the three lower stories consisted of 54 4."x8"xl5" sino-le cell IkiIIow tile hlocl mesh, jiainted, with \^" round steel rods wired to it at intervals of "71 -j". The partitions enclosing stairway's were of 8" and 4" hollow tile blocks. The mezzanine floor in the first story consisted of 9" flat eiul construction arch blocks « ith side construction skew- backs. Effect.'^ of the Fire am] tJw Earthq/iaKc: The ^Market St]-eet front of the Inn'lding is but slightly dam- aged, but it has broken away from the side walls and is tem- porarily tied to prevent it from falling into tlie street. The entire front is out of plumb and leans to the m)rth 7". The only damage of any consequence is to the iialustrade parapet, one-third of which is missing in the middle ])ortion. The east and west walls of common brick are cracked at numerous places and damaged, and are jiartly down. The entire rear wall is down to the fourth floor level, luning fallen outward. The interior of this liuilding is almost a total wreck and is more extensively damaged than any other fire-])i-oof Ijuilding in the burned district. Practically nothing remains of the up- per portion of the building alxive the third story. Only a few steel columns and badly distoi'tcd beams and girdei's project above this level. The sides of the large central light court failed in many places, the structural steel members and sections of the wire latli and j)lastered ceilings being suspended in numerous places from poi-tions of the sides that re}nain standing. In addition to the wreck of the large central liglit court, sections of the following size and location have collapsed from the roof to the basement : 30' X 60' west of the centre. 2V X 60' in tlie southeast corner. '.iiV X 4.0' east of the centre. .'30' X 30' northeast of the centre. 4.')' X 60' in the northeast corner. 30' X 60' in the northwest corner. These collapsed sections comjjrise about one-third of the en- tire floor area of the building. Thei-e are a large mnni)er of columns that ha\'e buckled from the heat in the basement story juljacent to the collajjsed sections. There are also mimercnis buckled and deflected colunms in dif- ferent portions of tlii' building that show evidences of having been heated to a red heat after the hollow tile column ))rotection had failed. In some cases these cohnnns have doubled over on themselves and })resent very curious, though interesting, studies of the manner in which steel fails when highly heated. It is noticeable that where\'er the steel work is considerably warped, tlu' hollow tile blocks ha^e fallen out. The light steel, wire lath and })laster ceiling construction, \\ ith the jjlaster still adhering to it, is lying about over the floors in all manner of grotescjuc sha])es and clinging in sheets to portions of the steel framing in ])laces. The cast-iron stairway, elevator shafts, mechanical and power plant and all the fixtures and appliances are totally wrecked. COiiiii/cnt.s: The building being used as a department store, and being the rece]jtacle of large quantities of inflannnabic goods, no doubt caused a tire of consideral)le duration and intensity. This building was, no doubt, considerably damaged bj' the earthijuake, but by far the greatest damage was caused by the fire. jV careful examination and study of the present condition of the steel work and other facts and evidence leads to the ^ -r ^ _ P cs ^ -- d ^ o be o ^ C -3 S c t; ^ ^ 'G ■^ •^ o 0^ CS bl V] [^ o o [/J 5 h- ni o o tH rJ= ;>. ^ c^ ^ "T rjj , 1 -, -^ 0/ ' ' ^ i*-( t- O (^ o ;; O ^ ^ ^4-1 ^ 2: 0^ o rC r- -■-N c« k— I '1 1 P ^ t-l O J2 ^ KH 01 •"* S P r 1 0; *E 33 O br t-i c T C^ p: ri crt ^ o CL- ■ Ph J} ^ Q^ a O r^: q=; JH 0^ 56 Oj -TJ CD 3i^ E — -^ tf tr ,— , TO '^ j;; "~; -X o , ki cd '^ rj. tf: P P5 ^ = ~ H tic S ~ O.S'-g £ K is ^ - 57 3 S C ?i T3 'So 1^ '^ ^ ^H ^ CQ 0/ ^ r- O « O 'r, CD --H o ^ o -a -c -« c -3 £ * =* ■^ ^ -i ^ C3 Q — --^ be O ^ Ji .S c ■r S , — ^ w p c -^ i tfj o; ° o :s =« rjj ^: *- X r? ^ ^ 3 -H i; C _3 . o bo's ^ .-- - 3j J *- ■i « LJ o t« « S -^ "" "^ « &.^ ^ fH S (« ^ H a! "S "13 0~« 5 3 "^ 58 fARROTT BUILDING. Third Story. Sliowiiifr tlio total wreck and di.sa[)pearancc of tlic U])|) :r. — ^4- 3 V t- t-i— ,-^C^ ^ X— 0^ — C -^. f- — G. s ;i eet artl 1, \\ h fl ilCC ff ( llin col DIN toric Str he e ctioi ■vent on re y fa tile 'H. UII, nd s Post nit t istru le ell ■kled es a ut b; llow «Sii-|-|t°i S K^ -« o^ ^ . M-c c ROCK rst an' eiids oj y the of wo ich fel nth flo( e floor ■re bro ng. T re C,cCj:J==^-^-=2 ^ = S CS ^w U 3 .^ ^ 'oh ^ " aj > 5-?.SP.£§?S£ re J3 00 conclusion that most of tlie collapsed sectlt)ns in tills building were caused by colunni failures. The cohnnn protection «as of hollow tile blocks only ii" in thickness, laid in mortar of poor cjualitv and in a rather indif- ferent manner. It is probable that had an ethcient cohnnn pro- tection been provided, the enormous damage to the interior would have been largely jirevented. The difference in cost be- tween a first-class cohnnn protection and the one that was v\u- ployed would probably have been less than one-half of 1 per cent, of the original cost of the i)ulldin ' — ^ — Ji > := c D r ' ?; /^ -5 ?' *" ' 1-' r- o rt ^ _0 CO ^ "S " £ .7 c_^ 0^ _z: Of— X 5 ^ Q^ " -C 4J I < o s OJ re -t-" c ;- o s . § " 3 .■C -Co : n SIS — *^ ;S .c brj " bJO'5 2 '1 i§ ^ .Ji r 5i 'C i S g .2 "^ o «. ^ ~ .2 5 g= * C K ^ i ^ •;; -g £ > 0^ o ?^ '^- '^ re c i; t: ;: ^ . 0; CC J .-- =H ?i g i ■' 2 ' "^ , O i- 0/ -= ^ 2 i ^ 'o '^' =^ O "''^J ^ ^ CO o C ^ 7^ ^ : — ^ - X ■^ ■- C S TJ == t.: 'C = u S ^ E"2 > ° oj . ti ■ ^ 1; ?^ ' O -^ ■- ^ .- ^ Lii -- o o 3 : ::5 2 C =£ 0^ ^ "^ cfi .^ "*^ .S ^ O .i' "" = - S Oj S Sfj j; S ^ 5 5^ O ^' ■?=. £^ ■^' ■- °^ c o c -Q S !■ ° E X 0^ "c ^ S ■ •■^ i: t ■; r^i X ^ 0^ C ^ 5 '' "s -i- 0^ - =--£ S .S JS 3 0^ -^ aj bL — = 5^ o ^ o s 64 "o o * [« ^ ^ G '0 • — o "3 •^ bi C -0 ■f7 «; s ^ H -^ p: 'rJ 'o oi C/j 0^ o 53 '~" C3 ■yj 5 " ~ w 3 ry: .2 "3 o t^ (h 01 c3 C- 65 the cellular spaces exposed. The 4" hollow tile partitions are badly wrecked, most of the blocks having fallen down. Coviments : The collapse of the Kearny Street side of this building is supposed to have l)ecn caused by nineteen linotype machines which were located in the top story. The burning of the wood roof no doubt contributed also to the damage by increasing the duration and intensity of the fire in this story and by falling debris. The southerly front adjacent to the collapsed section is con- siderably out of plumb, and is also damaged on the inside by the collapse of the steel work. This wall will probably require reconstruction, as well as the collapsed section in the interior. The remaining portions of the building can be repaired. Chronicle Building Annex. Junction K(?a[-ny and Market Stroets. D. H. BuRNHA^t & Co., Architects. M. H. De Younu, Owner. Details of Construction: This is a seventeen story addition to the Chronicle Building and was in the course of construction at the time of the fire. The fafade consists of sand-stone and terra cotta for the first and second stories, and red brick and terra cotta above. The metal frame is of the steel skeleton type, the walls being curtain walls. The fire-proof floors consist of heavy hollow tile end con- struction, flat arch blocks 16" in depth, the shells and webs being %" in thickness. The skewbacks support the soffit pro- tection under the beams. The partitions are of 4" hollow tile blocks and the column covering of 3" hollow tile blocks. Effects of the Fire and the Earthqualie: There was very little fire in this building, the combustible contents consisting of scaff'olding, wood trim, etc. The damage to the building was wrought largely by the earthquake. One pier between windows at the third story, and the two middle piers from the seventh to the thirteenth stories, are cracked and badly racked by the earthquake. A section of the face brick has fallen away from one of the piers at the twelfth story level. The north wall of brick is in good condition. The east wall shows earth- quake cracks in the upper portion. The levels on the water table show that the southeast corner is about %" lower than the other corners of the building. The greatest observed variation of the walls from the plumb is at the southeast corner adjacent to the old Chronicle Building, which leans %" to the west. One unprotected column between the old and the new build- ings is deflected, and the elevator framing is distorted by the fire. In several stories, where scaff'olding and wood trim were stored, the fire has damaged the floor arch blocks, exposing the cellular spaces. Some of the column covering and partitions has also been damaged from the same cause, and will have to be rebuilt. Comments: The steel frame of this building is uninjured. Sections of the walls will have to be rebuilt on account of earthquake dam- age. There is apparently a structural weakness at the eleventh and twelfth story levels, where the racking eff'ect of the earth- quake caused the greatest damage. This building being in the course of construction and unfin- ished, the repairs will be comparatively small. Spuing Valley Building. Clinton Dat, Aroliitect. S. E. Cor. Geary and Stockton Streets. .Srr.iNG VALLEi- Watek Co., Owner. Details of Construction: This is a six-story store and office building. The fa9ades consist of gray granite and cast iron for the first and second stories and pressed terra cotta brick, with terra cotta orna- mentation above, including the cornice. The building has a steel skeleton frame. The light court walls are built of 4" hol- low tile blocks, hned on the inside by 3" blocks, each bay between wall girders and columns being braced by light diagonal mem- bers from the intersections. The fire-proof floors of the lower stories consist of 10" hollow tile end construction, flat arch blocks, with 1" tile slabs an- chored to the skewbacks for soffit protection. Above the third 66 67 SPRING VALLEY BUILDING. First Story from tlie northwest corner of the building looking south. Showing the failure of the soffits of the hollow tile floors and the soffit protection of the beams and girders. The column protection is only slightly damaged in this story. OS floor level the fire-proof floors are of tile blocks, segmental in form, the spans between girders being 16 ft. The rise of the arch is about 8" and the girders are tied together every i ft. by 114" round tic rods. The tile blocks are 5" x 8" x 15" in dimension and are laid with the 8" side down, making an arch -■) in thickness. The blocks have a vertical web, the shells being 1" and the webs -''4" in thickness. Under the segmental arches, at the sotfits of the beams, is erected a wire lath and plaster flat ceiling. The roof consists of 3" hollow book tile, laid on tecs spaced 18" centre to centre. Underneath the roof is a suspended ceil- ing consisting of tee iron framing at 16" centres, which sup- ports 3" rabetted hollow tile blocks. The roof framing is supported by 8" I beam struts over the columns. The columns are protected by 2" hollow tile blocks. The partitions are of 3" hollow tile blocks. The floor finish is of wood laid on wood sleepers with cinder concrete filling between the under side of the wood finish and the top of the floor blocks. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: The Geary Street fnmt remains in good condition, there being no earthquake cracks and the cornice being onl}' slightly sjjalled in spots on the east side at the second-story level. The Stockton Street front is also in good condition, excepting that there are slight earthquake cracks at the north and south cor- ners at tlie second-floor level. The east brick wall is in good condition. The south brick wall has a vertical crack down the centre from the top to the fourtli floor, and then diagonally to the ground near tlie Stockton Street front. The ujiper rear ])ortion of the wall, liack of the crack referred to, has bulged out as much as 4". The levels on the water table show that the foundations re- main practically level. Obser\ations on tlie front walls indicate that they are plumb. In the southeast corner of the building, eight complete bays have collapsed and fallen from the roof to the basement. In the basement story, one column is buckled, the heat having bulged pipes within the hollow tile column covering and forced it ofi^. In the second story, the second wall column from the street, on the east side, is deflected. In the fourth story, the wall columns on the east side are sprung out of line by the bulging wall. In the southwest corner of the sixtli story, the 8" I beam struts were buckled by the heat, letting down the roof framing to the sixth floor, and destroying the hollow tile blocks of the roof and the hung ceiling. The failure of these struts, or of some of the members of the roof trusses, also probably caused the trusses in the southeast corner of the roof to fall, carrying everything down beneath them and wrecking that section of the building. Tlie diagonal vertical braces in tlie baj's of the light court are badly bulged and distorted l)y tlie heat. Tlie hollow tile flat arch blocks in the lower stories are badly damaged. Almost tiie entire ceiling area in the basement is in bad condition, the sotfits of the tiles having fallen awaj', expos- ing the cellular spaces. There are large areas in the first and second stories where the soffits of the blocks have similarly failed. In the upper stories, where wire ceilings were erected under- neath the segmental tile arches, the ceilings remain in fair con- dition, and the arches above are apparently in good condition. In places where the ceilings have failed, the blocks are damaged. Large sections of the hollow l)ook tiles of the roof and hung ceiling under it are wrecked. The hollow tile partitions in tlie lower stories are in bad condition, most of the blocks having fallen down, and, where they are still standing, the partitions are weak and will have to be rebuilt. In the upper stories where tlie partitions are carried to the lath and plaster ceiling, they are generally in much better condition, the tile blocks over door openings remaining in position in many cases. The hollow tile walls of the light court are greatly damaged and cracked, and many of the outside blocks and those of the inside lining Jiave fallen away. The 2" hollow tile column cover- ing has failed in man}' places, and is badly damaged where it still remains in position. The elevator fronts and cast-iron stairway, with marble treads, are damaged but can be repaired. Comments : The fire protection afforded by a wire lath and plaster ceiling G9 is clearly shown by the excellent condition of the hollow tile blocks above it. In other parts of the building, where the wire lath ceiling was omitted, the blocks are badly damaged. The advantage of carrying the hollow tile partitions only to the wire lath and plaster ceiling, instead of to the under side of the fire- proof arches, is also clearly shown. The 2" hollow tile protec- tion of the columns was not sufficient to protect them against buckhng, and the failure of this protection is no doubt respon- sible for the entire damage to the southeast corner of the building. , ,^.^ The repairs to the exterior of the building will be compara- tively hght. Many of the floor arches of the three lower tiers will require renewal or extensive repairs. The collapsed por- tion will require entire reconstruction. Mills Building. N. E. Cor. Sutter and MuDtjjomery Streets. D. H. BOBNHAII & Co., Architects. D. O. Mills, Owner. Details of Construction: The Mills Building is an eleven-story office building. The fa9ades consist of white marble for the first two stories and buff terra cotta pressed brick, with terra cotta ornamentation, above. The cornice is also of terra cotta. The metal frame is of steel, the walls being self-supporting. The fire-proof floors consist of hollow tile end construction, flat arch blocks, 12" in depth. The spans between beams are 7 ft. Under the centre light court the floor arches are of brick, segmental in form. The partitions throughout are of 4" hollow tile blocks. The column protection consists of 4" blocks, where the lines of the partitions are adjacent to the columns, and of 2" hollow tile blocks on the other two sides and elsewhere where there are no partitions. The soflSt protection of the beams and girders consists of tile slabs anchored to the skewbacks, and in the case of the double girders held in place by metal clips. The light court is faced with cream brick and terra cotta ornaments. Tlie floor finish was of wood laid on wood sleepers and con- crete fill from the top of the hollow tile arch blocks to the under side of the floor finish. The hall floors are finished in marble. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake : The marble on the south side of the Sutter Street front is badly damaged and will require entire renewal. The north side is damaged less and may be repaired. There are slight earth- quake cracks along the third-story level. The marble is also badly spalled around the window openings on the Montgomery Street front. At the third story, the terra cotta is badly cracked by the earthquake, but has sustained very little damage above. The north and east walls have also been considerably damaged by the earthquake. The terra cotta ornamental work of the light court is slightly spalled and cracked throughout, but the face brick is in good condition. The levels on the water table indicate that the front half of the foundations of the building remain level. It was impossible to find corresponding points in the rear of the building to make comparisons. The south front of the building is considerably out of plumb. At the southwest corner it leans to the south about 4". The Montgomery Street front remains plumb. On account of the failure of the hollow tile column protection, the steel frame of this building has suff^ered considerably. In the basement there are three main and one secondary columns that have buckled. The steel members supporting the inullions between windows facing the light court are badly buckled in many cases. The hollow tile floors have been considerably damaged throughout. At numerous places there are large areas where the soffit members of the floor blocks have failed and fallen away, exposing the cellular spaces. Several safes have fallen from the upper stories and broken through successive floors to the basement. The hollow tile partitions are completely wrecked in many places, and where still standing they are so weak that they will have to be rebuilt. The column protection, in many cases being a part of the partition, was badly disrapted when the partitions failed. Bulging pipes that followed the lines of the columns also contributed largely to the failure of the column protection. 70 u ^ ^ -i ^ t^ O O .c 1^ J^ -o p 3 - o o ^ g ^ 2-^ o ^ o m C/) 2 MILLS BUILDING. First Story. Showing the failure of the hollow tile column protection, and the damage to the hollow tile floors. A large proportion of the partition l)locks in this building are down. ?;! MILLS BLTIIjDING. P'irst Stor^'. Showing the damage to the hollow tile floor arehes. column covering, and ])arti- tions. The vault of the Scandinavian Bank, at the right, is uninjured. Note the separate shaft for pij)es outside of the column protection, at the left. 74 V i ^ 1| ^ 5" , Jfc-': , •* 1^, ,1 X o CO I — I c« .a a; ° fc£ r; IS C o -o O E-, c a o •- I— I 75 o .a O y - a o o a. "ci 'So t^. o o o ^- H B O c3 '^ "2. 76 §5 3 ^ Z Si ■5 o ^ ssa 9 2: £' .2 rt^ £ 'S a Q^ !^ rt Z S 3 ^ S 'r > S 8 -E-cb - - TO ^ o 5 MILLS BUILDING. Fourth Story. Looking east toward the central light court. Showing typical damage to the tile floors, partitions and column covering in this building. The bulging of the pipes within the column covering hollow , doubtless caused much of the damage to the protection. 78 The elevator fronts, and east-iron stairways witli marble treads, are badly dania<;ed. The meelianieal plant in the base- ment is slightly injured, and can Ije repaired. Comments : The marble work, anil some of the ti'rra eotta, will reijuire lenewal. In replaeino; the buckled eohunns, it may be necessary to remove j)(n-tions of the walls in order to inspect the connec- tions. For this reason, and also on account of the earthquake damage, it may be necessary to reconstruct large sections of these walls. The hollow tile floors will require extensive repairs, and the hollow tile partitions and column covering will have to be en- tirely rebuilt. Some of this material has been damaged by the heat so that it can be crumbled by the fingers. Blocks that arc whole and appear to be in good condition, where they have been subjected to considerable heat, have lost their strength and will not be serviceable for new work. This building furnishes another examjjle of the weakness of hollow tile blocks to sustain safes. The extensive damage to the solfits of the hollow tile floor arches by the heat of a normal fire only should be noted. The failure of the soflit surfaces of the liollow tile blocks was no doubt caused largely by unequal expansion. Blocks with large cellular spaces and comparatively thin shells and webs are poorly adapted to resist the abnormal strains caused by unequal heating. The bad practice of carrying pipes within the colunm pro- tection was also followed in this building. A great deal of the buckling and destruction of the upright steel supports of the window muUions would have been avoided had provision been made for the expansion of these members. County Jail. North Side of Broadway, Ijotween Koarny and Mo omfry Streets. Details of Constrtiction: The County Jail is an old building of massive construction. The front portion is three stories in height, the rear portion being devoted to cells, which are arranged in two tiers. The front wall has an ornamental cementine finish. The floors at the street level rest directly on the ground. All exterior walls are of heavy masonry around the cells, and of brick in other locations, the partitions in the front portion of the building consisting of brick walls. The small sections of flooring above the ground level in the front of the building consist of seg- mental brick arches, groined in some cases. The floor finish is of cement at the groinid level and of wood on sleepers and slee])er fill in the u])per stories and cells. The roof was constructed of wood. Effects of the Fire and the Earthqvalie: The wood roof has disappeared. A mass of brick-work fell from above and broke down several sections of the brick floor arches in the front portion of the building, which apparently is the only structural damage to the building. The small window openings and the heavy walls of the cells prevented the fire from doing any considerable damage in this portion of the building, the wood floor finish remaining in many places. Comments : This building can be repaired and restored without difficulty. Stock Housh and Brew House, John Wieland Bhewery. Second Street, between Howard and Folsom Streets. Mr. \A'iNTEriii.\LTER, Areliitect. John Wiel,\nd Brewing Co., Owner. STOCK HOTTSE. Details of Construction: The Stock House is a three-story and basement building of heavy construction. All the walls are of brick and are bearing walls, the front having a cementine finish to the second floor level. The floor loads are supported by cast-iron columns and steel framing. The roof was of wood construction. The colunnis and the soffits of the beams and girders are unprotected. The fire-proof floors consist of 8" double rowlock brick arches, the spans between the beams averaging about 4 feet. The floor finish is of cement, 2" thick, laid on a concrete filling over the floor arches. 79 ttVfA*myr«v^^ ^fJ »n P ^ 3 O O c = cc oj ;2, 0^ ! OJ cJ O ■" r^ .i +^ =^ 5;:; ® C ^ G 0/ 5J ti r- ■JJ f-l t- dJ .zl c/: 3^ '- ' ~ j: ^ 3 „ '/:■ ^ &■" ^ -p ^ " Oj _ ^ S -S = nssion Streets. This is a five-story building and is all that remains of the brewery of the Bauer-Schweitzer Hop and INIalt Co. It is ap- proximately 50 ft. X 70 ft. in plan. The walls are of brick, 21" in thickness, and are well tied together by steel rods. The fire-proof floors consist of i" rowlock l)rlck arclics be- tween steel beams, at 4 ft. centres, supported by steel girders and unprotected cast-iron columns. The floor finish is of cement. There was little in the Malt House that was combustible, and it had vei-y few window and door o])enings. The interior is in good condition, having sustained practically no fire damage. Tlie rest of the brewery ])ulldlngs were of ordinary construc- tion, with wood floors, and were totally tiestroyed. YonxG OR Selt.hr Bitiloixg. S. AV. Cor. Spear and Market Streets. IlEK^rAN Barth, Architect. W. AV. YoL'NC, Owner. Details of Construction: The Young Building is a five-story and basement structure which was used as a store and loft building. The facades con- sist of gray granite and cast iron to the second floor level, buff terra cotta pressed brick above, and a terra cotta cornice. The walls are self-supporting and are built upon pile foundations. The columns and girders arc of steel; the fire-proof floors are of the expanded metal " suspender " type, the spans be- tween the girders being 1.5'. The floor slab is of cinder concrete about !<" thick with 3" mesh No. 16 expanded metal imbedded In it. Under the floor slab at -1' centres and at right angles to the girders are concrete ribs snpjiorted on the under side by .5" by %" steel bands or susjjenders hooked over the top flanges of the girders, and curving downwai'd so that the concrete rib and suspender under it project about 8" beloAv the concrete slab midway between the girders. The usual wood floor finish (con- sisting of 2" sleepers at 16" centres with cinder concrete filling between them, and wood flooring nailed to the sleepers) was laid over the concrete floors for a wearing surface. The inside surface of the exterior walls Avas covered Avith 1^,/^" liolloAv tile wall furring. The columns are protected by expanded metal lath and tliree coats of plaster. The soffits of the girders, beams and sus- pender bands are protected in the first storj^ b}' a flat ceiling of expanded metal lath and plaster, but in the upper stories they are exposed. 81 YOUNG BUILDING. First Story- Showing the damage to the expanded metal lath and jjlaster column ])rotection, and the earthquake cracks in the flat expanded metal lath and plaster ceiling. The pipes in the wall chases have bulged and forced off the hollow tile wall furring in s]iots. 82 YOUNG BUILDING. Second Story. Showing the condition of the under side of the su.speiuler sv.steni of tlie expanded metal floors. One floor span is broken down by sheet iron which fell through from the fourth story. This floor construction, on account of the expansion of the exposed su.spender band, deflected badly throughout the building, even where there was little or no load resting on it. There is an earthquake crack in the rear wall in the centre. The hollow tile partition around the toilet-room in the rear is badly wrecked. The crack around the expanded metal lath and plaster column covering, about five feet from the floor, occurs throughout the building, and probably marks the height of the wood trim, or the sections of the completed plaster work during the construction of the buiiiiing. 83 . thquake : Tlarket Street and Spear Street sides l^iid scaled by the fire and cannot be re- cotta briclc and cornice is mucli less damaged ^5ut the bond between the face brick and backing has been broken in many places by the earthquake. The N. E. and S. W. corners of the building are badly racked and shattered. The west brick wall has a vertical crack in the middle. The east and west walls are out of plumb and lean to the east Sy^" and 5" respectively. Levels on the water table show that the N. E. and S. W. corners are 3" and 6" lower respectively than the N. W. corner. Tliese facts would indicate that the foun- dations had moved sufficiently to tilt the entire building to the oast. From marks on the curb of the sidewalk, it is also ap- jiarent that the surface of the ground settled considerably around the N. E. corner. The entire building was occupied by a hardware concern. Tlie stock being composed largely of metal goods, the fuel for the fire consisted principally of the wood finish and trim, the packages, counters, shelving, etc. The intensity and duration of the fire was therefore probably not much greater than in the case of an ordinary office building or liotel. The steel columns are in excellent condition, the lath and plaster protection remaining intact except in a few spots where the plaster is off. A number of the girders and beams having tlieir soffits exposed, above the second floor, are permanently sagged. One 12" beam in the third story is sagged at least 12" between the columns. Two wall channels at the roof level, near the N. E. corner, were buckled upward 5" between the columns by strains induced by the deflecting concrete roof slab. Two tie beams in the roof tier near the north end are also buckled upward. Although the cinder concrete was originally of inferior qual- ity, the fii'st and second story floors arc in fair condition. The wall furring is off' in spots, and badly cracked and loose in many places. The hollow tile blocks enclosing the stairway on the first floor and the toilet room in the second story are down. The metal lath and plaster partition around the freight elevator is in bad condition, but still standing. There are cracks in the north wall at the lintel corners in the second story. In the third and fourth floors, three panels between suspender ribs failed from an overload of sheet iron, breaking the suspender bands whore they were hooked over the top flange of the girder. About •50 per cent, of the third and fourth floors and the roof is sagged from 3" to 12" between girders, on account of the poor quality of the concrete and the suspender bands being exposed on the under side. The roof tier supported a temporary tin roof on a wood frame. The wood-work burned out, letting tlie tin roof down on the concrete slab. Although the concrete roof tier supported only the light temporary roof, it deflected almost as much as the third and fourth floors. The east parapet wall (9' high) is cracked loose from both the north and the south walls. One-half of the central part of the west parapet wall failed ; the south end falling inward and the north end outward. The cast-iron elevator fronts and stairways are down in most places and badly distorted where still in position. The pipes bulged and buckled in the wall chases, forcing off the hollow tile covering. The steel members supporting the masonry over the large window heads (openings 8 ft. wide) were well protected by terra cotta fastened by rod anchors. Comments : The location of the building was particularly unfavorable. It was built on " made " or filled in ground, which since the earthquake has been proved to be exceedingly unreliable for foundations. Had this fact been known when the building was designed, the foundations would have received special attention, in which case the walls would probably have been ver}^ little dam- aged. It will not be economical to repair or restore this building. The foundations may be utilized for a building of the same (n- less height, and some of the steel, terra cotta and face brick can probably be utilized in rebuilding. This type of concrete floors is poorly adapted to withstand fire and should be discon- tinued in fire-proof buildings. It is besides more expensive than other and better types of fire-proof flooring now furnished l)y the same company. 84 BUCKLEY BUILDING. This was a Class B building with metal frame and wood floors, excepting a small section in the rear corner of the building, which contained Roebling concrete floors. The brick walls, steel framing, and other debris, from the upper parts of the building, fell on this section of flooring, and elsewhere in the basement, to a depth of five feet. At the time the photograph was taken, workmen had cleared away a large portion of the dihris resting on the concrete floor, which can now be clearly seen in the illustration. Note the wire lath and plaster wall furring adhering to the remaining walls. 85 Buckley Building. S. K. Cor. SiJCur aocl Market SU'L-L-ts. Cuius Bui-KLiir, Owner. Thomas J. Whlsu, Archilcct. Dctailx of Coihstruction : Tliis was a " ("lass B " building witli brick walls, cast-iron columns and wood floors. In one corner, used as a kitchen for a restaurant, was a small section of Roebling fire-proof floor- ing of the System B or flat slab type. In the concrete is im- bedded a light steel framework of 2" x Yg" steel bars, set on edge at 16' centres with a 14 turn at both ends where the bars are hooked over the steel beams. Separators of ^/o" x %" steel are hooked over the bars at right angles to brace them. Effects of the Fire and the Earthqualie : The entire building was wrecked by the fire; the walls, beams, fixtures and other debris from the upper stories falling into the basement, excepting in the corner where the fire-proof floors are located. There the floors carry this enormous load of debris, averaging five feet in depth, having, besides, successfully with- stood the impact of the falling material. Scott Building. S. W. Cur. Freiiieiit and Misyion Sti'cH^t.s. AlbE':rt t'issiw, .\reliiteet. Mu^. G. W. GiBBS. Owuer. Details of Construction: The Scott Building is a five-story store and loft building that was occupied by various machinery concerns in the first and second stories and by printing and lithographing concerns in the top stories. The facades consist of Colusa sand-stone. The exterior walls are bearing walls. The floors arc supported by cast-iron columns and steel girders and beams. The floors are of the expanded metal, segmental arch type of cinder con- crete, the spans being about 5' 3" between beams. The parti- tions in the lower stories are of brick and of the 2" solid ex- panded metal lath and plaster type, and in the upper stories of plaster on herring-bone lath applied to wood studs. The columns are unprotected. The girder and beam soffits are covered with expanded metal lath and plaster. The floors were finished in wood laid on wood sleepers and concrete sleeper fill. The hallway floors have an incombustible finish. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: The cornice and fifth story walls of both the Fremont and the Mission Street sides fell into the streets. The entire Mis- sion Street front is badly spalled by the fire. The Fremont Street front is not so much spalled, but is badly cracked by the earthquake. The sidewalks along both fronts of the building were broken down by the falling of the fifth-story walls. The upper part of the S. E. L extension of the building is com- pletely wrecked, the second and third stories of the extension being filled with the debris from the upper stories. The wall moved out so that the N. W. corner arch fell out, carrying a wall channel with it and breaking down successive floors to the second story. The S. W. corner of the building is badly racked and cracked by the earthquake. The N. E. and S. E. corners at the fifth-floor level are cracked and the floor arches fractured. The concrete roof was supported on light steel framing. The columns being of small section and unprotected, failed, causing the entire roof to fall to the tier below and breaking the roof concrete into small pieces. The cast-iron stairway and the elevator fronts are badlj' damaged. Comments : The concrete floors in the portion of the building still stand- ing are in good condition. On account of the fire being of short duration and not intensely hot, the columns and steel are also in good condition. This building will have to be largely or wholly rebuilt. CiiocKER Estate Building. S. K. Ojr. Mission ami First Slreets. Bliss v^- Faville, Areliitects. Cuuckeg I'^state, Owner. Details of Construction: This building was divided by brick walls into 50 sections, three fronting on Mission Street and one on First Street, and was originally five stories in height. The fafades consisted of terra cotta for the first story and buflT terra cotta pressed brick 86 SCOTT BUILDING. Second Story. 'J\j)ical view showing the condition of the e-\[)anded metal concrete floors and tlie soffit ])rotection of the girders and l)canis. The stairway well was not enclo.sed and the cast-iron colnnins were unprotected. 87 SCOTT BUILDINCi. Sliowing tlie niiiis of tlie roof. 'Hie columns suj)[)orting t lie roof were of liCTJit scclioii, and un|)roteete(l. The l,>uiniiig of tlie slock and fiirnitnre of a jirintinf; estahlishnieiit, occupying tlie story directly under the roof, heated the coin inns sufficiently to cause their failnn-, I he entire roof fall i rig to the floor helow and lireaking the roof concrete inlo small fraonienls. S£ above. Tlie rear and side exterior walls were of brick. All walls were bearing walls. The floors were supported by cast-iron columns and steel girders and beams. The fire-proof floors were of cinder concrete, of the expanded metal flat arch type, the spans between beams being about 5'. Tlie columns were unpi-otected and the sotfits of the beams were lathed with expanded metal and plastered. The floor finish was of wood laid over sleepers and sleeper fill. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake : The N. E. 50 ft. section fronting on Mission Street is totally wrecked. The interior of the middle section collapsed and fell into the basement. In the S. W. corner section fronting on First Street, the two upper stories collapsed and fell on the third floor. A portion of the south wall of this section fell out- ward. A portion of the top story and the cornice of both fronts of the building fell out and broke down the sidewalks. The levels on the water table show that the N. W. corner and the N. E. corner are i 2" ^^^^ ^V^" lower, respectively, than the S. E. corner of the building. The north face fronting on Mission Street is badly out of plumb and bulged in the centre leaning to the north. The N. W. corner leans 1" to the north and 3" to the west. The S. W. corner is tilted 5" to the N. E. Comments: The falling of the upper parts of the front walls and the cornice was probably caused by the earthquake. The collapse of the interiors may have been caused by the earthquake or by the fire, but more probably by the latter. The columns being exposed to the flames, would soon reach a temperature of 1300° to 1400° Fahr., at which temperature they become weak, and by bending or buckling would settle and pull down the entire framework around and above them. The exact portion of the destruction that was wrought by the fire can only be determined by a careful study of the ruins when the debris is being removed. The concrete floors, where not destroyed in the collapsed por- tion of the building, arc in good condition, and the colunms and steel framing supporting them are also in fair condition. This building will have to be rebuilt; the foundatio7is only can be utilized in reconstruction. Albeut Farr, Architect. Johnson Co. Biiit.dtng. I. W. Cor. Miuiia ami First Strwls. J. 0. .ToHN.=^ON Co., Owner. Details of Construction: This was a five-story structure, and was occupied and used by the owners as a store for harness and leather goods. The facades consisted of buff' terra cotta pressed brick. The walls are self-supporting. The columns are of cast iron, spaced about 16V^' centres, and are unprotected. The steel girders are set the north and south way in the building and have the soffits exposed. The floors between girders are of the reinforced concrete type, the floor slab of stone concrete, 4" thick, being supjjorted by three reinforced concrete beams about .5' centre to centre in each bay. The floor slab is generally reinforced by ^^4" '^^'i^'c strands of seven wires each, spaced 16" apart in the direction parallel with the reinforced beams and 8" apart crosswise with the beams. In some cases heavy twisted strands, heavy wire, rods, etc., are used. The reinforced beams arc about 12" deep, and 1" diameter round rods are imbedded in them an inch from the under side, where the beams are 5" in width. The rods are threaded at the ends and anchored to the girders through holes punched in the webs. The floors were finished in wood, and the cinder sleeper fill 2V2" thick is rein- forced at the under side with No. 16 hexagonal mesh poultry netting. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake : The whole upper portion of the walls above the fourth floor level fell inward. The First Street side, the N. W. L extension and two bays in the middle portion of the building have col- lapsed and fallen into the basement, a number of beams, girders, rods, etc., in a tangled mass, hanging to the sides of the por- tions yet standing. Those portions of the fronts that remain standing are in bad condition. There is a decided break in the niasonr}' ;it the S. E. corner at the second floor level. The iMiima Street front is out of })lumb Sy^" at the S. E. corner and IVij" ^^ tli"^ ^- "^V. corner, leaning south. The N. E. corner leans north about 1". The levels on the water table show that the foundations remain practically level. In the basement 89 a t3 ■5 « O ^ V ■H "§ O i! Oh 3 IK s s I ^i a I -^ -^ -5 d o § P -a ^ o ■ t^ ►i s =« ^ ^ ii o "^ O "? 90 JOHNSON & COMPANY'S BUILDING. Basement Story. Showing the failure of the reinforced concrete beams. There was no load resting on the section of the concrete floors shown. A hot fire in the basement, which contained the hard- ware stock of a harness and leather concern, caused the damage. The floor slab with reinforced concrete beams, where the latter did not fail completely, deflected as much as 12 inches between the girders in some places. The two reinforced concrete beams, which failed in the rear, are hanging down at the right-hand side. The floor slab is still in position, but has sagged about 18 inches at the centre of the span. Note the sections of the reinforced concrete beams that failed, at the left, still chnging to the floor slab. From a position a little to the left of where the photograph was taken, the rods of the nearest reinforced concrete beams can be seen crossing the cracks in the concrete. 91 where there are evidences of a very hot fire, such as fused cop- per, hght castings, nails, etc., indicating a temperature of about !i200 Fahr., the reinforced concrete beams failed, and the soffits of the girders being exposed, they deflected badly. There was no load on the floors above, so that the deflections and failures were caused solely by the heat below. Comments: The upper portions of the walls were probably shaken down by the earthquake, which no doubt is responsible for the failure of the upper part of the builchng. The collapse of the N. W. L extension and of the two bays in the middle portion of the building, is probably due to the failure of the reinforced con- crete beams or of the exposed columns. Where the metal frame and walls are yet standing, the con- crete floors remain in place, but considerably sagged, and the girders are more or less deflected. The foundations only can be utilized in rebuilding. JNIutual Savings Bank. Market, Geary and Kearny Street^?. Wm. Cuklett, Architect. Mutual Savings Bank, Owner. Mahoney Begs., Contractors. Details of Construction: The Mutual Savings Bank is a twelve-story bank and office building. Its facades consist of Raymond gray granite for the first two stories and Colusa gray sand-stone above. The building has a well-designed steel frame and grillage founda- tions. It was built in 1902. The fire-proof floors are of the Rocbling System B or flat slab construction, of stone concrete, SVii" ™ thickness, the spans between the beams being about six feet. The partitions are the Koebling 2" solid plaster tj'pe, consisting of '■y^" channel studs at 16" centres, to which is applied No. 20, 21/2 mesh, wire lath, with a 14" rod stifl^ener woven in every I^A". The lath is laced to the studs at every intersection of the stifi^ening rods, with No. 18 galvanized wire. The plastering consists of one scratch coat, a brown coat on each side and then the hard finish over these, making a partition 2" thick when finished. Underneath all the floors above the first, and attached to the under side of the beams with 1" x l/g" mild steel clips, is the Roebling wire lath and plaster flat ceiling. The columns are protected by a double layer of Roebling wire lath and plaster as follow,s : they are first wrapped with special crimped wire, off'setting the wire surface %" from the column. This is plastered with two coats of cement mortar. The column is then built out to the re- quired size and outline with light steel furring, wire lathed and then finished as usual with three coats of plaster. The soffits of the beams and girders are protected with Roebling wire lath and plaster. The wearing surface of the floors is cement, and in the halls, mosaic. Effects of the Fire and the Earthcjuake: The Geary Street front is very badly spalled and scaled by the fire and must be wholly renewed. The Kearny Street side is comparatively little damaged. The Market Street front is slightly spalled in the three lower stories. This can probably be repaired. The upper stories and the Kearny Street side can be restored by cleaning and slight repairs. The roof tiles, which were attached to T framing at 18" centres, are badly damaged. Many of the tiles are broken and 40 per cent, are moved more or less out of position. They were attached to the T's by wires which passed through a hole in a lug on the under side of the tile. Being fastened at one point only, they were readily shaken out of position by the earthquake, and many of the lugs were broken. The levels on the water table show that the foundations re- main practically level, the S. E. corner being about %" lower than the other three corners. The greatest observed variation from the plumb of the walls is %" to the south at the S. W. corner and %" to the north at the N. E. corner. These varia- tions from the plumb are no more than are found in newly constructed buildings that have not been subjected to eartli- quakes. On the ninth, fifth and fourth floors there are evidences of intense heat. Brass, copper, light castings and nails were fused. In many places the copper-plated zinc newel jiosts of the cast- iron stairs are wholly or partly fused. The steel frame is uninjured. In some places the plaster has 92 « ^W I i '1^ ^--^ir^^--^«,M ^ ?: a ,£2 ^ be c3 : _2 -=: ts " o .s "^ ':% .~, ^ ii *" bfj S o 5 -a c '" - bt;S ^ - Q> (= ih -^ '^ "t:: =^ i; ": =* Ji ~ _ri rg ^ I H .^ I ^ >-• £ c a^ ^ o m H Oj -O o O ^ 4J '^ *-■ -o o cc o c cc ^ o h =« be. o o c cO t£ ct 3: s o b£ O o 0^ "be 3 O r-; -a C d M P o g 3 O o 1 CO _2 c o "5 O X be 0^ o .a -T3 CO h •^.2 o fc* " Oj cfl OJ O o o -r £% a ■ B V o is ^ *- o H '^ ai . a 1— I =2 d H .s -s a • _C 0; o o bij o r— 0) SJj-O «-■ -^ .s s <» bJj E g Ji 3 £ '-^ b cfi O ^ g iH S - = 0^ ■-: ■ij -M Oh O C3 "3 o ■£ H= c -^ a o - .2 -^ S ,._ ^ ^ £^^ ^' ID -O jj ^ ■n O CO c3 g o 0^ o o a 0^ rt fl > !■£« d- 98 ^ t3 o oj ja ^ S rt 3 OS ^ o ^ 0^ -n c/^ -S Si v:' (b ^ a^ .2 o c o o o 3 o 3 o _3 be O 3 O a U- &. w 1 ^ 3 ■*- ' Oj ^ 0^ Oj ~ rt_. - a 1^ jj _ o ■C X S li .a-j J= J Q u .i:T .j degrees, and remain generally in jilace. This view was taken to show a badly buckled latticed channel I column in the centre foreground which was caused by abnormal strains and loads, and not by heat. Note the tenacity of the crimped wire lath and cement plaster soffit protection, wliich remains in place after the wreckage has destroyed the floor slabs. 102 is slightly spalled around tliu openings in the upper stories. There are no eartli(|u;ike cracks. The entire rear portion of the building was wrecked by the failure of seven columns in the basement. A wall-paper con- cern occupied the lower stories of this building and had a stor- age room in the basement. The latter was solidly filled with a stock of wall-paper, which made an intensely hot fire of long duration. On May 19th, just a month after the original con- flagration, the fire was still burning in a blaze in the basement, which story could not be touched by workmen who were clearing up debris in other parts of the building. The south half of the east and west walls and the entire rear wall are down, but the distorted steel frame is still standing. The settling of the interior columns in the rear portion has broken many of the connections of the beams and girders away from them, so that the latter hang to the wall colunms, witli sections of tlie concrete floor still adhering to them in man_v cases. The front half of the buildint;- is in o-ood condition. The metal frame is uninjured. The concrete floors are in fii'st-class condition. The partitions remain standing, but a small per- centage are buckled out of })hnnb. The stairway and elevator fronts are greatlv damaged. The seventh story was divided into small offices. A tank on the roof in the rear tlropped to the seventh floor, carrying part of the roof framing with it when that portion of the building collapsed. Comments- : In this building is illustrated in a very conclusive manner the fact that ordinary methods of column protection are insufficient for buildings in uiiicli a large quantity of inflammable material is stored. This building was designed as a loft building, the plans specifying a single layer of wii'e lath and plaster pro- tection for the colunms. Had it Ijeen occu])ied throughout as a loft or light factory as planned, and had it contained only the ordinary furniture and equi})ment of such a building, the rear poi'tion would no doubt ha\e withstood the fire as well as the forward portion. The vast quantity of highly inflammable paper, however, tliat was stored in the basement and second and fourth stories in the rear of the building, without doubt created a fire of longer duration than that in any other build- ing in the city, and produced sufficient heat to ha\e caused the failure of the siune columns, even had they been jjrotected by a much more efficient covering. This building therefore is a particularly interesting one from the standpoint of column protection. The building laws of every city should be so drafted that it would be impossible for a building designed for one purpose to be used for another which involved the storage of larger quan- tities of inflammable goods or materials. This building also illus- trates the necessity of making special provision for the protec- tion of the columns, girders and other important structural members in all buildings which are to contain large quantities of combustible contents. The entire rear portion of the building will require reconstruc- tion. The forward portion can be repaired and occupied while the real- portion is being rebuilt. AliOXSOX BlILDING. X. W. Cnr, 'I'liii'J aiiil Missi.in Streets. IlKME.\'\\A'i \- MiT.I.Kl:, itl' '^ ^ ^ j: ° - 5 104 '■^ ^ o o *' '*- -5 ^ « o h ■£ _= O O bi l-H p 9^ ^ y. ■r. K g ^ ^ .2 1 £-^ jj ° s ;=; o ^ " q=! -^ y.i 105 ARONSON BUILL)IX(;. First story. Showing tlie buckling of two columns near the ceiling line, left of the ceul e. The hollow tile column protection and partitions are badly wrecked in this story. The bulging of the pipes probably cai;sed the failure of the proteclion of the Inickled column on the left. The Roebling stone concrete floors with crimped wire lath and cement plaster soffit |)rotection are uninjured, although the buckling of the columns shown caused the floors above to settle about 18 inches. The falling of the hollow tile partition blocks enclosing tlie stairway in the rtar wrecked it. 106 (luakc. Tile jjri'ssed hrick ami terra cotta above Is in oooil condition. At the third-story level the walls between window (?})enings are badlv cracked b\- the earthqnake. The northeast corner at the tirst story Is badly racked. The north and nest walls of common bi-ick are in fair condition. All the walls are ])ractically plumb, the greatest variation from the jjlumb being at the southeast corner, where the south front leans to the north about '■'s.". The levels on the water table do not disclose any material displacement of the foundation. One of the cohunns in the basement on the east side has buckled. In the southwest corner of the first story, two coknnns have buckled near the ceiling. The failure of one of these was caused by the bidging of ))ipes within the tirc-])roof protection. In the northwest corner in the fifth storv, one of the coknnns buckled so that the floors settled about" 18". On the eighth floor, in the northwest corner of the building, another cohnnn is badly buckled. The same column on the tenth story buckled also. One colunni deflected slightly in this storv. The concrete floors throughout are in first-class condition, successfullv carrving a numlicr of large safes that were located in different 2)arts of the building. The ■i" hollow tile parti- tions are genei'ally wrecked, abotit 60 per cent, of the entire work having fallen down. I'he wall furring is badly cracked, and is down in spots. The hollow tile colunni protection is greatly damaged throughout, 50 per cent, or more haying fallen away from the columns of the first story, and approximately an average of about 15 })er cent, has fallen away from the columns in the other stories. The concrete column protection in the basement is in fair condition, although not of good quality originally. The -t" tile partitions around the stairway and elevator enclosure on the north side collapsed throughout, many of the blocks falling on the stairway and wrecking it. The wire lath and cement plaster on the soffits of the beams and girders is in good condition. The suspended wire lath and plaster ceiling on the top story is intact. The cast-iron stair- way and elevator fronts on the west side are greatly damaged and the stairway on the north side is completely wrecked. Comments : The intensity and duration of the fire was normal and such as would natui'ally result fi'om the combustion of consideralile stock, wood finish, I'urriiture, etc., in a building of this character. The sand-stone ])oi-tions of the front w ill re(|uire renewal. The se\'t'ral columns that ha\e been buckled can be I'eplaced. The elevator fronts, shiirways, j)artitions, column jirotection and tdl the plaster work must be completely renewed and rebuilt. An opportunity of comjiaring the efficiency of hollow tile blocks and concrete for column jirotection was afforded in the baseiiKiit, w here both matei'ials were used for this purpose. One of the columns co\ered with hollow tile lilocks buckled very badly, and the protection is damaged around other columns. The columns ])i'otecteiKS, IIKKMANN ()KI.Il[riIS, Owiiei'. Details of Construetion: Tlie Hialto Building is nine stories in height and was used for stores and offices. Tl'.e fa<,-ades consist of buff terra cotta })ressed brick with terra cotta lintels and a terra cotta cornice. The building has a steel frame with grillage foundations. The fire-proof floors al)ove the first are of the expanded metal, flat arch type, of stone concrete -ty^" thick, the spans being 9 to 10 ft. between beams. The floor slab is further strengthened by l/u" square Johnson steel bars at 16" centres. Underneath the floors are expanded metal lath and plaster flat ceilings tliroughout, except in the basement. In the first floor the spans between beams are GVi^ ft., and the regular expanded metal flat arch of cinder concrete was placed in this tier. The steel columns arc protected by two layers of ex})anded metal and ]>laster, except in the basement, where they are pro- tected by a single layer only. The soffits of the girdei's ami the beams in the basement are lathed with ex [landed metal and plastered. The partitions consist of 3" hollow tile lilocks. The floor finisli was of wood with slee])er fill, except in the halls, which were finished with marble tiling. The v.-all furriii"' consists of 11 i;" hollow tile blocks. Effects of the Fire and tlie EartJiquuke : The terra cotta of the main entrance is badly cracked by tlie earthcpiake. The terra cotta mullions in the ujiper story are considerably spalled. The pressed terra cotta brick-work is in fair conditicm. The southeast corner of the building is batlly racked bv the failure of columns inside. In the iNIission Street no m 1^ Z ^ T^ "i; 1^ i^ > s ^ P ■= ^ JS fclj c t- 1; -Tj [J ^ c ^_ ^ ^*" -^ ffi S .2 ^ >► x^ '^ r- 0^ 4^ c i ^ 0^ PT^ O O -1^ r^ o -^ ^ J2 ^ -r ^ S^ 0^ b S- t- 0^ ^ ,, > t- """ /- >^ Cj 1^ oj o ^ "^ .i "X P -g- o -^ be 3 ^ is : ^ 1/ -c o bl- £ — S o o ^ o o be ^ o o — ~ o :e t^ o S _ otE be O -S ^ o be >- c /i ni « i; -n " CI ?' -■ o o 3 OJ C O 8H c i: o •r oj ^ o 0) fe "c *" o £ "^ o Q^ OJ K O d) 6 ^^ I— I -— ^ P3 ^ ^ o 'S O a-5 ^ ■= I Ph -o «; 112 i. o -f' > b£ o x:- -c cl -T3 0^ Ji b TiZ i5^ 'Si ^ cfl .°:' o bij^ ^ •r ^3 ■^ O b£ c CO — cS •v o o • 'JJ -c Efl c - s '^ b ^ 2; ^ ^. pq i, 'C C a .2.2 2 ^ 113 0.1 c =a 2J J .i -d a ,5 . oj o "d V) (« r- 4J 11 3 Si ^ 2 fc u 1, cs c^a ) ji flj c t^ ' — ^ ^ > . -^ ■ '~ 'Z o "^ — '^ s ^ ^ a, c - £■ o •« S fe "" 2i I; o s . c s^i: " o c £i £ =« ^ >.rs =S * ~ *J- « o o B o ^ I ^ - 1 '-s J W 5 ^ o O 3 „ ai . ^ -Q ni -0 "*^ 3 cs c o «4^ o u o ^ ^ a o ■v 110 ttj ^ i- a> o ^ ^ -= ° ■s c g « P 3 cs rt ,^ 3 5< «i . i -= -^ ^ ""' so -S x- O o 1; bt^a ■s -a Mi CO 0^ Oj c ^ ^.5 1-4 - S bC O 0^ Z "" ^ ° £ S " r la c« o CO "^ cd C (L' fl a> "O o t- t- o c/: fcjj i; r^ "^ .*! 5H ^' 117 118 P .2 — ^ ? '— r-i C; rn ^ Oj ■ — n ■ 1 ', ^ c tH O !■ ^ K. C2 "■/^ -^ ^ -1 a^ ^ o 3.^ o tr ■^ K* p , — -3 3 'n ■; 2 a; (I' o C^ '^ C5 o X) <^ p; a; c- C3 o -d OJ ^r "T" CO h( CJ3 -u; 1 ' "T^ ^ ^ ^ s '^^ ^ o 'XH o m a o a, n n w Fh o f3 r/1 b cS 1' •:S 1 '. r/l c o O p: "^ ^ ?^ -^ "Izl a. >- HH (1. !-i n^ P C^ ._^ C ;h ^ a 1^ •~" c ; J m bf r^ ^ T^ C-. o H h-1 2 O if- O re V < 1— ( If o Oj O ^ ^ o o c/j C/J 119 KIALTO BUILDING. Fourth Story. Showing splice and connections of a typical column in this story. All the columns in the building change from a larger to a smaller section at this level, producing a structural weakness which caused cliaracteristic X cracks in all the piers between the windows in the fourth and fifth stories. 130 front, the bond of the face brick is broken and sections have fallen off. Above the fifth story floor the nuillions and piers are racked and cracked bj' the earthquake. In the northwest corner, six bays have entirely collapsed and fallen into the basement, except three bays of the roof tier. In the basement of the southeast wing, three columns failed by buckling. One of the interior columns in the northwest corner of the building, in the eighth story, also buckled, the double lath and plaster protection having been broken away by a pipe inside of the protection, which bulged and disrupted the cover- ing. At the northeast corner on the Mission Street side the steel work at the sidewalk level is considerably distorted. The levels on the water table show that the foundations are practically level and evidently in good condition. The greatest obseiwed variation of the walls from the plumb was at the southeast corner, where the south wall leans to the south 11/2". At the northeast corner, tlie north wall leans to the south about H ■ The concrete floors in the sections of the building that have not collapsed are in first-class condition. The expanded metal lath and plaster ceilings, however, failed quite generally, on ac- count of a very weak form of wire clip that was used to support the ceilings from the beams. The hollow tile partitions are down in man}' places and the hollow tile wall furring is off in spots and considerably cracked. The cast-iron stairway with marble treads is in fair condi- tion, except that the marble treads are broken in many places and badly damaged. The copper plated zinc newel posts and rails are partly fused in some places and considerably damaged. The elevator fronts are bulged and distorted, and the framing is out of line. Comments: It is noticeable that there was a decided structural weakness at the fourth and fifth story levels, the piers between windows and the corners of the building showing characteristic earth- quake cracks and considerable damage at those levels. An examination of the interior columns disclosed the fact tliat all the sections \\x're changed at the fourth story level, which probably was one of the causes which contributed to this result. The sjjlicing of the columns should be distributed at diiferent floor levels, so as to eliminate any \\eakness due to such connections as far as possible. The failure of the column on the eighth story, where the double lath and plaster protection was forced off by a bulging pipe, is further convincing proof of the undesirability of permitting piping inside of the column protection. The mistake of omitting the double lath and plas- ter protection of the col- umns in the basement is no doubt largely responsible for the failure of the col- umns in that story, and caused many thousands of dollars' worth of damage by wrecking large sections of the building. The failure of the ceil- ings, where the metal lath and plaster fell away from the supports, was due to the light wire clip, de- signed as shown in the ac- companying sketch. These clips were made of about No. 8 wire, and bent to the form shown, around the lower flange of the beams. The hooked end project- ing downward supported the channel iron furring at 12" cen- tres. The metal lath was laced to the channel iron furring and the plaster applied to the lath surface. The light section of the wire clip was quickh' heated when exposed to fire, and thus weakened, it straightened out, permit- ting the entire ceiling construction to fall away from the beams in many places. Ceiling clips of such light sections are un- desirable, and should not be used where an efficient and fire- resisting ceiling construction is required. It is probable that a large portion of this building can be repaired and occupied while tlie collapsed portions are being rebuilt. Wire Ceiling Clip tliat Failed in Moderate Fires. 121 M ° ■-^ s o o .2 <« 0/ i-M ^. O ■►- O 4^ C ^ 1. -p fci. ^•s- r3 =« *- cS "^ be E3 ■^ m _a h:^ c ^ ^J P 3 ■ O >< tl Cfi ^ - 3 ^ S =« °^- X « g ^ ^ 5 ra rl W 1^: ATLAS BUILDING. Typical view of tlie lower stories. Metal lath and jilaster partitions and ceilings, cement finished floors. The cracks in the plaster were caused by the earthquake and the dark color by smoke. Atlas Buildinc No. 604 Mission Street. Frank S. Van Ti:ees, At-rliiteet. Bullock and Jones Building. iicry H. E. BoTiiiN, Owner. Details of Construction: The Atlas Building is ten stories in height, and was used as a store and office building. It was onlj' recently completed, and tenants were just moving in at the time of the fire. The facade consists of ornamental cast iron for the first story and common brick with cementine plaster finish above. The cornice is of galvanized iron. This building is of steel skeleton construction with curtain walls. The fire-proof floor construction is of con- crete. The partitions are of wire lath and plaster. The columns and the soffits of the beams and girders are protected with wire lath and plaster. Effects of the Fire and the Eartliqual'c: All the outside walls show cracks, probably caused by the earthquake, from the fourth to the eighth stories, the cracks being generally in the form of the letter " X " between window openings. At the N. W. corner the brick is spalled considerably. There was comparatively little fire in this building. The west wall is of brick without openings. The east wall has openings above a two-story building which escaped the fire. The flames from adjoining buildings entered the Atlas Building through the windows on the north side and consumed all the combustible con- tents in the upper stories. The lower stories and elevator halls are practically undamaged, except by plaster cracks and by smoke. The fire-proof floors in the portions of the building that were burned are in good condition. The partitions also stood, but are bulged out of plumb in some cases. The steel frame is uninjured. The clcAator fronts, framing and power plant are very little damaged. Some of the marble treads of the cast-iron stairway are damaged. Comments: With the exception of the walls, which are badly cracked, this building is comparatively little damaged, and can be repaired without serious difficult}'. The cracks observed are character- istic of all those that have been caused elsewhere hj the earth- quake. Ni.n'tli Side of Sutter SIreet. Iietween Moi nEMEKWAT & lIiLLBH, Architects. I Keiirny Streets. A. AliONSoN, Owner. Details of Construction: This is an eight-story building that was used for lofts. The fafades consist of cream terra cotta and glass for the first two stories and pressed terra cotta brick with terra cotta ornamen- tation above. The cornice is of metal. The walls are self-sup- porting, the metal frame being of steel. The fire-proof floors are of the expanded metal, concrete flat arch type, the spans between beams being about 7 ft. The })artitions enclosing the elevator shaft and the stairway are of the hollow type, consisting of sheet-steel studs ^Vii" wide, with expanded metal applied to both sides and finished with plaster. The columns are protected by 8" hollow tile blocks. The sof- fits of the beams and girders are protected by expanded metal and plaster. The floor finish is of wood, laid over sleepers and sleeper fill. The pent house on the roof has walls of 6" hollow terra cotta blocks. Effects of the Fire and. the Eartliquala': The terra cotta and glass of tlie first two stories of the Sut- ter Street front is completely gone, Iiaving been destroyed by the fire. The terra cotta of the upper stories of the Sutter Street front, as well as that of the east and west sides, is badly spalled and cracked. The window openings in this building are exceptionally large, and the terra cotta around them is badly damaged in many places. Much of the injury to the terra cotta piers between the windows was probably 1^'rought by the earthquake. At the northeast corner of the building, at the fourth and sixth story levels, portions of the brick work have fallen away. The wall of common brick on the north side is bulged in spots. The west wall is in fair condition. The metal cornice is badly damaged. The levels on the water table show that the foundations are practically level and evidently in good condition. Tlie greatest observed variation of tlie walls from the plumb was at the south- west corner, which leans approximately^ 1" to the west. The cast wall, at the southeast corner, leans about %" to the west. 124 C --' ^ c J^ X ro Oj i- i. :f= ^' -1- _2 — . S ^ 5 a

C O S S ffl -s == ^ "5 X) "C -2 '^ ^ ^ t^ g § ^ • ^ ^ o p ^ « s a :; *; tic's "- S o c 2 o .2 ■75 -S 'o = ^ -S m o OS ^ « Oh 127 BULLOCK & JONES BUILDING. Third Story, Showing the failure of the hollow tile column protection and the consequent buckling of two columns. The pipes within the column protection no doubt forced it off when they became heated and bulged by expansion. A metal lath and plaster partition remains standing on the right-hand side. The concrete floors are in good condition and in place, notwithstanding the settling of the columns and the distortion of the steel beams and girders. Note also the bulging of the steel beams in the stairway opening, due to unprotected facias. 128 — r^ rn -^ r/j ClJ 8 ^"^ -r -i^ ^ E S z;.s:: 2' o^.t-T. ;-ir « e^ £,cts 5 ^ « =a _ -r ^ 5 j;.^ c ^ '^ •^ t: p i-:- ^ a. ^ 5^ o > ^ bC' <1J 9 -^ .s "i: be O 131 sisting qualities, and none of tliesc appear to be damaged, althougli only protected on tlie outside with a single layer of lath and plaster. The concrete floors are in first-class condition. The ceilings underneath successfully protected the soffits of tiie beams and girders above, and arc intact with most of the plaster still ad- liering to them. The hung ceiling under the roof trusses with- stood the fire remarkably well and protected the trusses against damage. A 5' x .5' skylight in the roof, with a metal frame and glazed with wire glass, remains in good condition, and probably by preventing a draught through the top of the building ren- dered the fire less destructive. The partitions are all standing, but in some places they have Iiuckled out of line. The wall furring is generally intact and apparently in good condition. The elevator fronts and cast- iron stairway with metal treads are in fair condition and can he repaired. Comments: The light steel furring and metal lathing in this building was well executed and showed good rcsulbs after the fire. The studs m the partitions were fastened between rigid supports, top and bottom, so that there was no opportunity for expansion. This caused considerably more buckling of the partitions than would have been the case had suitable provision been made to allow for expansion. This building is very little injured structurally, and the re- pairs can be made without difficultv. Seci^uity Savings Bank. East Skle of Sloiilgunif i-y Sti'ept, Nathantei. Bi,Ars[)Ei.L, Arcliitert. <':iliroriiia ami Pine Streets. Seijuritv Savings Bank. Owner. Details of Construction : This is a two-story bank building. The fafade is of white marble with granite base to the water table. The side and rear walls are of brick and are bearing walls. Being onlj' about 25 feet in width, there are no interior columns. The floor construction is of the expanded metal flat slab type of stone concrete. Tiic spans being about 6' between beams. The partitions are of 3" hollow tile blocks. The floor finish was of incombustible material on the first floor and of wood in the second story. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: The fire caused comparatively little damage to this building. The earthquake spallcd the upper part of the front slightly. A class " B " building occupied by the California Safe Deposit and Trust Co. on the north side of this building was destroyed by fire. The south wall fell over and broke do'tvii the roof and floors of the Security Savings Bank, causing practically all the damage to the latter building. Comments: , ' The walls of the adjoining class "B " building should have been tied together by rods or anchored to the metal frame. The south wall wg^H then have fallen inward instead of outward, and thus saved all the structural damage to the Security Sav- ings Bank. ' Telephone Co.'s ^I.un Ofek'e. Soulll SWe of Bush Street .Alexanuek a. Cantin, .\r<'l]iteet. etweeii (li'ant .\veiiiie and [vearny Street. rAiiiaf S'rA'i'Es 'I'ln,. A^■I^ Ti:i,K(il:Ai'ii <'n. Details of Construction: This is iin eight-storv l)nilding, and was intended to be oc- cupied as their mtiin office by tlie Pacific States Telephone ;ind Telegrapli Co. It had just been comi:)leted, and the Telephone Company was moving in at the time of the fire. The facade consists of buff terra cotta jiressed brick with terra cotta orna- mentation. The cornice is of metal. The metal frame is of steel, the walls being self-supporting. The fire-proof floors are of tlie Roebling System B or flat slab type, of gravel concrete, the spans between beams being about 8 ft. The few partitions and those enclosing stairways are of wire lath and plaster. The walls are furred with wire lath with 1" V-rib stiffeners woven in to off'set the wire surface 1" from the walls. The steel colunms are protected by 3" of gravel concrete rigidly anchored to them. The soffits of the girders and the beams are protected by crimped wire lath and plaster gauged with Portlancl cement. Roebling wire lath and 133 = ;=^-l;i!=e -T^ = "' s ra-ctc - b( T1 b(, b) ^ c c ■P t; o ^ a r ^ "5 ■- — coi -1^ 0^ ij ^ -^H ^ "S f- a,- ;- n H 1 , o^X 7- x: -— '^ = . ^r. ^ " j: 1; ■x 1- :3 ;r ;; o x: ^ ; — "r; IJ = S ■■*- S ^. S 5 " _ x* -^ -^ - X ?: a; ; ^ a. ^^ . -^ QJ ^ O ^ ■ =« c'-^' O 1^ >; &- u ^ o i tt--. H 3 •o - X ^ - 3 ^ ^ a^i^l^-i=|5=-i£P ■:-^ T^ -r- _■-! a; X enings of rough the s combust >- > veen the g they requ The steel f^ u. ;=i._c :t « -C '' j_, o ^ o c S « oyed lie r so tha started. f-i ^ t: ^ -^ bp "H-.i r- cXj 11 the 16 fire erythi 'a; <. :eh s: 3 5 s P.S . 13o i V PACIFIC STATES TEL. & TEL. CO.'S Main Office. Fourth Story. Showing the typical condition of the Rocbling concrete floors, wire lath and plastered ceilings, wire wall furring and concrete column protection. The photograph was taken after the repair work had started and some of the plaster had been removed. This story was subjected to a severe fire, particularly around the cable rack well in the rear corner. The intense fire at this point spalled the brick wall and caused the failure of the cast-iron and metal tread stairway. 134 135 plaster flat ceilings are erected underneath the floors in all the stories, except the basement. In the roof tier, the intermediate beams between the girders were omitted and a reinforced concrete beam was substituted, dividing the 16 ft. spans into two. The floor finish throughout is of cement. The Bush Street front of this building was equipped with Kinnear rolling corrugated outside shutters. The other window openings were fitted with the regular gravity sliding under- writer's inside metal covered slmtters. The window frames and sash were metal covered, and tlie glazing was of wire glass ex- cept in the Bush Street front where plate glass was used. Effects of the Fire and tJie EarthqitaJce: The front of the building is in good condition. There are slight earthquake cracks at the fifth and sixth story levels. The west wall has a few earthquake cracks at the sixth and seventh stories. The steel columns in this wall are exposed for several stories in the middle part of the building, where it was in con- tact with an adjacent building that was destroyed. The east wall is in first-class condition. The levels on the water table indicate that the foundations are level and are evidently in first- class condition. The observations on the walls show that they remain plumb. After the eartliquake, the building was slightly racked, so that it was difficult to close some of the sliding shutters in the upper stories. The fire entered the building through a door in the rear near the southwest corner. There was an immense cable rack in this corner which had recently been installed and equipped, and which produced an intensely hot fire at this point. There was an open well to the roof above the cable rack par- tially filled with equipment. This well induced a draught, so tjiat the fire was communicated to nearly all of the upper stories inunediately. The upper stories of the building were filled with supplies of various kinds in packing boxes, which produced a fire of considerably greater magnitude and intensity than would occur in an office or hotel building. The reinforced concrete beams of the roof tier were weakened by the heat and deflected badly, one of them failing. The eleva- tor framing is bulged out of line and the cast-iron stairways with metal treads are damaged. The steel frame is uninjured. The concrete arches throughout except the roof tier, which con- tained the reinforced concrete beams, are in first-class condition. The concrete colunm protection is uninjured. The wire lath and plaster partitions have buckled out of plumb in many places. The flat wire lath and plaster ceilings remain intact. The wire wall furring is in good condition throughout. The crimped lath and plaster protection of the soffits of the girders and beams is uninjured. The cement floor finish is but slightly damaged. The rolling shutters in the Busli Street front made an excellent showing, preserving the plate-glass glazing. The metal-covered sliding shutters were badly damaged, and only about 50 per cent, of the wire glazing remains in place. Comments : It is most unfortunate that tlie rear door opening at the southwest corner was not j^rotected by some fire-proof barrier. Had that been done, this building would have been extremely interesting, and would, no doubt, have lieen a practical demon- stration of the advantage of protecting the openings. How- ever, the fire was conununicated to the interior through this single opening that was unprotected, causing the same damage to the interior that would have resulted had these appliances not been installed. The fire test of the inside shutters was unusually severe, for the reason tliat a sinniltaneous fire in the interior exposed both sides of the shutters to attack at the same time. The damaged reinforced concrete beams in the roof tier will require renewal. The building is otherwise structurally unin- jured and can be repaired without difficulty. Telephone Co.'s PjASt Office. No. S21 n.vcli? street. AlexanI'ER a. Cantin, Areiiiteet. Pac. Statics Tiol. and TklkcraI'ii Co., Owner. Details of Construction: This is a three-story building, known as the East Ofi^ce and the Hyde Street Station, occupied as an office by the Pacific States Telephone & Telegraph Co. The fac^ade consists of a granite base with buff' terra cotta pressed brick and terra cotta ornamentation above. The ornamental cornice is also of terra 136 , oj c ^ 2 t; c ca ■ o O 1- a C t; >v cS ■^ .2 =S -^ — G ^' ^ ^ a o ^ X^ ? c c o za .250 ^ ^ - O r- G ego; 5 c3 ... ' "O ~ ^ — c K H U o , a ^ - cs .5 ■ti -O a ^. a ^ _ -o §1 J2 ' 1' ^ 3 T3 t- OJ " k « 4. S 0) o o •S M J, -o p . t; c« ^ C -^ '^ ^ ^ .-S £ . c -^^ "" o I- ~ ■- (-: 3 o o bL P- Ph Q^ C bL 137 PACIFIC STATES TEL. & TEL. CO.'S East Office. Showing the typical condition of the concrete column pro- tection and the damage to the cast plaster ornamental caps. The concrete protection should not have been omitted where the caps were placed. The photograph was taken after repairs had been begun. 138 cotta. The mchil frame is of steel, the walls being bearing walls. The fire-proof floors are of the expanded metal, flat slab tj'pe, of cinder concrete with No. 16, ;}" mesh, expanded metal im- bedded in it. The spans are about T ft. between beams. The sotKts of the beams and girders are protected by expanded metal lath and plaster. Tiie cohunns are j)rotected with cinder con- crete. Tlie floor flnish is of cement and terrazzo. The exterior walls are furred with light steel bars at 12" centres, covered with exjjanded metal lath and flnislied in plaster. Eff'ccis of the Fire and the Earthquake: The granite base of the front is slightly spalled. The terra cotta brick and terra cotta ornaments, as well as the cornice, are in good condition. The cast-iron ornamental pillars of the front, in the first story, failed, and at the time that the build- ing was inspected brick piers had been built adjoining them to support the loads. There are only slight indications of earthquake damage to the front. The north and west walls of common brick are ap- parently in good conchtion, showing only slight earthquake cracks. This building was subjected to a normal fire only. A falling chinmey damaged one sjian in the roof, and earth(|uake cracks injured two others, so that they will require renewal. The concrete column protection remains in good condition. This protection was not carried to the ceiling level, but was omitted where ornamental })laster caps were set. In a number of instances the caps were destroyed, leaving the columns un- j)rotected at those points. The cinder concrete of the floors was originally of poor quality, and many of the spans will re- quire renewal. The cement and terrazzo floor finish is little damaged. The cast-iron stairway, with metal treads, is in fair co)idition. The exterior metal lath wall furring is intact throughout, most of the plaster still adhering to it. Comments : Omitting the column protection where the ornamental cajis occurred in this building was a serious defect, and in a severe fire would have caused considerable damage. Small portions of the walls may require reconstruct account of earthquake damage. The interior repairs comparatively small, and are limited almost exclusively to TliLEPHONl'; Co.'s Soi'TJl Ol'-FK'E. 7(-Si; Wi'sl Jlissinii SIrrc-l. Ai.EXANDEn A. Cantin. Arrliid'ct. rM'iFic Staiim Tei,. ami ■J'ui,hi:i;ai']i ('"., iiwiicr. Details of Construction: This is a three-story building known as the Scnitli Office of the Pacific States Telephone and Telegraph Co. The fai;'ade consists of gray artificial stone to the water table, buff terra cotta brick to half the height of the first story and white ce- ment plaster finish on common brick above. The walls are bearing walls. Tiie floor and roof loads are carried on steel cohunns, girders and beams. The fire-proof floors consist of the Roebling System B or flat slab ty])e of stone concrete, 3Vi:" i" thickness, the S])ans being about 7^ {; ft. between beams. The soffits of the Ijeams and girders in the first floor are protected by erim})cd wire lath and cement plaster. In the np])cr stories a flat Iioel)ling wire lath and plaster ceiling is erected underneath the floors. The cohunns are protected by .'}" of cinder concrete anchored to them. The building had a tenqiorary wood roof over the top story; the design contemplating the addition of several stories later. The floor finish throughout is of ct'ment. The stairways are constructed of solid concrete with steel channel strings. Effects of the Fire and the Earthrpial-c : This building was but slightly damaged l)y tlie fire, most of the injury sustained hy it being caused by the eartlic[uake. The artificial stone base and buff terra cotta brick are })ractically uninjured. The white cement plaster finish of the upper stories is badly disfigured by earthf(uake cracks. The south wall at the southwest corner has cracked loose from the west wall, from the top to the bottom. The east and west walls are shaken and racked so that sections of the southeast and northwest corners fell out. Portions of the roof arches being unsupported after the walls fell out, drop})cd down into a \'ertical position and are supported by the steel beams adjacent to the walls. The north 139 PACIFIC STATES TEL. & TEL. CO.'S South Office, 74 and 76 West Mission Street. The facades consist of gray artificial stone to the water table, buflf terra cotta brick to half the height of the first story and white cement finish on common brick above. This building had a temporary wood roof supported by the fourth floor, it being intended to increase the height of the building later. The top of the side walls and the parapet walls were overthrown, and portions of the walls were cracked and badly damaged by the earthquake. The two lower stories were provided with metal-covered window frames and sash, with wire cflazing, which successfully preserved the contents of these .stories. Fire was communicated to the top story through the window openings, which were finished with ordinary wood frames aiid sash. There was a large amount of expensive equipment and combu,stible contents in this story, which produced an intensely hot fire. The steel framing and the Roebling concrete floors and column proteclion remain in first-class condition. 140 ' J'ACIFIC STATES TEL. & TEL. CO.'S South Office. First Story. Sliowing the condition of the interior, which sustained no fire damage. Noie the earthf|uake cracks and damage to the plaster work in the rear. Everything com- bustible in the upper story of this building was consumed. 141 PACIFIC STATES TEL. & TEL. CO.'S South Office. Second Story. The metal covered window frames and sash, with wire glazing, prevented the fire from entering this story. The story immediately above, with improtected window openings, was subjected to an intensely hot fire without causing the slightest damage to the ceiling or any part of this story. The cable racks, furniture, plastering and cement finished floors were uninjured. 142 PACIFIC STATES TEL. & TEL. CO.'S South Offict-. Third Story, Sliowing tlie hirgc switchboard, valued at $90,000, totally destroyed. The Roebling concrete column protection, three large skylights, and the suspended wire lath and plaster ceiling are in good condition. The cement floor finish is but slightly damaged. 143 , -e ^ •i o 6£§ ^ s ._2 .2 'X 'S -o Z^ h 3 c - cS "So o o o £ c P aj 'E "S _ O '■J-' C3 a o H 2H -a 3 * -O « _ -S j: « .t: p, s, ■3 -i -^ -o ^-^' I J -s § o ' - -^ I ra 3 ^ ^^H h^ ^ ^ -1 or -- Eh = - « S:; 02 W H o Ph (h ^ C^ 0.' c3 n-" w ^ K ii *^ H " S-5PX1 w 'be 3 C 3 2 3 3 M ^.^ o C ''"' =4-1 'S 'o 0; 0^ 3 T3 i2 r, g cr d a.. 5 ^ 144 Willi is badly cracked, and will rc((uii\' extensive recoiistriictioii. Although the walls were hadlv ilaniaged, the entire interior was structurally uninjured by the tire. The concrete floors and coliunn protection remain in tirst-class condition. The concrete steps are luiharnietl. Coiiimcnti: : There was a lai'ge ])ro])ertv loss in this building. A new switchboard and other e(|uipnient costmg approxiuiatelv .$90,- 000 were destroyed in one story alone. The fire was con- siderably more intense than \\<)ul(i ordinarily occur in an office building or hotel, but did practically no damage to the struc- tural steel or the fire-})roofing. The walls of this Ijuildiug were bearing walls and were not rigidly tied together, which no doubt accounts for tile damage to them by the carthfj[uake. T.arge sections of the side ^valls and almost the entire rear wall will require reconstruction. ]MARS-rOX BrlLDIXG. X. v.. (/nr Kr Mevee 4: ()'r;iMi:.\. Ar.-liil.'rts. SircM-l iiiid ll;!nlk- I'hi.t- Mi.\i:i;\'A A. Makston, Dctailn of Construction : This is a ten-story stoi'e and loft Ijuilding. The fa(,'ades consist of cast-iron facias and large glass wiiulows on the first story and buff silica brick and terra cotta ornamentation above. The metal frame ccnisisted of steel columns and girders spaced 14) ft. apart, the walls being self-supporting. The fire-proof fioors are of stone ccnicrete su])])orted by one intermefliate reinforced concrete biam between the girders, re- ducing the spans of the floor slab to about 7 ft. between sup- ports. The concrete floor was reinforced by two light 1" steel channels, riveted together back to back, at 2i" centres. This building was in the course of construction, the floors having been completed to about the tenth story level. The walls had. been buift to about the seventh story level. Effects of the Fire and the Eartlqiialc : There was considcr;d:)le scaffolding, a tool house and other combustible material placed on the different floors of this build- ing, which were consumed. In the seventh story, a fire caused by this material damaged one of the floor spans so as to expose the double channel bars at several places. The ten-a cotta course on the Kearny Street side, at the fourth story level, is badly spalled and cracked. The terra cotta around the openings of the fourth, fifth and sixth stories is damaged. At the northwest corner, at the fifth story level some of the brick-work has fallen away. The brick wall on the north side of the building has fallen out from the ground up to the fifth floor. At the sixtli story level there are earthquake cracks. At the northeast corner, the brick-work has cracked and fallen away at the second and fifth story levels. The east wall was apparently carelessly built, as the wall girders at the fourth and fifth floor levels, where it was in contact with an adjoining wall, were never covered with brick-work and are now exposed. The levels on the water table show that the foundations re- main in good condition. The greatest observed vai'iation of tlie walls from the plumb is at the southwest corner, where the west wall leans to the west \\-/' in a height of eight stories. The same c Counncnts : ^fuch of the damage to the exterior of this building was no doubt wrought by the earthquake, but this injury was aggra- vated later by the fire, so that it is impossible to separate the damage caused by each. The falling away of the north wall and the damage to the brick-work at the corners of the build- ing were no doubt caused by the earthcjuake. As the building is in an unfinished condition, and some of the in;ison «'ork will require renewal, it will be a comparatively easy matter to jjluinb the building while it is being repaired and finished. Alto Building. S. E. Cor. Basb and Ki-aniy Slrools. M. J. T.YON, Architect Geo. c. Perkins, Owner. RiH!i:i;t C. f li,n>iiAN'i\ Slni(.-tiiral Kii^'hiecr. Details of Const rnction : This was an eight-story office building, approximately 25 ft. x 75 ft. in plan. It was one of the few buildings in San Francisco 145 tliiit were of strictly steel skeleton construction, with curtain walls. The fire-proof floors were of the Roebling System B, flat con- crete slab type, the spans lietween beams being about 12 ft. The concrete was of stone. The colunms were protected with wire latli and three coats of plaster. The partitions throughout were of the 9J' solid type of wire lath and plaster. The finish of the tloin's was in wood with sleepers and sleeper fill. This building was absolutely uninjured by the earthquake. When fire threatened this section of the city, the authorities dynamited it. The effect was to throw it bodily to the north- west, into and across Bush Street. When the fire subsequently swept through this portion of the city, the ruins caught fire and everything combustible in the debris was consumed. Shkkve Building. N. A\'. e'ltr. I'ust Street and Grant Avenue. ^^■M. CUKLKTT. Arcliilect. e'i!<.n:Kr;K Udtel C"., Owner. Details of Construction : The Shreve Building is an eleven-story office building. The facades consist of gray granite to the lieigiit of the water table, cast-iron facias and glass for the first .story, and Colusa sand- stone abo\'e. '^i'he ornamental cornice is of metal. The metal frame-work is of steel, the walls being self-supporting. The fire-proof floors are of the Boebling System B or flat slal) tv})e, of stone concrete, the spans between beams being about 6 ft. The columns in the basement, first and second stories are ])rotected with 8" of concrete by the Roebling method. In tiie other stories the column protection consists of ;3" hollow tile blocks. The ))artitions are built of 4" liollow tile blocks throughout. Tiie sofl^its of the beams and girders are protected with crimped Lith, })lastered with cement mortar. A flat ceiling of Roebling ",ire lath and ]ilaster was erected underneath all the floors, ex- cept in the basement. In the top story there was a level wire lath and ])laster ceiling suspended from the roof beams. The wall furring consisted of Roebling wire lath, with a 1" deep \ furring rib woven in at intervals of about 5" and finished with three coats of plaster. The floor finish was in cement, the halls having terrazzo finish, with marble tile borders. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: The sand-stone of the Post Street front is spalled by the fire around the window openings, the worst damage being done on the west side. On the Grant Avenue side, the entire front is badly spalled by the fire. The ornamental colunms at the ninth and tenth story levels are badly damaged. The north front of the building is totally ruined by s})alling. The excellent work of anchoring or bonding tlie veneer to the backing is shown by the fact that in some cases only thin shells of the sand-stone remain in position. The corners of this front, at the east and west sides, are damaged and cracked. The metal cornice is wrecked. The west wall of connnon brick is in good condition. At the second floor level at the m)rt]ieast corner is a small crack, the oidy earthquake crack visible in any of the walls of this building. The entire steel skeleton frame is absolutely' un- injured. The levels on the water taljle indicate that the foundatit)ns are in good condition. The greatest observed variation of the walls from the plumb is at the southeast corner, where the east wall leans to the east about ^j" at the top. At the southwest cor- ner, the south front of the building leans to the south about 1 s"- The concrete floors and flat wire lath ceilings throughout the building are in first-class condition. The concrete colunm cover- ing in the basement, fir.st and second stories is uninjiu'cd. The hollow tile covering from the third story to the top is consider- a,blv damaged, having fallen awav ni many places. Some of the damage to the tile cohnnn ])rotection was caused by bulging pipes. The partitions generally are greatly damaged and a large proportion has fallen down. The framing of the elevator shaft is bulged out of line. The elevator fronts and cast-iron stairway with metal ti'eads are disrupted and damaged. The cement floor finish is cracked and warped in a few places. The machiner^r room in the basement is considerably damaged. Comments: There were a number of wood partitions in the basement, and a great quantity of wood cases for goods stored there by Shreve 140 ; X Q_j K ,^ X G ; ;^. 1- " " " . £ ' ~''^ ^'^T "^5 5 ■ CL o 0/ -r ^ qD ■ ^ — ^ ^ OJ « ; >. S p ~ C c -1=! M = £ 0/ fc t " £'^ ="- g fe ^ ~, P c : X & K r- OS ^ 147 ^ ^\>-v SHREVE BUILDING. Second Story. Typical view showing the conditicju of tlie Uot))linn; concrete floors, wire lath and plaster ceilings, concrete column protection and 4" solid concrete and ])laster ))artitions in the rear. The erratic crack in the plastered ceiling in the centre, and the cracks in the concrete partition, were caused by the earthquake. 148 g £ be a. .S ^ o £ be M o ° a ■■" ^ ^ C3 -2 ^ a r~ C 0^ 42 .0 br ^ -0 .'-.; ^ ^ a o "o bjo C 5 H -c3 X -3 -12 o % 0) ."^ c! fe is 1) -c cS J3 •^ r1 r; rt l-H CS bo c ^ t-i hr (1/ u^ o CO ffl -C -C O 1-1 i^; -: W ^ q; 1) H c (1J « [S S K "3 3 8 C/D 8 ij tH -C J5 o =0 o 149 & Co., Jewelers, Hoors of tile biii who occupied the basement, first and second (hng. The rest of the building was subjected to a normal fire, such as would be expected in a building of this character. The difference in the efficiency of the two methods of column covering is particularly noticeable In tliis Ijuilding. In the tiiree lower stories, where the protection was of concrete, it is entirely uninjured, while in the upper sto- ries, where the ])rotection consisted of 3" hollow tile blocks, and where the fire was less intense, it was badly damaged and has fallen away in niunerous places. The concrete colunm protection was an- chored to the columns by means of No. 10 gauge galvanized steel wire wound spirally around them at 12 to 1-i" centres. The wire is sufficiently stiff to spring away from tlie plates or flat sides of the column, and affords a key for the concrete between the steel mem- ber and the wire. This method of concrete column pi'otection was used also in the main and south oflices of the Pacific States T. & T. Co., "^fhe California ("asket Company's Build- ing and the Flotel St. Francis. HoTKL Hamilton. Sonlli Siilo of ICIlis Sti-wl, between .Mason and I'uwell Streets. DA\-Tfi Co!J';:m.\.n', Arejiiteet. \Vm. UELluNtj, Builder. Details of Conatniction: The Hotel Hamilton is a twelve-story building. The fa(^ade consists of sand-stone for the first two stories, sand-stone and terra cotta for the third and fourth stories and terra cotta above. The cornice was of copper. The metal frame is of the steel skeleton type, the walls being curtain walls. The columns arc latticed channels covered with wire lath and three coats of plaster. The fire-proof floors consist of the Collins slotted metal sys- tem, being of the flat concrete slab type of cinder concrete 4" in Efficient Concrete Column Protec- tion. thickness, the spans being about 14 ft. between girders. The reinforcing metal imbedded in the concrete floor slab consists of about 2" X J/;s" flat bars, with sections slotted or cut out and bent at right angles to them. The bars are spaced about 16" apart and are carried to the structural steel supports and hooked over the top flanges of the beams. The partitions are of the hollow, double lath and plaster type, the Collins slotted bar being used for the studs, at 16" centres, and plain wire cloth applied to both sides. A heavy wood sleeper was laid on the floors along the lines of tlie partitions, to which the studs were fastened. A similar wood strip was fastened to the under side of the concrete floor al)ove to which the studs were nailed at the top. The sottits of the beams were generally along the lines of partitions. When this was not the, case, they were protected by plain wire lath and plaster. The floor finish was of wood laid over sleepers and sleej)er fill, except the cor- ridors, which had an incombustible finish. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: The sand-stone in the lower stories is Init slightly damaged by the fire, there being a little spalling around the window openings. In the upper stories, the terra cotta is considerably damaged by the fire. The metal cornice is down. The west wall of common brick is aj)parently in good condition, and has no serious earthquake cracks. The east wall is in fair condition, but the face brick are apparently loose from the backing at the eighth, ninth and tenth story levels. Tlie levels on the water table indicate th;it the foundation is not damaged. The greatest observed variation of the walls from the phnnb was at the southeast corner, which leans ap- proximately Y'/' to the north. Although the fire in this building was simj)ly normal, and such as would ordinarily be ex})ected to occur in a hotel build- ing, the steel frame is considerably damaged. In the first story, five columns are buckled in tlie middle portion of the building. In the sixth and seventh stories, a colunm is buckled west of the elevator shaft. The steel framing around the stairway wells, and the vertical framing of the elevator shaft, arc considerably distorted by expansion. The concrete floors are in good condition throughout. The ICO \ » I Ilia. UiiiMT - ^M&y^.'fa. tfUU^-.- 1 I f' rr *'- ■ m\ ^KZ3-i- ^mi;mv ^j^BWWir %r jasoKMi ^ ^tJA^.^'^ f I fi Oj v. Oj : ;=: i = ^^ aj ^ ■- -^ ' '^ . "1:^ HM "^ p: ^ ---■ C i^ C ^ 3 S -o ^ 151 152 •Vs. -v.-;!:: ■ ^m\ >x. ->« ■' dJ M r! rl CO '/I H a O C- > o ."S n o ^ ^ a a «j cC _3 "o o lU 0^ P a "^ , Oj o !^ o "S .s *c M iJ ,c o 5 ^~' c o -- . h'f D .^ B a 'i. ■£ ^ a P- ,J3 a _3 1> a; o CO V Q^ o >, x; -0 ;h +^ 'r. c Oj .y > m ^o "^ « O ti. ;^, -n ■a o Oj ,1^ -0 s en o C3 "o 3 a o 0^ is 3 oS 1 0' \i 2; ^ ,'~, _- ^ o a> o c O eu i— 1 o c 3 3 a 3 ^ n* O o ;< 5 s o o hH o _a ca c/1 H ri ta _>• is O ;h 'o o CI ^ ;^ r^ O ^ 03 O 1-4 rt O n 3 o =« .;: !_) I— I 158 wire lath and plaster partitions, on account of having a wood sill at the hottoni and a wood strip at the top (which were con- sumed), are loose in many places and in bad condition. In the first story, where the columns settled by buckling, the partitions are badly warped and deflected. The elevator fronts and the cast-iron stairway with marble treads are badly dam- aged throughout, and in the first story are completely wrecked. The basement story is much less damaged than any other. Comments : The failure of the columns was undoubtedly due to the column protection, which was of very flimsy construction. The furring around the columns to support the lath and plaster was very light and inadequate for the requirements. The repairs required for the exterior of this building will be comparatively slight. The buckling of the colunms referred to has caused the floors tln'ouo-hout the entire liuildina; to settle. It may be possible to correct this settling and re})lace the dam- aged cohnnns without reconstructing the building, but it will be a difficult and expensive operation. HOTET. jVt.F.XAXDF.U. Niii-th Shlc nf Heavy Sirpet, lu'twci Moses .T. I.vux, An-liiloel. I'ljwill and Mason Strccls. Mils. UoI.F'A AT.RXAXIlEn. OwilCV. Details of Constructiort : This is an eleven-story building, used as an apartment hotel. The fa^'ade consists of sand-stone, with cast-iron facias for the first and second story and sand-stone al)0vc. The cornice is of copper. The walls are self-sn]jporting and are anchored to tlie colunms in each st(n-v, ab.out 8.50 ancliors Deuiti' use( 1 for this purpose. The fire-proof floor construction is of the Collins slotted metal, flat slab type, similar to that used in tiie Hotel Hamilton, except that the spans in this building are about 8 ft. between beams. The partitions are of wire lath and plaster, finishing 2" thick, the studs consisting of No. 16 gauge metal iVi" wide, slotted by tlie Collins method and placed at 16" centres. The columns are protected by wire cloth and three coats of plaster. The soffits of the beams and girders are protected by wire lath and plaster fiat ceihngs throughout, except in the basement, where they are wrapped with wire lath and plastered. The floor finish is of wood with wood sleepers and sleeper fill. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: This building was subjected to a normal fire. The front of the building shows no earthquake cracks and is not seriously damaged by the fire. There is considerable spalling around the window openings from the fourth to tlie eighth story, and also at tlie eleventh story. The metal cornice is damaged. The east and west walls of common brick arc apparently in good condition. The rear wall has been injured in spots by the falling of the wall of an adjacent building. The levels on the water table ln(hcate that the foundation at the front of the building is level. The greatest observed varia- tion of the walls from the j)lunib is at the southwest corner, where th.e south front leans to the south about 1/4". The entrance hall at the first story is uninjured, and the adjoining store in the first story is only sHghtly damaged, the greater portion of the wood flooring still remaining in place. The second stor^r of tlie building is charred in spots, and above this the entire building is fire swept. A cohnim near the north end of the third story Is buckled. Cn the fifth flooi-, a cohnmi near tlie elevator shaft is badly buckled. Some of the columns also buckled in the sixth story. In the seventh story, five interior columns are buckled. In the eighth story, one column is buckled in the centre, and in the ninth, one is slightly buckled on the soutli side. In the tenth story, there are four badly buckled columns. The concrete floors, notw ithstandlng the warping of the floor surfaces on account of the buckling of the columns, are in good condition. The wire lath and plaster ceilings are loose and partly down at some ])laces. A lot of brick work from a falling wall back of this building fell througli the large window open- ings in the rear, I)ut tlld no apparent damage to the concrete floors. The elevator fronts are badly bulged and damaged through- out. The cast-iron stairway, with marlile treads, is considerably injured, and some of the marble treads arc broken. The steel 154 J^ G-* ^ "O JH _ ,j., ■" ° Ji . -2 S 3^ ^ C5 ^ ; ^ C --*, -5 ^ i 3 o 5 -^'"^S ^ ■• "^ -^ '-^ 13 — .£f ; > p -- CJU Q^ O : S - o S g ■S 2 a "^ ^ ■? '"o 3 G ^ X ^ -d o _ „ s ^ = t; o '4; o :o l^a iJi fi ■^- O X. X -3 O 3 o ■3 btij: o .2 ~ '■£ . eft O 0^ 3 o« b ^ t: 3 s 'C ts o 3 '-0 "^ o .2 6 '-T ^ 1 i^ jj M o J3 3 C8 ^ I ^ =*H O 3 S ? t; 3 £ t: "br, h et ^ ^ "^ h-' ■^ -^ - '< 3 ■-^ J r/l >.. iJ ^ 0) CO 3 0^ 1? 3 cs V3 rr ^ '*^ ^ i: tfl „ 3 M 53 «^ li ^ ^ -ri ^ *^ 3-^ '^ i: ca 3 ]55 SCO =ft 'E 6 g -= 'o £ .2 -« o be b£.S "V 'en ^ ^. '-"^ o S £ . ^; o. 111- 5 ^^ B 3 •" o •-■ '■^ S ^ "o >-- -ti W Q :^ O b£=« 2 a' 156 1) 6E_>v 0^ .5 -^' -^ e^ ■R J3 "P .a^ -S . S o -S ^ ^ 'o S ■" -^ O -f- :t ry: ^ '''^ be 3 ci Qj -o b£ ,r: -c ^ 2-2 C r^ o +: P:2 ^ . ^ ^ o p -5 -" J O ^ Ih C .^^ -1-1 >. ^ j=. E — bl "5 5^ ■=: = 157 window lintols at the front of the building throughout are un- protected, the wood frames being built in contact with them. The wire lath and plaster partition around the stairway was not properly anchored to the steel framing, and is badly sagged and cracked at every story under the stair strings. There was no fire in the basement, and the power plant is but slightly damaged. Comments: Although this building was subjected to a moderate fire only, the large number of colunm failures are no doubt due to the flimsy furring that was used to support the wire lath and plaster protection around them. In several cases where the wire lath and plaster had been broken down by the buckling of the col- umns it was noted that there were only two Y^" rod supports for the wire, in a story height, and these supports did not anchor the lath and plaster to the column. They were simply brackets fastened to the partition on both sides of the column, and the wire lath was formed around them. Except for the buckling of the cohnnns, this building would have been practically uninjured structurally. The replacing of the columns will be an expensive operation, and may involve the reconstruction of a considerable portion of the building. The damage to the exterior is comparatively small. [Merchants' Exch.^xge. South Si.le California Streot. D. n. BUENHAM & Co., ALObitfCts. Mimtgoinory am] Saiisoriie .Streets. MKuriiANTs' ExriiAXGr: i.il' S. F., Owner. Details of Construction: This is a large fourteen-story office building, the lower story at the rear being used as an exchange room by the jMerchants' Exchange of San Francisco. It is a well-designed modern building, with a steel skeleton frame and curtain walls, and was completed in 1904. It has a pile foundation. The fa9ade con- sists of gray granite for the first and second stories and buff terra cotta pressed brick with terra cotta ornamentation above. The cornice is of terra cotta. The fire-proof floors are of the Roebling System B or flat slab type of cinder concrete, the spans averaging 7 ft. between beams. The soffits of the beams and girders are protected b}^ a flat Roebling wire lath and plaster ceiling throughout, except the first floor, which has a panelled ceiling finish in the base- ment. The soffits of the beams and girders of this tier are pro- tected with Roel)ling crimped wire lath and cement plaster. The cohunn })rotection throughout is of Roebling wire lath iind plaster, double thickness, with an air sjjacc between. The corridor partitions are of the Roebling double wire lath and plaster type, finishing 4" in thickness; the dividing j^artitions are the single lath and plaster tyj)e, finishing 2" in thickness. The furring on the walls consists of Roebling wire lath with Y-shaped ribs, 1" in depth, woven in and off'setting the wire sur- face 1" from the wtills. The floor finish was of wood with wood sleepers and sleeper fill, the halls having a marble tile finish. Effects of the Fire and the EartJiquake : This building ctuight fire from adjacent buildings and all the combustible contents of the interior were consumed at the same time that fire was raging in other buildings surroiniding it on four sitles. It was probably subjected to as severe a fire test as any building of its character in the city. The granite jjortions of the front of the building are badly spalled at the second story, but is only slightly damaged at the first story. All the rest of the front is in good condition. The west wall of connnon brick has some earthquake cracks about midway from the top, and at the southwest corner near the bot- tom. The east wall of pressed terra cotta brick is spalled in spots from a hot fire of an adjacent building near the front. Tiiere are earthquake cracks in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh stories. A falling wall of a building back of the ^lerchants' l^xchange damaged the rear wall and broke down a portion of the skylight over the exchange room. The levels on the water table indicate that the foundations remain practically level. The greatest observed variation of the walls from the plumb is at the southeast corner, which leans approximately %" to the west. The north front at the north- west corner leans to the south only l/i"- The steel skeleton frame is uninjured, and the building has sustained but very little damage structurally. The double lath 158 te'S pS-S S i5 i .iJ' C = - --- E c 3 ° 5 -f.-5 ^t; =7^ C-c =■ S — 5 1^ X c -^ .:: m ■'^ ,^ '^ t'i °" S-c2iH .-^ ■■■" "5, if >" r '^ "re c: u t^ o « "^ ^ ^ r! y -H ^ ^ '^ j: OJ 0^ .t;; I— ii^jCr- ^ , \ ^ C •j; ^ "S Ji c" § o = '■ -^ X CL/ 0^ 5^ ■ t ^ = 0; 3 o X c n u ^ § "' 1 > ^ . 5 "K-'H ■P 3, 5 Tf J U A. ■c ~ c; r- "^ ^ -e /, tli c -"> f^ ^ £-E c ^ c ti ? bjj O ^ ^ O u at bJD ■^1 -i aj ?^ ^ = "^ •fi ■? -g »:■ ^ = X ^ £ .2: ^- £. £ 0^ aj r sf ?i^ S o ^ ?H^ J. ^ ^- '^^ t' ./■ - E c H -S • '3 7 = '5 -^ ^ "" £ - 1 S &• s r p i r o i -2 ° !^ £ S h a. "fcjjT: O O O aj t^ cfji^ t ~ K !C etc PhX: 159 ^HH ^ ^^ • 1^ rn ^^^^1 <~~ ^^-t: ^H[ l^Z-B^' ^^^^H ^ ™ hn ^^I^P hange ff Stre two V side, ceptin ■ V ^ ^ 'O y, *^^S < ■i,i.: 5 -^ %'- rl T 1 ca cu ^3 *- n g-S g =3.5 C« M - fe mm ^^ ^22s5 4, ^."^ P= S =" ° be ,• hK n%in ^^^^B ^^ 6^^8-S^^ 1 ?^2.^ s^^ \4^ E BUILDI iix-storv bui ylight of th ■oom, and c corner of t ined but lit lANG 1 of a s and sk lange r ear the s susta \^ r< ^ ^ a H ^ ^ S g g ?^, << ^ ~ 0. 2 j^iflg^ mn ^ . C S ^ be ^^R» -Tj -^ ^ — . ° tS Hk a: 3 3^2-? -S HjB ^.r^ s^-S^- P> OJ m >i ^ « i- t/ ~ 0; 1; 3 ^ c3 .S 160 MERCHANTS' EXCHAN(;E l$UILI)IN(i. First Story. Showing condition of Itoehling fire-proof floors, partitions, column covering and ornamental lath and ))laster ceiling in the l)anking room of the American National Bank. Everything combustible in this room was consumed, the vaults remaining in good condition. A temporary wood floor was being laid at the time that the photograph was taken. 161 ^MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE BUILDING. Third Story. Showing typical condition of the Eoebling concrete floors and ^vi^e lath and plaster ceilings and partitions. This yiew \yas taken immediately after the fire. A small amount of plaster on the floors represents practically all the debris. 102 MP^RCHANTS' EXCHANGE BUILDING. Typical view showing the condition of the wire lath and plaster ceilings and partitions. The safe in the foreground fell over on its side without doing any damage to the Roebling concrete floor. The vault on the right, enclosed by a solid wire lath and plaster partition 'i" thick, preserved its contents. The contents of a number of other similar vaults in this building were totally destroyed. 163 »t-^yfi"'.'2:i-:W*5^*'* ;-' "j-"-^^**^! MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE BUILDING. Showing a Roebling vault, with double stetl doors, which preserved its contents perfectly. The walls and top are of solid concrete: the studs of 2" x J/' flat steel are sjiaced 10" on centres. Roebling 1" solid rod stiffened wire lath is applied to both sides of the studs, and the space between the wire surfaces is filled solid with cinder concrete. The plaster is then applied to both sides, making a total thickness of 4 inches. The handles of the combination lock of this vault fused, and it was impossible to open the door. The hole through the wall of the vault in the centre foreground was made in order to get at the contents, and shows the details of the construction. There were no cracks in the walls or top of this vault. 164 "C ^ m Oj 1 g Ch a c: o O o o 3 bj: a v 2 -0 a bj: ■S S T3 .a ^^-< "^ 13 o CTj '(/3 tc 0^ •^ o "o ^ o p: Oj X c .2 m o yj o r/; yj ;> .X ■^ «: ^ f-' .SP rt C S 'fcj: O C^ V. bt (L- ■^ ^ '^ "^ ;i^ — ' x ysp o bJO K ,_o r^' ^ o s f Q^ r/1 h ^ >: "l! ^ O J yj O >— 1 yj x , ^ ^ Oj c5 >" ffi r" ><" plH q^ 'o 2 ' K t^ •^ .Q x "P ^ Ch -r; Oj , ^ O — bij be h^ ^ C3 C ;j^ O r^ 0; (p X "" ■" ■^ =4— ^ ^ i^ "o =4- o ''!} rX o 'V ^ O 'm -< -L- *r !^ ^ t-> ffi :3 § Oj — 0^ ^ ^ c tf 0^ C ■^ C-i c .2 6 t-l ^C 0^ o c« o rn '^' 0) ^ C ■3 x -Q 165 and plaster protection of the columns stood well; the outer covering being only slightly damaged in some places, and the inner covering being unaffected. The concrete floors and wire lath and plaster ceilings are in first-class condition throughout. The lintels over window heads are protected with cinder concrete, which served this purpose well. The lath and plaster partitions remain standing through- out, but in many places arc buckled out of plumb. The wire lath wall furring is in good condition. In the light court, the expansion of the upright steel fram- ing supports disrupted the facing of the nuillions, which fell down and broke tlic glass of the large skylight at the second floor level. The cast-iron stairways, -rtith niarl)k' treads, are in fair con- dition, but many of the marble treads are broken. The elevator fronts throughout are in fair condition, being bulged slightly at some places. A number of small vaults that were enclosed by lath and plaster partitions, with steel doors, failed to preserve their con- tents. The vaults with cinder concrete walls 4" in thickness withstood the fire perfcctlj', the contents being in good condi- tion when 02>ened. The combination handles were sometimes fused, necessitating the cutting of holes in the walls to obtain the contents. In some cases, however, the carpenter introduced wood grounds in the spaces to be filled 133' concrete. The burn- ing of these blocks made openings through which the fire entered and destroyed the contents. The ornamental work in tlie main entrance and exchange room is but little injured. Tlie power and mechanical plants in the basement are only slightly damaged. Commeiit.i : The eff'ect of the fire on small vaults and safes in this build- ing can be assumed to be as severe as is ever likely to occur in a building of this character. In designing receptacles for the preservation of valuable documents, it will therefore be neces- sary to improve tlieir fire-resisting qualities considerably. In vault construction, tlie walls should start from the fire-proof flooring and should be of reinforced concrete not less than 4" in thickness, with a roof covering of the same material and thickness. The door openings should be protected by double barriers, which could be either plain steel doors or metal-covered wood doors hung in solid steel frames and closing against solid metal stops on three sides. The floor finish of such a vault should be of cement or other incombustible material. If the floor finish of the room in which the vault is located is of wood, tlicrc should be a border at least a foot wide of incombustible floor finish around tlie door outside of the vault. If common brick is preferred, an 8" wall of brick laid in Portland cement mortar co.uld be substituted for the concrete walls, and would probably give equally good results if well tied together with steel rods. Vast improvements will be necessary in tlie construction of fire-proof safes, if they are to fulfil the requirements for which they are intended. The damage to this building by fire is limited almost exclu- sively to the interior finish and contents. It is to be regretted that a building of such excellent design and good construction did not have its window and door oj^enings protected by metal frames and sasli and wire glazing. Had this been done, there is little doubt but that tlie entire contents of the building would have been saved, and tlic damage limited to that sustained by the exterior. This building withstood the effects of the fire and the earth- quake admirably and can be repaired without difficulty. Mercantile Tiiust Cojipany's Building. North Side of California Street, Ix'tweou Moutgouiory ami SaLisouie Strii-ty. Albeut Pissis, Arciiilect. Mekcantile Tkust Co.. Owner. Details of Construction: This is a three-story biuik building of massive construction. The facade consists of gray granite, the cornice being also of granite. The floors are supported in the interior by steel fram- ing, and tlie walls are bearing walls. The fire-proof floors consist of segmental stone concrete arches witli light T irons imbedded every 16". The roof is of tlie Roebling System B flat slab type, of cinder concrete, 4 inches in tliickness, the spans averaging about six to seven feet between the beams. 166 ^^-JM S H a fe: (-( 0; bn O CO be 2 '3 O ''"T' « ^ CTj rX • ^ -^ CO rt r^ ^ 8 M. ^, W n f)j p^ tH r-i c- O 0^ O c c; ' 1' hr W r/j ^ .^ ;-- ?-f rt ^ t; ^' "^ 'I' ; _^ P '""' ^ n n ^ a^ 25 rr .^ O ^ ij:^ ^ o c ^ 0^ c: bL 3 o pj =2 ^ be a^ 0^ y, "0 — C3 0^ be a a < c 7 O o o o « .•^ t,. O li w dj ^^ tH ■"* s o bn Ir o o Oj rt CIh o ir o G 1' ^^ o ^ ;^ ffl " hollow tile blocks in the other parts of the building. The soflits of the beams and girders in tlie basement story are protected by concrete ; in the upj)er stories by wire latii and plaster. The floor finish in the corridors and public places is in mosaic and terrazzo with marble borders. In the rest of the building, the finish was in wood laid over sleepers and sleeper fill. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: The Powell Street front is in good condition, the window openings only being slightly spalled by the fire. 1'he Geary Street front is also in good condition. The metal cornice is com- j)letely wrecked. The west light court was entirely stripj)ed of the enamelled face l)rick from top to bottom by the fire. Tliese brick fell through the skylight at the second floor level into the dining room, the Roebling segmental concrete arches on the first floor withstanding the impact and carrying this enormous load without failure. There are no apparent cracks in the facades. With the ex- ception of two colunms in the mezzanine story, the steel skeleton frame is uninjured. The levels on the water table indicate that there has been no })ermanent displacement of the foundation. The greatest observed variation of the walls from tlic plumb was at the southeast and southwest corners, botii of which lean to the east about 1". The concrete floors, and wire latli and plaster ceilings under them, are intact and in first-class condition throughout. The hollow tile partitions, on account of good mortar and work- manship, are in as good condition in this building as in any in the burned district. The partition blocks over door openings have generally fallen down, and apj)roximately 1.5 per cent, of all the partitions are down. Jyarge sections of the portions standing have been damaged by the earthquake and the fire, so that they will have to he rebuilt. The column covering lias been damaged in a number of places, but served its purpose sutficiently well to protect the columns, except two in the mezzanine story, which will have to be replaced. The exterior hollow tile wall furring Is oidy in fair condition, being damaged and loose in S])ots. The ornamental plaster work in the main entraiu'e and office is badly damaged. The sky- lights at the second floor level were jx'rforated by falling material that was sjjalled off' around window openings in the light courts. The skylight under the west light court is com- j)letely wrecked by the falling of all the face brick in that court while the building was ablaze. The main stairway of cast iron, with marble treads and base, is considerably damaged throughout. The cast-iron stairway ill the southwest corner of the building is in bad condition. The elevator fronts are bulged and damaged throughout. The mechanical and power plant in the basement is also consider- ably damaged. Comments : The good ((uality of the matei'ials and woi'kmanship show to good advantage in the manner in which this building withstood the earthquake and the fire. With the exception of the two damaged colunms in the mezzanine story, it is structurally un- injured. The concrete floors retain their original strengtii. The re])airs of this building will be confined exclusively to the restoration of the slight injury to the exterior and the rcfinish- ing of the interior. Caiji'Ounia Casket Co.'s BriiynixG. ^^ssioll Sti'i.'t-'t, tx'twft'ii Fifth jiinl Sixdi SIroels, .\LBF,itT rissis. ArchittM-'t. CAl.iForiNiA Casket Co., Owner. Details of Construction: This building is seven stories in height. It was just being finished and was unoccupied at the time of the fire. The fa9ade 175 I t»-. ^ c -^ - C 5 S ■= ^ r^ +^ ' cj be 3 r 'c cd i— x: 4_ . — H C SI 5 -i ^ ti CO .2 =* ^ ^ 1; s'c x; . c ^ « E:=45 ■r _ f-i gj ;:; QJ r; ^ O Oj c t 3 5-^;= t, 2i (U Li Oj ^ o !^ 4^ L» T C y. c^ 3^ ^ ■ _. D = H o ■!;; C ^- O (U ^ ■ re cs ^ ^ c rj ) -^ ^ r o ^ ? • S ■= « :Hc' ■X c _ ^ OJ < -^i ^- ' 0^ O -"^ Oj 4-- Pi 6h -c t^ 0^ <1> H '^ -M rn •^ h-l a) o w X Oj H u ^ :r O ■^ .L- E ^t, /- (\i 1^ , r-j j3 o o i: 3 '5-^ tin O ^ ^ 0) P o o i « I -SI'S I 3 2^ c^ ^ W fcH '^i ^^ h-, r, -O i- [j ^ 0. 3^ -r r^ h— I r- ;5 0^ ^ ra ' 0. j; Ji O pq -c •X 3 O ^ oj _; -c "3 ^ -i ~ fc- >: M a i! -^ a S' s 'fi '£. uj , -^ -n ^ "G ^ > o o ^ ct; r^ • r^ Oj r^ r^ =" [« cS i; Ji ^3^ g § S £ ^ 5 ii U2 03 =C ce m 180 CALIFORNIA CASKET CO.'S BUILDING. First Story. Showing the finished concrete column protection, and the crimped galvanized lath on the soffits of the beams and girders and the exterior wire wall furring ready for the plaster. This building was in the course of construction at the time of the fire and had little combustible contents. All the wood work, such as window frames, scafi'olding, etc., was consumed. The merchandise, trestles, etc., shown in the photograph, were carried into the building after the fire. 181 -f t- J. 1, a; ^ rt t- w _a -a 5 'iJ o Oj O c'^ cs .^ O « ° 5 S *" '- m -S -" ^ . -^ -3 r-^ o — O a"^ ^-1 M t« Z tti ij ^3 2 S ■* 'Z § -^ " ^ ^ ' " "f ~H <-^ s ^ c '^ O K *: -r O I c o ^ fe ^ --1 t-£i , — ^ ^ O Ph rSl ■= ^. O ^ -*!-^ S« £ • ^ P^^ ^^ 7 " -£r- aj B '^ _v ^ ■ _C f- c; -£ ji; K C i^ .H _2 ^ „. ta fe -^ c" == •- — <£ ^^ -^ O 0; 4i 13 « -D h j: 182 CALIFORNIA CASKET CO.'S BUILDING. Showiiifj; typical flight of concrete stairs between ste.-l cliannel strinfi;ers. The crimped wire lath on the soffits of the beams had not yet been covered with cement plaster. The furring brackets at 10" centres on the wall girders in the stair opening are ready to receive the wire lath. 183 damage. Tlie fire entered the building in the centre section of the Mint Avenue side, where sliglit damage was done before it was extinguished. The heat from adjacent burning buildings spalled the limestone of the second and third stories on the nortli side considerabl_y, but the other three fronts are uninjured. There are no signs of any earthquake cracks in any of the ex- terior walls. Commtnttt: The inside steel shutters and heavy plate glass of this build- ing, and the independent water supply, no doubt contributed largely to the success of the troops and the employees in pro- tecting it. The fact that it occupied an entire block, and was separated by the width of the streets from any other burning buildings, was also of material assistance. The excellent pile foundations and the good workmanship of the exterior walls are no doubt responsible for the successful manner in which this building withstood the effects of the earthquake. Build- ings of similar construction in this part of the city, without pile foundations, are almost invariably more or less damaged. Haas' C'^ Factory. Corner of Mint Aveniio ami .Tesso Stn'et. Wm. CuriLETT, Arcliitoct. ("iEO. Haas. Owner. This was a low building of ordinary construction, the walls beine- of brick and the floors of wood. A section of the floor- ing at the ground level, about 20' x 30', contained a fire-proof floor of the Roebllng System A or segmental arch type, of cin- der concrete, the spans between the steel beams being about 6 ft. This building, as well as the other buildings around it, was completely wrecked by the fire. The west wall of the building, consisting of brick 20" thick, fell inward upon the concrete floor without breaking any holes in it ; the flooring withstood the impact of this enormous load without failure and was still supporting it at the time that the building was inspected. An examination of the floors on the under side showed that the beams had deflected considerably, but that the concrete arches between them were practically uninjured. Academy of Science Bt'it.ding. Market Street, between Fourth and Fifth Streets. Geo. W. Perci-. Architect. Califohnia Academy oi' Science, Owner. Details of Construction: This is a six-story building, erected in 1887, that was used as an ainiex to the main Academy of Science. Tlie latter was a class B building fronting on jNIarket Street, which was dyna- mited and subsequently totally destroyed by fire. The fa^'ade consists of pressed red brick, with red sand-stone ornamenta- tion. The metal frame consists of cast-iron columns with steel girders. The walls are self-supporting. The fire-proof floors are of the reinforced concrete type and span the interval between girders, which are spaced 12 ft. apart. The concrete is of stone, 9" in thickness, and is reinforced by ■}4" Ransome square twisted steel bars, spaced 12" on centres. The plaster is applied directly to the under side of the concrete floor slab. The floors were finished in wood, laid over sleepers and a 2" sleeper fill. The cast-iron colunms are ))rotectc(l by wire lath and plaster as follows: The wire lath, with Ia." V ribs, was wrap})ed around the column, the ^/v." V ribs offsetting the sur- face \'-_i" from the column. Plaster of Paris was then applied to the lath, filling in the sjjace solidly between the wii'e surface and the colunni. A solid coat 1 ^ {;" thick of plaster of Paris was then applied outside of the wire lath surface. There are no partitions in the first story of this Ijuilding. The soffits of the girders are protected by lath and plaster. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: The sand-stone ornamentation of the entire front is badly spalled. There is a characteristic earthquake crack at the fourth story near the centre. The pressed red brick is in good condition throughout. The north wall is cracked at several places by the earthquake. This building was subjected to only a moderate fire. Two double reinforced concrete beams in the basement are badlv damaged, the concrete having fallen away, exposing six 1" square section Ransome twisted steel bars. In one bay four- teen consecutive reinforcing bars are exposed in the floor slab. 184 ACADEMY OF SCIENCE BUILDING. The upj)er view, taken in the basement story, shows the failure of a reinforced concrete beam. The fire spalled off the concrete on the under side of the beam and exposed six of the 1" square section Ran.some twisted rod.s. This concrete beam still supports the wall above it, but is badly cracked. The lower view, taken in the first story, shows fourteen consecutive |" square .section twi.sted Ransome rods, which have been exposed by the falling away of the concrete protection under them. Only a moderate fire caused the spalling of the concrete in both cases. 185 UNITED STATES MINT. Fifth and Mission Streets and Mint Avenue. This buikling of massive construction occupies an entire block with comparatively wide streets around it. The fa(;ades consist of granite for the basement story and limestone above. The foundations rest on piles. It had an independent water supply, and a large number of troops and employees successfully fought the fire when it invaded this section. The window openings throughout were protected by inside steel shutters. Except for a few spalled courses of brick on the west side of the south smokestack, this lauilding was absolutely unharmed by the earth(|uake. In the centre section of the Mint Avenue side fire entered the building and caused slight damage before it was extinguished. The heat from adjacent burning buildings also spalled the limestone of the second and third stories on the north side. 186 The concrete floors are generally in good condition. The column protection is intact throughout. At the south side of the building in the first story were located filing cabinets which were full of paper. These made a fire of considerable duration, as is shown by a large quantity of wliite ashes. The plaster of Paris colunni protection of the three columns standing among these files is absolutely uninjured. Comments : The interesting feature of this building is the column protec- tion. The plaster work of the columns was composed of j)laster of Paris instead of the ordinary lime mortar. Plaster of Paris is a well-known non-conductor of heat, and made an excellent showing against the fire in this building. It is, however, not a suitable material for the purpose of protecting structural mem- bers, for the reason that it absorbs moisture and is easily abraded and washed away by an ordinary fire stream. Plaster of Paris can, however, ])e economically and successfully used for column protection, as a filling behind metal colunm bases or other material which would form a protecting surface against abrasion from a fire stream. /^ The falling away of the concrete protection under the rein- forcing bars of the concrete beams and floor slab in the base- ment, from the effects of a very moderate fire, has considerable significance. The entire strength of a reinforced concrete beam depends upon the tensile members that are imbedded near its under side. Wlien the protection falls away, and the reinforcing metal is exposed to fire, it is only a matter of a very short time until such small sections of metal become heated to temperatures at which they lose all their strength and failures result. Grant Buit.dixg. .S. E. Cor. Sevonlb and Market StiHf.-ts. N'EWTOX -T. Tharp, AriL-bitoct. .los. Gkant. Owner. Details of Construction: The Grant Building is an eight-story bank and office build- ing resting on pile foundations. The fa(,'ade consists of red sand-stone for the first story and buff pressed terra cotta brick with sand-stone ornamentation above. The cornice is of sand- stone. The metal frame is of steel, the walls being self-sup- porting. The fire-proof fl-oors are of the Itoebling System B or flat slab type of cinder concrete (excepting the second floor, which is of stone concrete), the spans between l)eajns being 6'/i; ft. ITnderneath all the floors, except the first, a flat Roebling wire lath and plaster ceiling is erected. Tlie partitions and column covering are of -i" and S" liollow tile blocks respectively. The floor finish was of wood on wood sleepei's and sleeper fill. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: The Market Street and SeAentli Street fronts are in very good condition, tlie sand-stone being but slightly spalled by the fire. Tlie bases at the ground level are cracked and spalled. The east wall of common brick is in first-class condition. The soutli wall of pressed terra cotta brick is considerably damaged and cracked, the two lower stories being in the worst condition. The levels on the water table indicate that the foundations have not been permanently displaced to any great extent, the corners differing in ]e\'el less tlian V/'. Tlie west wall at the nortil^^■est corner leans fl j" to the east. Tlie north wall leans about •)4" to the north. The steel frame of this building is uninjured. The banking room in the first story remains in good condition, having been untouched by the fire. The damage to the })laster work and to the large exterior windows in this room was caused by three heavy charges of dynamite that ^^■cre exploded in the building on the opposite street corner. The concussion of these explosions no doubt contributed largely to tlie cracks and damage to the walls of this building. The rest of the building above the first story was fire swept. The elevator fronts at the different stories are considerably damaged and bulged. The cast-iron stairway with marble treads sustained considerable damage also, a number of the marble treads being broken. The concrete floors and wire lath ceilings throughout remain in first-class condition. The hollow tile column covering is djimagcd and sections have fallen away in numerous places. Tlie hollow tile partitions are badly wrecked, most of the blocks having fallen down. In the eighth story, the partitions 187 GRANT BUILDING. Southeast Corner Seventh and Market Streets. The facades are only slightly damaged, but the rear walls are considerably racked and cracked by the earthquake. The Roebling fire-proof floors and ceilings throughout are in good condition. The 4" hollov.-tile partitions are badly wrecked. The 3" hollow-tile column covering is damaged and off in many places. 188 GRANT BUILDING. First Story. Showing the banking room of the jNIarket Street Bank. There was no fire in this room. The damage shown in the photograph was caused b^- tlie dynamiting of the Odd Fellows' Building on the opposite side of the street. Roebling concrete floors were used througliout. The coluniu protection and partitions were of hollow tile. The fire consumed everything combustible in the rest of the building. 189 GRANT BUILDING. Tyj>ical view showing the damage to the hollow-tile column protection and the failure of the hollow-tile partitions. The Roebliiig concrete floors and wire lath and plaster ceilings are in good condition throughout. 190 rfi j3 o _C -S ^ o b£t •,~" !b 0; ^ cC 'I' O

  • »- T' i'.?- IJNITED STATES POST OFFICE. Northeast Corner of Scvc-iitli and jMissioii Streets. At the curb in front of the buildinfj, on the right-hand side, the ground settled 5 feet and moved to the east away from the building about 6 feet. At the building line, the ground settled about 2 feet, causing the displacement of the granite coping, steps, etc., at the sidewalk level, as shown, 'i'he .sidewalk was originally a straight grade on the right-hand side where the sag is now shown. The northwest corner of the building was badly racked by tlie earthquake, and temporary shores were in jjosition wlien the photograph was taken. This building was only slightly damaged by the fire. 193 .5 1. g c 194 away from tlie furrino' supports. TIr' clips by which the fur- ring was attached to the beams were also of })oor design. Coitnnciifs: ]\Iuch of the facing of granite in the walls of this building- is damaged and cracked, and will have to be taken down and rebuilt over considerable areas. The spalling of the granite from the effect of so insignificant a fire as the burning of trunks and parcels of clothing indicates how easily granite can be dam- aged by fire. This building should have been equipped with metal window frames and sash and wire glazing, or some form of efficient fire-resisting shutters. HiBERXIA Sa\1XGS AND I.OAX SoCIETV BuiLDIXG. X. W. Cor, JIcAUislcr ami Jo Alpekt Pissis, Aroliiteo-t. UIBEKMA SaVI.N'OS AND f.OAN SOCIETY, OwriCT, Details of Construction : This is a two-story bank building of massive construction. The facades are of gray granite. The floors are supjDorted by steel framing, the walls beino- bearina- walls. The fire-proof floors are of ordinary rowlock segmental brick arches in the old portion of the building, and plain segmental stone concrete arches in the new jjortion. The ceilings and or- namental work are of Roebliiig wire lath and plaster. The floor finish is of wood on wood sleepers, with cinder concrete filling between the arches and the wood floor finish. In the halls and jJublic spaces the floor finisli is incombustible. Effects of the Fire and the Earthiptcike : The window heads in the middle portion of the Mc^Vllister Street front are much sj)alled bv the fire from the interior. The entire Jones Street side is badly damaged and spalled bv heat from the burning l)uildings on the opposite side of the street. There are no pei'cejitible earth(|uake cracks in the fai^'ades. The north wall is in good condition. In the west wall, the granite work is badly spalled from the heat of ad joining buildings. The window heads are also badlj' spalled by the fire from within. The ornamental plaster work of the main banking room is little injured, exce[)t around the skylight. The fire-proof floors remain in gootl condition throughout. Comments : Tills building sustainetl vei'v little structural damage. The Jones Street facade was ruined by the burning of buildings on the oj)]K)site side of the street, and will require complete renewal. Tlie ^McAllister Street front, and the damage to the north and west sides, can be repaired. The re})airs to the interior will consist of plaster w ork and finish. Cc vl, TflEA'J'ltE. Soiilli Shle of lliuiiivt, bclneeii St-voutli am\ Eii-'lilh SLretla CiiAS. n.wNEs, .\rr-hitecL, Geo, A. Stoky, O^viier. Details of Construction : This building was in the c(jurse of construction and nearly completed. It has a cementine or imitation stone front. The auditorium floor rests directly on the ground. The brick walls have concrete foundations, which extend five feet below the street lexel and are carried to a height of seven feet above it. The roof is sup})orted by light steel trusses and framing cov- ered with galvanized iron. An ornamental ceiling of light steel furring and expanded metal is erected under the roof. Effects of tlie Fire and the EartJiqxale : There was no fire in this building, the slight damage to it l)eing wrought solely by the earthquake. The brick-work at the southwest corner above the concrete is considerably racked, and some of it is shaken down. The east wall of the rear extension above the concrete is also cracked from the to]) down to the con- crete foundation. The brick wall at the northwest corner of the rear extension is damaged and a poi'tion has fallen down. Comments : The construction of this building is interesting on account of tlu' vei-y heavy, continuous conci'ete foundation which supports the low brick walls. A carcfid examination of the concrete work did not disclose any cracks or other damage by the earth- quake. 195 fcg^S§3^^^^M^^- IIIBERNIA SAVIXflS & LOAN S0CIP:TY BUILDING. The favades of gray granite are considerably injured. The window heads in the middle portion of the McAllister Street front arc badly spalled by fire from the interior. The entire Jones Street side is scaled and spalled by heat from burning buildings on the opposite side of the street. There is little earthquake damage. The segmental brick and concrete floor arches and the wire lath ceilings remain in good condition. The Roebling ornamental furring and lathing work is uninjured, but the plaster finish is damaged by earthquake cracks and smoke. 196 Majestic Theatre. S. E. Cov. Niutb aiul Market Streets. Wm. Cdklett, Architect. Wm. Edb Co., Owner. Details of Construction: The jMajestic was one of the most recentl}' completed theatre buildings in San Franeiseo. It hail an entrance by an arcade from jNliirket Street through a class E building which was de- stroyed by the fire. The exterior walls are bearing walls and are of common brick. Terra cotta ornamentation was used around the door and window openings. The floors and interior loads Mere supported by a steel frame. The roof was carried on large trusses, the spans being about 75 ft. between the walls. These trusses were supjjorted on plates resting on brick walls IT" thick, reinforced by pilasters 8" thick on the outside and 4" thick on the inside, the bases of tlie trusses being about 80 ft. above the ground level. Tlie fire-proof floors are of the Koebling System U, flat slab type of cinder concrete -i" thick, the spans between beams being 51 2 ft. The soffits of the beams and girders were protected by wire lath and plaster. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake : This building was wrecked by the earthquake, and later all the combustible contents were consumed by fire. The entire west wall fell out at the top, causing the roof of the stage and everything under it to fall to the first floor. The top section of the north gable wall was shaken down. The cast wall is down on the south side. A large section under one of the roof trusses is cracked loose from the east wall, and has moved about ■!" latei-ally, as is shou n by the pilaster on the outside, whicli is about 4" out of line at the fracture. A large section of the ornamental lath and plaster ceiling over the auditorium is still in jiosition under the remaining portion of the roof. All the combustible finish and furniture of the auditorium, balcon_v and gallery have been consumed, the metal work of the seats and the concrete floors only remaining. In the portions of the building that have not collapsed the steel fram- ing and the concrete floors remain in first-class condition. Comments : The walls are completely wrecked and sections supporting tlie roof trusses were dangerous at the time the building was in- spected. A very slight tremor would no doubt cause the truss on tiic south side to fall. 'I'jie inadvisability and danger of carrying large trusses on Ijearing walls at a gi'eat height, as was done in this case, is clearly shown. Steel columns should be pi'ovided and the trusses rigidly connected to them and braced. It is probable that the entire building will require demolition and reconstruction. United States Sub-Tke.vsuky. ( 'itiiiiiierrial street. iK'tweeii iMoiilgoni^ry ai](l Clay Strc<-ts. e. S. Titi'jA.suRY liia'AirrMKNT, Architect. U. S. Ooveknment. Owner. Details of Construction : This is an oltl four-story building. The facade consists of pressed red brick with granite ornamentation. The roof arches are of concrete on corrugated sheet metal centres, the soffits of the beams remaining exposed. The floors were of heavy wood construction. The windows of the first story are protected by rolling steel shutters. Effects of the Fire and the Eartheiualic: The front of this building remains in good condition. The roof (jver the centre section of the building failed and fell into the light well in the central portion of the building. The rest of the roof arches appear to bo in good condition. The wood floors and the combustible contents were consumed b}^ the fire. Comments : This building was guarded by United States troops, and a detailed examination of the interior could not be made. MoNADNOCK Bulbing. Sonth Siile of Market Street, bet\\e*ai New Mnnlgoniery ami Third Streets. Micvtai it (j'BKiEN, Architects. Herbert E. Law, Owner. Details of Construction: The Monadnock Building is a ten-story structure which is in the course of construction, and is intended for an office building. 197 '-''?«. ""-•^T."''^"-'^ J'J^' ^'^'f'^ MAJESTIC THEATRE. Northeast Corner Ninth and Market Streets. This building had an entrance by an arcade from Marliet Street througli a Class B building, which was destroyed by the fire. All the walls are bearing walls and of common brick with terra-cotta ornamentation. The left-hand side is the stage portion of the building, and was totally wrecked by the eartli((uake. The gable wall at the opposite end of the building was also shaken out, large portions of the brickwork falling ujion the gallery tier and being supported by it. Koebling concrete floors and ornamental furring and lathing were used throughout. Note the floating section of brick wall cracked loo.se and su|)porting a large truss of 75 feet s]>an, about 80 feet above the ground. The loose section of the wall has moved horizontally so that the side of the pilaster is 4 inches out of line. 198 11)9 The wall on the west side of the building had not been built at the time of the fire, this portion of the building being incom- plete on account of delays in negotiations for adjacent prop- erty. The Market Street facade consists of gray sand-stone for the first and second stories, terra cotta brick from the third to the eighth story inclusive and terra cotta for the ninth and tenth stories. The ornamental cornice is of metal. The in- terior light court is faced with vitrified brick with terra cotta ornamentation. This building has a steel skeleton frame, the walls being curtain walls. The columns support girders spaced about 16 ft. apart, and the floor construction spanning the interval between the girders is of the reinforced concrete type. Reinforced concrete beams divide the girder spans in two, making the spans of the concrete floor slab between suppoi'ts about 8 ft. The tension members of the reinforced concrete beams consist generally of four I/2" square section Johnson bars. No. 10, 3" mesh expanded metal is imbedded in the floor slab, which is about S^^'^ i" thickness, and of stone concrete. A flat ceiling of expanded metal lath and plaster is erected underneath the floors in all the stories above the basement. The soffits of the beams and girders of the ground floor are pro- tected with expanded metal lath and plaster. The partitions throughout are of the double, hollow expanded metal lath and plaster type. The columns are protected by a double thickness of expanded metal lath and plaster. The floor finish is of wood laid on wood sleepers and sleeper fill. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquahe : The fire in this building was comparatively light, some sec- tions escaping without damage. TJie front of the building is but little injured by the fire, the sand-stone being only slightly spalled at the corners. The terra cotta piers between windows are badly racked by the earthquake, and show characteristic X cracks quite generally from the third to the eighth story. The corner on the east side is badly damaged. The terra cotta of the top stories appears to be in good condition. The bond of the face brick of the east wall is broken over considerable areas, and one section near the south side, 30 ft. wide and 40 ft. high, has fallen away. The south wall, with terra cotta brick facing, is in fair condition. The cornice at the west side is down. The terra cotta ornamentation in the light court is slightly spalled, and the parapet wall on the west side has been shaken down by the earthquake. The plumbing of tlie walls shows that the greatest variation from the plumb is at the northwest corner where the Market Street front leans to the south about %". It was impossible to find corresponding points at the diff'erent corners of this building to level the foundations. In the l)asement story where the colunm protection had not yet been placed, a pile of lumber for scaff'olding caused the Inicklino- of two columns and the deflection of some steel beams and girders that were exposed. A charge of dynamite on the west side of this building disrupted an entire bay between four columns of the first floor, breaking the connections of the beams and girders at the columns and causing the entire floor sec- tion to drop to the basement. The wire lath and plaster ceiling of the third story, immediately above this bay, was also de- stroyed, portions hanging in shreds by the original fastenings. Three reinforced concrete beams adjacent to the bay that was destroyed by dynamite, are badly shattered. The steel girders and concrete protection around them, which support the re- inforced concrete beams, although nearer to the disrupted bay, are uninjured. The dynamiting also caused considerable dam- age to other portions of the work on this side of the building. Except the damage referred to, the steel skeleton frame and the concrete floors and ceiling are in good condition through- out the building. Those portions of the building that escaped the fire are considerably damaged liy earthquake cracks in the plaster work and other finish. The cast-iron elevator fronts and stairways remain in good condition. Comments : It was noted that the columns were left exposed back of the marble wainscoting in the hallways in several instances where the wainscoting had failed and fallen away from the parti- tions. If the column protection was omitted throughout in these locations, serious damage would have resulted to the col- umns had this building been subjected to a fire of normal in- tensity and duration. 300 i-^. 'TPS- .^ -tr MONADNOCK BUILDING. First Floor. Showing the effect of dynamiting. One complete bay was entirely disrupted, the steel connections of the beams and girders being broken, allowing the mass to fall into the basement and wrecking the expanded metal lath and plaster ceiling of the floor directly above it. 301 MONADNOCK BUILDING. Basement Story. Showing buckled columns caused by the burning of scaffolding lumber piled around them. The bay of floor construction standing on edge in the centre was broken out by dynamite. The building was in the course of construction, and the protection of the columns had not yet been placed. ao2 j^j^Q\\DXOCK BUILDING. Basement Story. Showing the damage to reinforced concrete beams adjacent to the bay that was disrupted by dynamite. 203 MONADNOCK BUILDING. Basement Story. Showing the failure of reinforced concrete beams and flooring near the southwest corner of the building. The other ends of the reinforced concrete beams in the foreground are supported by a o-irder adjacent to tlie bay which was blown out by dynamite. Whether caused by dynamiting or by earthquake, the damage to the floors would probably have been much less had steel beams been used. 204 The damage to all tlic exterior walls of this building is con- siderable, and large sections will have to be rebuilt. RUEF BuiIJUNG. Jiinctiou of Montgnmory Avenue aiul KearDy Stnx'L. Salfield & KoilLBERG, Areliitects. Abe Kuef, ownei'. Details of Construction: This is an eight-story bviilding that was in the course of construction at the time of the Krc. The steel skeleton friinic and the fire-proof floors, >\hich are of the Roebhng system B or flat slab type of stone concrete, are completed. The brick wall on the south side has been built up to the sixth floor. None of the other walls lias been carried above the ground level. Effects of the Fire and the Earthciuakc: This building contained little of a combustililc cliaracter, aiitl was only subjected to the heat of the surroiuiding buildings which were destroyed by the fire. The levels on the foundations show that they remain in good condition. Observations on the steel skeleton frame show that the south face at the southwest corner is plumb from the ground to the fourth floor. From the fourth floor to the top, the south front leans to the south at this corner l^-j"- Comments : The damage to this building is ap])arcntly xcry small, and consists principally of the slight departiu-e from the phnnb of the upper portion of the building, 'fiiere ^\■ill be no serious difficultv in correcting this and finishing the building. United States Appraisers Building. Sansrjme, Clay, Washington ana Battery Streets. U. S. Tbeasuhy Department, Architect. United State.s Oovehnment, 0^vner. This is a four-story Government building that is used as a warehouse. The facades consist of pressed red brick with granite ornamentation. The ornamental cornice is of metal. None of the walls shows any earthquake cracks. The windows have ordinary wood frames and sash, but the glazing is of 14" plate glass. The building is not equipped with fire-proof shutters. This building was sui'rounded on three sides by streets, and on the east by a narrow alley and the new court-house site. At the time that the fire was raging in this section of the city, a large force of troops assisted in fighting the fire, and suc- ceeded in preventing it from entering the building. Si'UECKKF.s Annex Building. Mai-Iict Slivet. West of Thinl Slivet. rvEiij Linj.s., Ai'cljilecls. Claus yiTEOKELS, Owner. Details of Construction : This is a five-stor_y store and office building adjoining the Claus Spreckels Building. The fa^'ades consist of gray sand- stone and cast-iron facias for the first storj^ and sand-stone for the u])per stories and the cornice. I'he metal frame is of steel, the walls being self-supporting. The fire-2)roof floors tire of cinder concrete, segmental in form, tiic spans between the beams Ijeing about 8 feet. Under- neatji the concrete floors throughout, except in the basement story, a flat, exjianded metal lath and j)laster ceiling is erected. In the first story, the partitions of tlie entrance hall and the stairway enclosure are of 6" hollow tile blocks. Above the first story, the enclosing partitions are of expanded metal lath and ])laster. TJie columns are protected by furring and metal lath- ing, covered with three coats of plaster. Tlie floor finish was of wood laid on wood sleepers and slee])cr fill. Tlie walls of the liglit court between this building and the Spreckels Building consisted of 6" hollow tile blocks with a white enamelled face. Effects of the Fire and tlie Earthqnake : The upper storj^ and cornice of the front have fallen down. The rest of the sand-stone front is slightly spalled around the window openings by the fire, but is otherwise in good condition. The roof was supported on light star section columns, consisting of 4 angles. Tlie hollow tile protection around these columns in the walls of the light court failed, ctiusing the columns to buckle and the entire east side of the roof to fall to the fifth 205 306 floor. In the fourth stor^', two steel wall columns in the front are badly deflected by the heat. The expanded metal partitions enclosing the stairway and elevator shaft in the upper stories are standing, but are badly distorted. The 6" hollow tile par- titions in the first story are wrecked, most of the blocks having fallen down. The elevator fronts and cast-iron stairway, with metal treads, are greatly damaged throughout. Comments: This building was subjected to a normal fire. The failure of the small columns in the walls of the light court, which was con- structed of hollow tile blocks, caused the wreck of the roof and practically all the damage to the upper part of the building. Hall of Justice. S. E. Cor. Kcariij' and Washington Streets. Shea & Shea, Architecta, City and County of San Francisco, Owner. Details of Const rnetion: The Hall of Justice is a four-story building that was occu- pied by various city legal departments. It has an ornamental tower projecting three stories above the main portion of the building. The facades consist of Colusa sand-stone for the first story and buff terra cotta brick and terra cotta ornamentation above. The cornice is of metal. The building has a steel frame with Z-bar section columns, the walls being self-supporting. The fire-proof floors are of the expanded metal suspender sys- tem type, similar to the floors described in detail in the Young Building, except that the suspender bands are of 4" x 14" metal. The spans between supports are 20 ft., the suspender ribs being spaced about 4 ft. centres. The concrete floor slab is of cinder, about 4" in thickness and has imbedded in it No. 16, 3" mesh, expanded metal. The columns are protected by light steel furring and expanded metal, finished with tliree coats of plaster. The soffits of the beams and girders are also protected by expanded metal lath and plaster. The partitions are hollow, of the double expanded metal lath and plaster type. The dome is constructed of very light steel framing and covered with galvanized iron. The floor finish was of wood on sleepers and sleeper fill, ex- cept the corridors, which had an incombustible finish. The roof was water-proofed with tar and gravel. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: The sand-stone of the facades is slightly spalled in the first story, principally around the window heads and the small cornice above. The terra cotta ornamentation of the upper stories is also spalled. The galvanized iron cornice is damaged in the middle portion of the Kearny Street front. The ornamental balustrade parapet on the roof is wrecked. The earthquake did little damage to the main part of the building, but the tower was badly racked and almost completely wrecked by it. Both side walls and the rear wall of the first story of the tower were shaken down by the earthquake. Fire entered the ornamental tower, and by heating the light, unprotected framework, weakened it and caused the dome to fall over in a southerly direction, overhanging the tower on the east side, with the flagpole almost in a horizontal position. The entire rear half of the building, comprising an area of approximately 30 x 90 ft., has collapsed and fallen into the basement. The roof of the roof houses having been of wood construction l)urned off", completely wrecking these light struc- tures, which contained prisoners' cells. In the engine-room in the sub-basement one column is buckled. Two columns are badly buckled at the floor level in the basement. In the first story the same columns are also slightl3' buckled, and a girder at the left of the main entrance is bulged out of line. In the third story, the 7" I beam colunms at the angles of the light well are badly buckled by the heat. The elevator fronts and framing, and the cast-iron stairs and treads, are much damaged throughout. Excepting the buckled columns that have been referred to and the wrecked section of the building, the steel work remains in good condition. The concrete floors with the exposed suspender bands are protected throughout by a flat expanded metal lath and plaster ceiling, which remains in fair condition and pre- vented the excessive deflection of the concrete floors, which other- wise would have resulted. Comments: The wreck of the rear part of the building was, no doubt. 207 HALL OF JUSTICE. S. E. Cor. Kearny aiul Wa.shiiigton Sts. TIk- fa^ade.s consist of Colusa sandstone for the first story, ami Imff terra cotta brick and terra eolta ornaments above. The front of the building, excepting the tower, cornice and balustrade ])ara|>cl. is but slightly damaged. The entire rear portion of the building and the tower are wrecked. The dome over the tower was of light steel framing, covered with galvanized iron. When fire entered the tower, the light steel members quickly failed, causing the dome portion to fall over in a horizontal position. Most of the damage to the mason work of the tower was caused by the earthquake. 208 J2 O ^<- fj .2 5 C :3 ■■^ B. '^ r ' 5 13 -q c- CO l' be ^ is £ P o i ■?• ^ ^ bC_ cS C C3 !h is § IS 3 bt- .-d .:: o ■' fcJO K -o C cS «J « fc s t, 0^ t^ a; 1-1 . O be C3 Q^ i — I c« ^ S ^ a -so-s a^ 0^ r^ ^ t, C c «^ ^ ^ ^^ . S'S a '^ ^ ^ T -c o ^ ? J ?: 2 =« C S ^ CO O ■*' c a 5^ 02 Ij n s p o r' .5 ao fH I— j fcs . OJ c -J=: e= .2i « ^ o ;^ O ^ o a. ^ Wi HALL OF JUSTICE. Basement Story. Showing a l)nckled column in the foreground, with di.sruj)ted expanded metal lath and plaster protection still adhering to it. This view was taken in the property room, showing stolen goods that were to be u.sed as evidence in cases against j)risonfrs. The prisoners' cells were located in the top story. The ceilings and partitions are of ex])anded metal lath and plaster. 210 caused by the failure of one or more of tlic large trusses sup- porting the roof. The wood roof over the roof houses, and other wood-work around the cornice and the upper portion of the building, no doubt, contributed to the heat which caused the failure of these trusses. It was noted that the rear wall between pilasters was only 8" thick for a height of about 50 ft. IMuch less damage would have resulted had this been a steel skeleton frame building, with the walls supported by the steel work. While the front is but slightly damaged, the wreck of the rear portion and the tower is so extensive that in all probability the building will require total reconstruction. Turkish Baths. Wsr. riELB[XG AG. iterl aii.l Buil.ler. P"St Sll'OPl Roi;l:i;t iJLiriiAXT, Str;iotui';il lOn^'iiiccr. Details of Construction : This is a seven-story building ecpiijjjJed for liaths. It has an ornamental facade of cream-colored terra cotta. The cor- nice is of metal. The metal frame is of steel skeleton construc- tion, the walls being curtain walls. The fire-proof floors are of cinder concrete with V-_>" square section, twisted Ransomc bars imbedded in it at l!-2" centres. The spans are 5 to 10 ft. between beams. Underneath the floors, and protecting the soflits of the beams and girders, is a flat wire lath and plaster ceiling. The partitions are of the 2" solid wire lath and plaster type. The columns are protected with wire lath and three coats of plaster. The floors were finished in wood over sleepers and sleeper fill. The hallway floors are finished in mosaic. A rein- forced concrete stairway supported by 5" diameter wrought- iron pipe columns is near the front at the east side. The bay windows were of wood construction. Effects of the Fire and the Earthqnake: Excepting the southwest corner, which is badly cracked and spallcd, the terra cotta front is but slightly damaged. There are a few earthquake cracks visible. The north wall of concrete and hurt' terra cotta brick is in fail- condition, being sliglitly cracked I)y the earthquake. The west wall is also in fairly good condition, except the southwest corner, where the terra cotta veneering is spalled and has fallen awa}' in spots. This building had not yet been occuj)Ied, and was subjected to a moderate fire only. In the lower story, where the bathing- pools are located and where the floor finish was of incombustible material, there is comparatively little damage, most of the wood trim remaining. The entire building above this story was fire swept. In the second story there is a buckled colunm near the centre of the building. On the east side are outside tie beams crossing the light well. These have been considerably buckled and de- flected by the heat. TJic concrete floors throughout are in good condition. The wire lath ceilings under them are loose in spots, but remain generally in position. The lath and plaster jjartitions, on ac- count of being built against wood plates in tlie ceiling, are in bad condition, being loose and bulged out of plumb quite generally. The column protection was not first-class and failed to pre- vent the buckling of a column in the second story. The con- crete stiiirwav is uninjured, but some of the wrought-iron pipe sup})orts are slightly deflected. Comments : The tie beams across the light court in tliis building were ex- ])osed and were damaged b}' the heat from the fire of adjoining- buildings. Structural ties of this character are very generally used and are frequently left exposed. The expansion of such members no doubt causes abnormal stresses before the steel be- comes sufficiently heated to buckle or deflect. Such conse- quences should be avoided by suitable protection. Their ex- posure to the weatlier in positions where they are usually inaccessible for jiainting, is also injurious, and consequently objectionable. The partitions in this building- were carried through the wire lath ceilings to a wood plate that was attached to the floor beams above. This is exceedingly bad practice, since the plate attached to the floor beams ignited in many places and 211 -o cs e o -' 2U caused more or less additional heat in the blind space between the ceiling and the under side of the floor arches. The repairs to the exterior of this building will be compara- tively hglit. The rcplacino- of tlie buckled column should not be a very serious matter. The rest of the repairs are limited to the restoration of the interior finish. Stokace Wakehoi'se. West Mission St., East nf Tliirlwntli Slr" square, twisted Ransome rods at 12" centres. The walls of tliis build- ing had been carried up two stories, and the second tier of re- inforced concrete w;is being placed. The brick walls are considerably damaged by the eartlKjuake, beins' badlv cracked at the corners and havintj- a lumiber of small cracks running from the ground to the second story. Part of the front wall at the top has fallen away. In the southwest corner of the building, near the entrance, a pile of furniture and other personal projjorty belonging to refugees caught fire, producing sufficient heat to spall off tlie stone concrete underneath the reinforcing metal, exposing a number of the bars in the floor slab and in one of the reinforced concrete beams. This is another instance where a comparatively light fire has caused the falling away of the concrete protecting the metal tensile members of reinforced concrete. Faikmont Hote"l. Powell, Sacrarnenlo, Mason and California Sireots. Beid Bros., Architects. Law Bnos.. Owners. Details of Construction: The Fairmont Hotel is a handsome, conspicuous, six-story building crowning Nob Hill. The f a9ades consist of gray gran- ite for the first story and cream terra cotta above, including the cornice. The metal frame is of steel, the walls being self- supporting. The fire-j^roof floors arc of the expanded metal, flat slab type, of cinder concrete, the spans between the beains averaging about 7 I't. The soffits of the girders ;uid beams are protected b}^ a fl.at expanded metal lath and plaster ceiling. The columns are pi-otected by expanded metal lath and three coats of plaster. I'lie jiartitions throughout are of the -i" hollow ex])anded metal lath and plaster. The wall furring consists of light steel studding ;it iJi" centres co\eretl with expanded metttl lath and jilastered w\i\\ three coiits. The floors were finished in wood on wciod sleepers and slie])er fill, except the hailuays and jjublic s[);ices, wliich had an mcomljustible finish. Effects of tltc Fire and the Eurtliquuhc : On the j\lason Street front the window heads of the first storA', north of the entrance, are \ery btidly spalled by the fire. The terra cottti above is but little injured. The small cornice o\('r the main entrance is tilso damaged by heat. The main cornice of the building, howevei', is little injured. There are only a few almost imperceptible earthquake cracks on this side. The surface of the concrete below the first floor level on the Ctilifornia Street side is unfinished. The granite of the first story is m good condition. The terra cotta ;it the second story k'\el of the end projections is very badly racked and splintered by the earthcpitike. The upper portion of this facade remains in good condition. On the east side are two low annexes or wings at each end of the building. These have concrete bases which are but little damaged, there being a few earthquake cracks at the corners. The granite of the first story on this side is in good condition. At the second story level, however, the terra cotta surfaces between window openings arc racked and cracked almost across the entire width of the building. There probably is a struc- tural weakness in the building at this level which caused the damage. The upper portion of this frontage is but slightly injured. On the south front, the granite window heads of the first story on the east side are badly spalled. The annex at this side of the building is uninjured. The terra cotta above the 313 FAIRMONT HOTEL. Powell, Sacramento, Mason : for the first story, and cream-colored terra cotta above, are but openings is spalled, and at the third-story level of the east side interior of this building is in bad condition on account of the b a wavy effect and iiuckling and distorting the partitions in the sufficient fire protection, many of them lieing simply within lilind and without independent protection. The metal lath and plaste which WIS used to sup])ort them. Notwithstanding the warjied the expanded metal concrete floors dropped out. Rej)airs to the terior will require reconstruction. nd California Streets. The facades, consisting of gray granite slightly damaged. The terra cotta around some of the window considerable damage has been wrought by the earthquake. The uckling of between 30 and 40 columns, causing the floors to have upper stories. The buckling of the columns was caused liy in- spaces enclosed by expanded metil lath and plaster partitions, r ceilings fell in many places, on account of a weak wire cli]i and distorted condition of the steel work, not a single s])an of exterior will l)e conij)aratively small, but almost tlie entire in- 214 -, V be a 0- 5 =1.' o -n '~C- a 0) _ij ja -0 H '3 b,(j M S ^' O ' — ' Fl u •*- rH o fcr • — ^ — - cu o rf) ' : O a n o c 0^ o ^,_ ^ o — « ^ G ri fl* T r^ X! OO & 1- a •— e a m n '. '/I c o o "iS a, aj -T3 -a & (i< j:; £: ^ kJ a; 3 M ^ — ' H bt cS -a n '& «J H T3 pH W Z; w: IV o O O 4J ~ r^ o n ra -" tS fi tJO SB a o ^u o c IS ."ti a 3 o h ni C/J G. O fl^ «J [-' CTj ^ n aj O 'r1 T1 =4^ bf) C3 f3 H % _o o a; -a h-1 "1 w a^ o H O a .^ -d . 0^ m c 3 H !S S?r a, 3 'z'-. ^ « t^ C) -a bfi c <5 o c KH tu -s". a -0 l^ O' c o 0) o. 'p a c« rn 0. a. 316 FAIRMONT HOTEL. Third Storv. Showinfj the faihire of tho flat expanded metal lath and plaster ceiling, due to the use of wire clips for supports frortj the beams. The section of the wire cli]) is so small that it is cpiickl y heated and weakened so as to permit the ceiling to fall away. Note the column in the rear, which was j)rotected by .simply building a pila.ster around it, projecting from the partition on one side and without light steel furring or other methods of anchoring the protection to it. 217 O D E =S -D M " ^ ^ eft O fin , o c ■" . '^■^ s. 5r eft f- o r ,j= -a C g =*; •4-^ ^J 'M P O 219 230 C ^ tO 3 t: - o c3 aj y iH ca 1, c3 = *'. ° "o 2 -2 .2 ^ § 2 " "S ^ ^ "5^ -o 5 ^ be g o . 5 o o Q^ ^ O ^ y "o T ^ ■S «^ . ^ O a Q^ jz- "C a ^ B = 2 j: ? ^ B = ^ ^ ^ - £ '^ O * "X^ * ^ a J I ^ ^■'S -o c= n Ji ,• ^ C ^- '^ ir*--7-' *_n ^ . 5f5 ,:;, ■^ - ^ r^ .71 S 2 O ^7 £ • ^ ^ |2h 'tC' .Sf-' K &JD Oj c: 3 a> ^ ^ -2 :£ -S -« ?■ 5 -2 221 first story is in good condition, being but slightly spullcd by the heat. The levels on the water tabic indicate that the foundations remain in good condition, the southwest comer being about %" lower than the other three corners. Observations on the walls indicate that they are practically plumb, the greatest variation being at the northeast corner, which leans to the east about %". This building was in the course of construction, and was almost ready for occupancy. The comliustible contents of the building were limited almost exclusively to the wood finish. Al- though the exterior of the building has been but little damaged by the fire, the interior has been seriously damaged structurally by the failure of numerous columns. Some of the large rooms used as dining-rooms, ball-rooms, etc., of the first story escaped with very little fire, but considerable damage was done to the elaborate ornamental work and decorations by the smoke and the earthquake. The upper portion of the building was gener- ally fire swept, and wherever fire attained any degree of intensity in the neighborhood of the columns, more or less damage in- variably resulted. This was caused by the fact that the column protection was not anchored to the columns, the latter fre- quently being surrounded by partitions in a blind space of considerable size, which was utilized for piping, ducts, etc. When a column failed tlie partitions buckled or bulged out of line, disrupting the protection of adjacent columns, which were immediately exposed to the direct action of the flames. There are throughout this building probably 30 or 40 cases of the buckling of columns, giving the floors a wavy effect in the upper stories, and bulging and distorting the partitions. The ceiling construction is also of an inferior character, on account of employing a wire supporting clip which soon became weak from the heat and allowed the lath and plaster ceiling to fall awa}'. Notwithstanding the warped condition of the steel-work, there are no failures of the concrete floor arches, wliich appear to be generally in good condition. Had there been a fire of greater length and intensity, a great many of the beams and girders would have been permanently deflected on account of the failure of the ceilings. Between the wall furring and the exterior walls, there were frequently blind spaces extending through several stories. Flames entered these blind spaces in a few instances and set fire to sections of the building that otherwise would never have burned. The elevator fronts and stairways are but slightly damaged. Connnents: By far the greatest damage to this building was caused by the inferior expanded metal lath and plaster column protection, permitting a large number of columns to buckle and settle. The columns that failed were almost invariably simply enclosed in a blind space jjetween partitions, clcai-ly demonstrating that it is exceedingly bad practice to depend upon partitions of this character for cohnnn protection. The blind spaces between the wall furring and the exterior walls extending through the various floor levels are also bad practice. The fire-proofing of the floors should in all cases extend against the outer walls and close all vertical spaces. The damage to the exterior can be readily repaired. The restoration of the buckled columns will be a difficult and expen- sive operation and may involve the reconstruction of a large portion of the concrete floors. Many of the latter will require removal in order to obtain access to the connections, etc. Tliis building is another illustration of o-reat damage caused hy insuflScient column protection. Had a few thousand dollars been spent in providing suitable column protection, a hundred thousand dollars in repairs would probably have been saved. City Hai.l. McAllister, Larkin and Leavcnworlh Streets and City Hall Avenue. A. T.AVER. .Architect. City and County of San Francisco, Owner, Details of Construction: The City Hall is a monumental building covering a large triangular block. It was three stories in height, with one main tower and tliree secondary towers. The walls are massive and are bearing walls. The floors are sujjported by steel girders and beams. The partitions ;ire generallv 21" or 17" walls, whicli also support the floors. The facades consist of highly ornamented brick walls with a gray cementine finish resembling 222 CITY HALL. iL-Al lister, Larkiii and I>eaven\vo7-th Streets. This ini]>osiiif;- stiiulure covered a large triangular block and was })uilt hv the city at an ex]iense of .$7,(<()0,()0(l.0(). Practically all the damage was wrought bv the earthquake, and was due to poor workmanship and an inferior grade of lime mortar. Fire subse(|uently destroyed all that was coml)u,stible in the drhris. The steel work is badly deflected and distorted owing to iniprojjer jirotection. The fire-proof floors were of stone concrete of poor fjuality on corrugated iron centres. Many of the floor arches have failed. The building is wrecked and will be a total loss. The Hall of Records, an annex to this building, the dome of which shows ))ehind a secondary tower on the right-hand side, was but little damaged by the earth(|uake. The interior. howe\er. was completely fire swei>t, leaving nothing but the shell remaining. 223 ~J bo o % 03 be 2 '5 ^ -r! ^ -0 ,s ri 3 -o g O -0 0/ ^j a./ C3 t^ cti br o Cfi o <1) IS- o S j! a O ■J— ■*^ rrt "1 ^ ^ br (/i « n t 4*-< o o 3 O rjl a o -a n o ^ xri — X 0/ o C3 s 1-1 s ifi 'r- Tl ^ 14- y^. o O CS o c rt l; C p o b£j ■3 ^' o 0' a o -13 o 13 E 0^ o Oh br IS 0^ ^ bcj: .bt ■< 'x: 3 ;^ o o rr cS s C o k4 CIS h 0^ 0^ c o ^ bfl -13 cs ffi o a c s hr s >< a/ -a 0) H rft a 'ji tH O ^ < w rt m ca cS o cS f p < CO 324 limestone. The base is of granite to tlie water table. The orna- mental cornice is of metal. The fire-proof floors are of brick concrete in the form of segmental arches resting on corrugated iron centring. In the large rooms, the steel beams supporting the floors are 24." deep and spaced 7 ft. apart. Tiie thickness of the concrete is gen- erally 6", the top surface being parallel with the soffit of the arch, and leaving about 12" of the upper part of the web and the upper flange of the 2i" beams exposed. 4" x 6" wood stringers were laid parallel with and on top of the floor beams, and -J;" X 4" wood sleepers were laid over the stringers at 2 ft. centres, the finished wood flooring being laid over the sleepers. The ceilings throughout, except in the basement, consisted of about No. 27 sheet iron supported at the under side of the beams by 1" x Vs" angles at 2 ft. centres, the latter being at- tached to the beams by special clips. This sheet iron was formed or crimped so that slots about Y/' wide and of dovetail section faced the imder side and afforded a key for the plaster. In the basement ceiling the soffits of the beams were left exposed. The roof was supported on light steel framing, the spaces between supports being spanned by concrete slabs 2" in thick- ness resting on flat corrugated iron. A fill of good quality was laid over this to grade the roof and level off the surface to the top of the steel members. The halls and public spaces were finished with glazed tiles. The Hall of Records is located within about 100 ft. of the City Hall and coiuiected with it by a covered walk. This annex is a circular Imilding with a large ornamental dome. Several galleries, with floors ajjout 20 ft. wide, were built around the outer wall of the building. This floor space was divided by wood stud and wood lath partitions into small alcoves or rooms. Ac- cess to the different galleries or floors was secured by two wind- ing stairways, the space in the centre remaining open and forming a large rotunda under the dome. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: Almost the entire damage to the City Hall was caused by the earthquake. Tlie greatest injury to the walls occurred on the west side of the City Hall Avenue front and the south side of the Larkiii Street front. The entire upjjer portion of the outside walls was overtlirown, causing the roof to collapse and wreck the southwest wing of the building. A large portion of the third story walls and parapets was overthrown in the other portions of the building also, distorting and wrecking sections of the roof, the debris of which broke down large sections of the flooring underneath. The debris of these heavy walls is l^'ing on the ground around the structure, some of it consisting of large sections of the wall weighing as much as several tons. The large ornamental colunms of tlie exterior consisted of cast-iron pipes of 1,'2" metal filled with a poor quality of brick concrete. ]\Iany of these columns fell and broke in small sec- tions. A chinine}' on the west side fell inward and destroj'ed several sections of flooring in its path to tlie cellar. An examination of the mortar used in the brick-work of this building discloses the fact that it was lime mortar of ordinary quality. The floor beams throughout are liadlj' deflected by the heat. This was caused by the large amount of wood-work in the floor finish, and the fact that there was no filling between the concrete arch and the wood flooring to protect the upper portion of the floor beams. The average deflection of the steel beams, in the large rooms where the spans are approximately 40 ft., is from 10" to 15". There are numerous failures of the floor arches where there was no apparent load supported by them. The sheet-iron centres wlien heated afforded no support, and the concrete arches being of poor qualit}', when the beams deflected, dropped out. Wherever any debris fell on these arches from above, failures almost invariably resulted. The sheet metal and plastered ceilings dropped away quite generally from the sup|)orts and fell to the floors below. All the ornamental work is badly damaged and much of it is down. Very little plaster adheres to the brick dividing walls in the in- terior. The glazed tile floor finish of tlie corridors is warped and cracked, and all tlie glazed tiles are loose, but most of them are whole. The cast-iron and marble tread stairways through- out the building arc little damaged wliere they have not been wrecked by falling debris. The Hall of Records annex was only sliglitly damaged by the eartlic(uake., A small section of the outside wall at the third story levt'l on the west side was sliaken out, and a few small 225 cracks appear in different places in tlie outside walls. The in- terior of the building, however, was fire swept, and nothing remains on the main floor or the gallery floors but plaster and ashes, the wood stud and wood lath partitions liaving com- pletely disappeared. Comments: This building, erected by the Citjr and County of San Fran- cisco at a cost of .^7,000,000 bj' day's labor, is a complete wreck. The walls are in ruins. What is left of the metal frame can only be disposed of as scrap. The onl}' portions of the building that remain in fair condition are those sections of the stairways which have not been damaged by falling debris. The foundations can probably be utilized for a new building. The damage to the Hall of Records can be repaired and the building restored. Uni Ferky Building. Foot of Market Street. A. Page Brown, Arcliitect. State of California, Owner. Howard Holmes, Supervising Engineer. Details of Coristruct'wn: This building is a large three-story structure, apjiroximately 100' X 600', with a ten-stor}' tower. It is used, as the name implies, as a depot for all the ferries. The Market Street fa(|'ade consists of Colusa sand-stone, the cornice being of the same material. The floors are supported by cast-iron columns and steel girders and beams, the tower having a steel skeleton frame. The walls are self-supporting. All the walls and columns rest on pile foundations. The first floor is supported by groined concrete arches springing from concrete piers founded on cluster piles. The concrete floors above the ground level are of the expanded metal, flat arch tj'pe, consisting of a flat slab of concrete with 3" diamond mesh expanded metal imbedded near the under sur- face. The spans will average about 7' 6" between beams. The floor finish at the ground level is of cement, and in the second story corridors it is of terrazzo and mosaic. In the other parts of the building there are wood floors with sleepers and sleeper fill. There was no fire in this building. All the damage was wrought b}' the earthquake. Effects of the Earthquake: Small areas on the east and west sides of the tower under the clock were shaken out. The middle section at the top of the south wall, about 8' x 40' in area, fell out, breaking down the shed below it. The large steel flagpole on top of the tower was permanently bent. The driveway openings in the north and south wings have the side piers badly cracked. The piers of the arches south of the central section and south of the southern driveway are spalled. The tower walls are damaged so that five stories will probably have to be taken down and rebuilt. The street surface at the N. W. corner settled 2', cracking the asphalt pavement and carrying down a large section of the sidewalk. The interior plastering and other finish is slightl;y damaged. Coiiime7its : The Ferry Building is located on filled-in ground and on the water front. Careful observations since the earthquake have shown that its effects were much more violent and disastrous on filled-in ground than on original soil. The wonderful man- ner in which the Ferry Building withstood the effects of the earthquake must be ascribed to the stability and excellence of its pile foundations. Very little structural damage was sustained by this building, and its complete restoration will be readilj' accomplished. Globe Mills. Cliestnnt and Sansome Streets. W. E. Keller, Arcliitect. Gloee Grain and Milling Co., Owner, Details of Construction: The main Mill Building is four stories in height. The walls are of concrete to the ground floor level and of common brick above. All the walls are bearing walls. The metal frame con- sists of cast-iron columns and steel girders and beams. 22C The fire-proof floors arc of stone concrete flat slabs reinforced with I4" rods, spaced 1?!" apart. The sotfits of the beams and girders are unprotected. Tlie cast-iron cohnnns are also un- protected. The floors are finished in cement. The roof consists of steel framino- covered with corruo-ated iron and supporteti bv large trusses. Connected with the main buildin"- was a laroT two-storv ware- house on the east side. The walls of the warehouse arc of con- crete to tlie second floor le^el and of brick above. The roof was supported on trusses, and was similar to that of the main build- ing. The span of the trusses was about 60 ft. Tlie floors A\ere finished in cement, the lower floor resting di- rectly on the ground. The second flocu' was of the expanded metal, flat slab type, of stone concrete, the spans being about 5 ft. The cohnnns were unprotected and the soffits of the gird- ers and beams were also left exposed. Effects of the Fire and ilic Eartliqiiake: The walls of the main ]\Iill Building are but little damaged, a few cracks having been developed by tlie expansion of the iin})rotected steel-work. The mortar used was probably gaugtd with Portland cement, as it w as of better quality than the aver- age mortar used in much of the brick-work that failed elsewhere. In the east side of the building, where large bins and ina- chinerv are loc;ited, the floors at the different levels are omitted in numerous places, the bins extending through se^'cral stories. In this room, nine cohmms buckled and were being replaced at the time the building was inspected. A number of floor arches had lieen removed in order to get access to the connections in making the repaii-s. The roof trasses on the south side of this section of the building are badly distorted by the heat, and three columns liave licen deflected. The warehouse was completely filled with grain on the ground floor and flour on tlie second floor. This produced a fire of long duration and considerable intensity. The roof trusses over the second floor were soon heated and failed, pulling in the brick walls and causing tlie wreck of the entire building. Comments : The ffood condition of the walls of the main Mill Building is probably due to the superior mortar used and the fact that the entire building is founded upon solid rock. Had the columns in this building he'cn protected, it would have probably resisted the fire successfully and sustained no structural damage. The total wreck of tlie warehouse, where the large roof trusses and other structural steel members were unprotected and where large quantities of grain and flour were stored, could have been anticipated. In a building of this character, the most efficient jirotection that it is ])ossil)le to provide is necessary in order to avoid destrnctioii in case of a fire. The window and door openings of such wai'ehouscs sliould be specially safeguarded against hre. Sjii;a a Sh Tivori Oi'EitA Hi S. W. Cnr. llMSnn 1(1 Eil.ly StiVL'ts. _Ml;s. Kji\Esri.M; Kli Details of C'nnstnietion: The Tixoli Theatre is thi-ee stories in height at the front or main entr.ance. All the exterioi- ualls are of brick, the front lia\ing a highly ornamental treatmeid with a cementine finish. The cornice is of gahanized iron. Tlie entrance lobby and lounging rooms abo\e are of fire-proof construction. The au- ditorium, balcony, gallery, stage and dressing rooms were of wood construction, supported by sti.'el columns and framing. Tlie I'oof was also of wood construction, co\ered with tin and su])ported by large steel trusses. The fire-proof floors in the front portion of tlie building arc of the flat slab tyjic, of cinder concrete, the spans between the beams being 5 to 7 ft. The partitions in this part of the build- ing were of the double, hollow, expanded metal lath and plaster type. The columns throughout «cre ])rotected by expanded metal lath and three coats of plaster. An ex])aiided metal lath and plaster ceiling was erected under the vjirious floors and roof throughout. Effects of till' Fire and tlie Eii)-th(/irake : The auditorium portion of the building is coni]iletelv wrecked, the stecl-wcu'k being t\\istcd and warped into all manner of gro- tesque sha])es and is strewn in a tangled mass all over the in.- 237 TIVOLI OPERA HOUSE. Showing tlie ruins of the auditorium and stage portions, which were of non-fire-proof construction. The floors and finish were of wood, the floor loads being carried on steel framing and bearing walls. In these ruins were evidences of the hottest fire noted in the burned district. Expanded metal lath was incinerated. Latticed angle column sections anetween McAllister Street ami Golden Gale Avenue. Details of Construction: This is a two-story building, about 25 ft. x 60 ft. in plan. The front consists of cast-iron ornamental columns and glass for the first story and pressed red brick for the second story. The sides and rear walls are of common brick and arc bearing walls. There are window openings onlj' in the front and rear walls. The first floor is of concrete and rests directly on the ground, except a small portion over the cable tunnel. The second floor is supported by steel beams and girders and cast-iron columns. The fire-proof floors over the cable tunnel and at the second floor level are of the exp^inded metal, flat slab type of cinder concrete about ^" in thickness. The soffits of the beams and girders are protected by expanded metal lath and ])laster. The cast-iron columns were left exposed. Effects of the Fire and the Earthqual-e: The front is but slightly damaged. The wood roof has dis- appeared. There is apparently very little earthquake damage to the walls. The exposed cast-iron columns have been badly deflected by the heat. The concrete floor arches are in good condition. " In a few spots the expanded metal is exposed on the under side of the concrete. Comments: The three sub-stations above described are of similar con- struction. All of these buildings would have developed excellent fire resistance had the roofs and ujipcr floors been of fire-proof construction, with the openings protected l)y fire-proof bar- riers. The structural steel and cast-iron columns should also ha\'e been j)rotected. ClAUS SpR ECKELS OR CaEL BuII.DING. S. W. Cor. Tbird and Market Streets. Reid Bros., Arcbiteots. Claus SrREGKELS, Owner. Details of Construction: The Spreckels or Call Building is the tallest, most conspicu- ous and most celebrated building in San Francisco. It is an office building nineteen stories high, and is the publication office of the San Francisco Call. It was erected in 1897. The facades consist of gray granite to the water table and Colusa sand-stone above. The cornice is also of sand-stone. The dome is ornamented witli terra cotta and is roofed with cojjpcr. The metal frame is of the steel skeleton type, resting on gril- lage foundations, the walls being curtain walls. The founda- tions are very elaborate, projecting considerably outside of the building line and resting upon compact sand. The fire-])roof floors in the lower stories are of the flat slab type, of cinder concrete, 17" in thickness, without any reinforc- ing metal. The under surface of this slab is 2" below the soffits of the beams, which arc protected by filling the slot under the beam witli plaster flush with the concrete. Above the seventh floor the arches are segmental in form, 7" thick at the crown, without metal reinforcement, and with flat wire and plaster ceil- ings underneath. The hall partitions are of hollow tile blocks 6" in thickness. The other ])artitions, the wall furring and the column covering are of 3" hollow tile blocks. The floor finish is of wood laid over wood sleepers and sleeper fill. The halls are finished in mosaic. Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake : The entire Third Street front of the building is badly dam- aged by the fire, the window openings of the first story being spalled the most. The south front (which consists of brick for 231 EIGHTH STREET SUB-STATION of the San Francisco Gas and Electric Co. First Story. Showing the condition of the unprotectc d i2 Clarke scaler degree maged 1 be re fram( "0 Third & t is badh in a lesser being da t. side, cai A skeleton 4i -d g.2 c Cor. fron , but nings ket S e ste ■3 • ■ ^ Q^ t^ ^ >:m ^^ ^^ h VI "5 bO ■ -o S ^ '^ r^. ^ G A ^ "-^ a ° M .2 — x ^ P^ r., £ e C 1' S IH ^ H (Tj _!; -C =*^ ,3 H R c CLAUS The fa^a ^palled by Market St west fron d. The f '.5 g ■3 3 . ^ &. ^ Oi "O rri CO 234 ' ; ^^3i? .,'■ CLAUS SPRKCKKLS BUILDINCi. First Story. Sho\vin<^ tlie damage to llie hollow tile wall furring, column covering, hollow wire lath partitions and wire lath ceiling. Note the hollow tile drhris on the slairway at the lel't. The .stair- ways in thi.s buildiu"- were totally wrecked l)y hollow tile and other (/('6;-/6-. The concrete floors are in first class condition throughout. 2.?o are of tlie expanded metal, flat slab t_ype, of cinder concrete. A ceiling of expanded metal lath and plaster is erected under the galler}^ balcony and roof. Effects of the Fire mid the Earthquake : The Market Street front has sustained very little damage. The parapet balustrade on the east side was shaken out. The east and west brick walls have a few small earthquake cracks. A section about 5 ft. x 30 ft. near the centre, on the top of the west wall, was shaken down. The south wall is cracked loose from the west wall at the southwest corner, from the top to the bottom, and is separated from it at the top by about 8". It also has a horizontal crack about 8 ft. from the top to the centre of the building. The metal frame and the concrete floors are uninjured. Comments: There was very little fire in this building, and the interior is in good condition. Much of tlie wood finish remains, but con- siderable damage has been caused by smoke and by earthquake cracks to the plaster-work. The repairs to the interior will be comparatively light. Sec- tions of the walls will require reconstruction, but the comjjlete restoration of the building should be speedily and easily accom- plished. Jackson Brewery. N. E. Cor. Eleventh and Folsoni Streets. Details of Construction: This building was in the course of construction. The out- side walls of common brick had been carried up to the second and third story levels. The walls were bearing walls. The floor loads were supported by cast-iron columns and steel framing. The fire-proof floors consisted of segmental stone concrete arches without reinforcement in the east extension, and flat slab type concrete arches, reinforced by ll/i;"x21/o" rectangular mesh fencing of No. 16 wire in the main building. Effects of the Fire and tlie Earthquake: Practically all the dtimage to this building wtis wrought by the earthquake. A large portion of the walls tliat had been finished was shaken down. The support of the beams being thus removed, the steel work failed, and many of the concrete arches dropped out. A peculiar result produced by the earthquake was observed in the central portion of the building at the third floor level, where five beams remain in position with planking over tliem, support- ing a load of several tons of brick-work that fell on them. These beams have no support whatever except the angle connections to the girder at one end, and do not a2)pcar to have deflected materially. Comments : This building is completely wrecked. The portions that re- main standing will require reconstruction. There was no fire damage, except that scatfokling and temporary work has been consumed. The weakness of the brick walls and the damage to them was caused by the inferior lime mortar. WnrrTELL Building. North Sir. Lombard and Taylor Streets. M.1]:tens & (.:nFi.|.:i.-,. .\r..-liitccts. C.L.iUS Wkl;i>kn IlltEWlNG Cn.. Owners. This is a three-story structure. In the north end the floors are of fire-proof construction, and are of the lloebling system B, or flat slab type, of cinder concrete, the spans between the beams being about 6 ft. In the south end of the building the floors arc of wood. The roof over the entire building was of wood. The walls are of brick and are bearing walls. The floor lotids are supported by cast-iron columns and steel girders and beams. The wood roof and the floors in the south end of the building- were consumed by the fire. The fire-proof floors in the north end of the building remain in good condition, supporting the loads that were originally placed on them, consisting of large casks. The upper fire-proof floor also carries a considerable quantit}^ of debris, which fell on it when the roof was consumed. The exterior walls appear to be in good condition and show no signs of earthquake cracks, the walls having been well tied together with steel rods. California Wine Association Building. Townsond Street, between Second and Third Streets. Details of Cunstrtiction: A two-story section of a brick building remains standing amidst the ruins of other buildings at this location. The walls ai-e bearing walls. Tlie floor loads are supported by cast-iron columns and steel girders. The floor slab is of stone concrete, 4" thick, and is supported by reinforced concrete beams at 5 ft. centres, extending from girder to girder. The colunms and girders are spaced 17 ft. 6 in. apart. The doors in the lower story are metal covered, and the windows arc glazed with wire glass. This Imilding is also known as the Casa Calwa Ware- house. Effects of tlie Fire and tlie Earthquake : The damage by fire was small. A section of the brick wall on the east side, near the front of the building, was overthrown by the earthquake, allowing one of the steel girders supporting the reinforced concrete flooring to drop to the first floor. The reinforced concrete floors supported on the other sides remained in jjosition, but are deflected about 5". The reinforced concrete beams were disru})ted and damaged adjacent to the girder. 238 ~1 ■ il i^/T CLAUS SPIIECKELS RESIDENCE. Southwest Corner Clay Street and \'an Xess Avenue. The facades of brown stone are badly spalled around the window openings. The earthquake damage to the walls is slight. This was the only fire- proof residence in the burned district. 239 Claus Spreckels Residence. S. W. Cor. Clay Street and Vfiu Ness .\venue. Reid Bros.. Architects. Claus Spkecicels, Owner. Details of Construction: This is a four-story building with a mansard roof. The fa9ades are of brown stone. The fire-proof floors are of hollow tile, flat arches, supported by steel framin bearing; walls. The walls are Effects of the Fire and the Earthquake: Although located on the west side of Van Ness Avenue, flames entered this building and destro3fed everything combustible within it. Nearly all the plaster has fallen away from tlie ceilings and walls. The steel frame is apparently little dam- aged. The brown stone is badly spalled around the window openings. The earthquake damage to the walls is slight, if any. The soffits of some of the hollow tile blocks have fallen away, exposing the cellular spaces. The hollow tile partitions are badly damaged and down in some places. Comments: The advantage of fire-proof construction for residences is apparent by comparing the illustration on page 239 with that on page 22. 240 I GENERAL COMMENTS AND (CONCLUSIONS. N the locatioii of future town sites, and in tlie construction of l^uildings and pul^lic works in California and other regions subject to eartlKjuakes, the geological formation should be carefuUj" studied. Locations in proximity to fault lines should be avoided. i~ - » t o* °* AV^ien the locations are controlled b^^ i)hysical or special conditions, as in the cases of Important Structures. .' i .' i reser\'oirs, water mains, railway bridges, etc., and the erection of such improvements near fault lines is imavoidable, the xevy best talent and experience should be enlisted to prepare suitable and etiicaeious designs. The fault line of the recent earthquake passes along the west side of the San Francisco ])cninsula, which renders the location of the citv most inifa\'oral)le. S^^ecial attention and care should therefore be given to the planning and construction of future buildings, in order to avoid a repetition of the recent damage and destruction. The underlying material of the cit}' of San Francisco consists generally of a compact sand and, in a few locatioas. rock. Both of these materials are excellent for founding purposes and well adapted to suj^port heavy structures. The foundations of nearly all the high buildings rested on sand. In all cases u -SOI ° t ® where the foundations were well designed, they wei-c seldom disijlaced or damaged. San Francisco Peninsula. . . ' A'N'^here the soil Avas soft or had been artificially tilled in, piles were resorted to "with success. Whercxer the foimdations were displaced, thej^ were either poorly designed or were not of sufficient depth to reach staljle material. The very extensive damage caused by the earthquake to mason work is, without doubt, due to the poor quality of lime mortar that was generally used in this work. The most accessible supi)ly of this material is shore or sea sand, which, in the neighborhood of San Fi'aneisco, contains a large Cause of t extensive percoitage of loam. It is therefore i)Oorlv suited for mortar, and when used, produces Earthquake Damage. ^ , . . . , a mortar of inferior cpiality. The workmanshii) was also fai- from the best in many cases. Bonding w^as not properly attended to and \'ery frecpiently in the case of brickwork, the bricks ^vere not suitably moistened before placing them in the work. All these details contributed to weakness in the construction and rendered the mason work erected under these conditions poorly adapted to withstand earthquake shocks. 241 In all cases where a (rood quality of lime mortar or Portland cement was used, and where the workmanship was fairly good, nuich less damage was noted, and the results were always vastly sui)erior to the average work. Had first-class mortar or cement been employed, cond)ined with good workmanship, the injury to ordinary mason work would probably not ha\e been more than 10 ])er cent, of the actual damage. \Valls tied together with rods or straps always showed better results than those without such ties. hiterior cross oi^dividiiig-^ walls served also to brace and stiffen the buildings and to distribute the stresses and strains induced by the surface movements. Buildings embracing these features, and without steel frames, while verj^ few in number, were jn-actically uninjured by the earthquake. The Palace Hotel is a good example of such construction. In Class B buildings, which were permitted to heights of 100 feet, the walls were tied ojily b}" the anchors of the steel beams which they supported. The instability of these walls and their insufficient ties were causes of frequent failures in the earthcpiake and resulted in extensive damage to adjoining property. A prevailing practice in San Francisco was to employ self-supporting walls in connection with_the steel frames. These walls were simply built around the wall columns along the building lines. Such walls were frequentl}' moved away from the steel frames, and in some cases were shaken down or remained in an unsafe condition. This is not good practice in locations subject to surface movements. Better results were always found whei]i the walls were tied at frequent intervals to the columns and to the wall girders. Cm-tain walls, supported by the steel frame, in all cases made the best showing and when laid in good cement mortar were ne\"er injured. HiglL_towers^ind chimne.vs of mason work should be carefully avoided, unless held together by a steel skeleton frame. Such structures proved to be extremel}^ dangerous and invariably failed at mid height, the upper half falling to the ground and crushing everything beneath it. High cliimneys '^ To'we'rs''^ ^" *^'^^^ ^^^ built with equally satisfactory results, of steel ri\eted at the joints and safely supported and braced by guy ro])es or steel rods. Ornamental towers can siniilarlj^ be executed in light steel framing and reinforced concrete. The successful manner in Avhich the tall buildings withstood the effects of the earthciuake was most gratifying to those who designed them. These buildings had never before been subjected to violent earthquake shocks, and many architects and engineers doubted their ability to withstand such surface atis ac ory e avior o , movements without iuiurv. Their ver\r satisfactory beha\'ior under the recent severe the Tall Buildings. j . j ^ test furnishes also abundant and conclusive ])roof that the ])rinciples involved in their design are correct. In all cases when the structural details were designed in accordance with the best modern practice and executed with skill and workmanship of only fair (piality, the buildings passed through the earth- 242 quake without structural injury. Even the tallest buildintvs, such as the Spreckels, Mutual Savinirs Bank, The Flood, The Merehants' Exchanue, The Chronicle Annex, the Hotel St. Fjancis, and others, remain ])racti- cally plumb. The small \ariatioiis of an inch or less in a height of 100 feet that have been noted in the detailed descriptit)ns of the buildings are inappreciable and unimportant. The hitfh buildings of Chicago, for example, which ha\ e ne\-er been subjected to eartluiuake shocks, show, in many cases, greater variations from the })lumb than ^vere generally noted in San Francisco. It is ]Ji-obable, therefore, that the majority of the buildings that remain in good condition ha\e not been in the least displaced by the earthtpuike. In order to secure imunmity from earthquake damage for the steel skeleton frame buildings, it is evidently essential that the entire design should be rational and well balanced, the ])arts being so related that the ensonble will act as a unit, and in case of surface disturbances, mo\e with the surface en masse. The exteriors of all the tire-proof buildings were more or less damaged by the fire. In some cases the damage was caused by flames fi-om the interior, siialling surfaces aroiuid the wiiidow openings, and in other cases the whole sui'face of certain fronts ha\'e been scaled and spalled by exterior heat genera- injury to the Facades. i i i i • i i i t ted by tlie conunistion of otlier buikimgs. The materia's generally used for tlie facades of the San Francisco buildings were granite from the Ra}"mond, California, cpiarries and a gray sand stone from Colusa Count}^ In a few buildings brown stone was used. The ornamentation was fre([uently executed in architectural terra cotta. Of these materials, a ena s mp oye m the terra cotta proved the most rcfractorv. When proi)erlv designed and set in a first- the Facades. i - i i . .-. class manner, the results are fairly satisfactory. In many cases, however, where the cores were large and the shells of the material less than 2" in thickness, it s])alled and cracked under moderate heat. Of the other materials named, granite ])roved to be the least refractory. It was frequently damaged by the heat caused by tlie l)uriiing of scaffolding that was placed in erecting it. At the United States Post- Office building much of tlie granite base and eo])ing at the sidewalk level was s])alled and injured by the burning of trunks and bundles of wearing apparel. de])osited near it by refugees. The sand stone generally developed better fire resistance than tlie granite, but was also badly disfigured when subjected to moderate heat. Of all these materials, teri-a cotta alone, when designed with heavy shells and executed in a first-class manner, is capable of withstanding the normal conditions which exist in a conflagration. The window head.s of the Young Building can be cited as an instance where terra cotta developed excellent hre resistance, and was |)roperly anchored in position. Various varieties of brick Mxre also used in the facades. A silica brick, stamped with a diamond enclosing the letter S, ])ro\ ed Acrv refractory and gave excellent results. The buff pressed terra cotta brick next to the silica brick deAcloped the best fire resistance. The common red i)ressed brick was also used and gave good 243 SPALT.ET) (iUAY SANDSTONE. South side of Post Street, between Stockton Street and Grant Avenne. Showintr a portion of llie front of the Friedman Furniture Store. 244 a o o -3 a o a M '- a ° -^ ^ a> •C a 3 :^ o 0-2 t^ « r/2 ^ I-) Cm %■ o m 245 RI'IXS OF A CJ,ASS B BUILDING. East Side of Third Street south of Mission Street. Showing the typical condition of buildings with wood floors supported by unprotected steel framing and bearing walls. Also showing a badly spalled granite column base. 246 results. As in tlie "Raltimorc fire, and in every larffe conflagration, tlie common brick developed good fire resistance and was seldom damaged by tlie heat. Wlien injured from this cause, it was in local spots where abnormally high temperatures were produced by s|)ecial conditions. AVhene\ er brick was used for the facades, the bonding was seldom carefully done. Sometimes metal clips were depended upon solely for this i)urpose. In most cases evei-y sixth to eighth course was bonded to the backing. There were numerous instances where the bond of the face brick was broken and they were precipi- tated to the ground. In future work this detail should be carefully attended to and at least every third or fourth course should be bonded to the backing. There is, at the present time, a large deinand for a new material which is adapted for exterior ornamentation and which is sufficiently refractory to resist damage when subjected to the heat and other conditions of extensi\'e conflagrations. Structural steel of standard and conservative design made a good record. When thoroughl}^ braced, as in the case of the S])reckels Building. Mutual Savings Bank, Crocker Building and the St. Francis Hotel, there were no earthciuake cracks in the exterior walls. Where bracing was not carefullv pro- structural St3el. • 1 1 x- 1 I P 1 1 1 T 11 • 1 • \'ided, X cracks occurred in the middle height of the budduigs, generally m the piers between window openings. It would therefore seem essential, in order to provide for the special conditions of earth([uake tremors, that the middle section of all high structures should be specially strengthened by braces and ties. The usual practice of splicing columns and changing from larger to smaller sections at the same level, is undesirable and should be a\'oided in future buildings. Columns of o]:)en section are always pi-eferable, on aecount^of their ada])tion to decreasirig loads without changing their outside dimensions and their greater strength aLthe splices. Ri\eted connections^ under the same conditions, always developed greater strength and better results than when they were bolted. In the case of distorted steel woi-k, it was, in many cases, imi^ossible to determine in what manner the connections had been wrenched out of ])osition; that is, whether the angles or lugs failed or whether the rivets and bolts sheared; these details, in all cases, being coxered u]) by building materials. In the ease of extensive failures in the lower stories of some of the buildings, the debris surrounded and com])letely covered the points of failure. INIueh \aluable information and data in connection with these failures will no doubt be ascertained later, after the obstructions and over-burdens have been removed. Cast-iron columns were used in some of the fire-jH'oof buildings and were generally em])loyed in the Class B buildings. On account of less rigidity in the methods of fram- ing in connection with cast-iron columns, they should not be used in high buildings in the future. Under abnormal strains, as, for example, when columns buckled so as to warj) the framing, the lugs frequently snapj^ed Ul WAREHOUSE. Beale Street, between Howard and Folsom Streets, oecupied by The Dunham, Harrigan and Hayden Company. Showing the eti'ect of an intensely hot fire whicli destroyed cast iron columns. The metal where the columns have been severed is very little thicker than ordinary pasteboard. 24S and permitted the framing to fall away and wreck whole sections of certain bnildin.tjs. Vov low Jniildintrs, in cases where the cohnnns are to be left exi)osed, and other special conditions, cast-iron columns may sometimes be used to ad\-anta<>e. They are sliohtly less affected by heat than steel columns when unprotected. Theburniny of the Class B and other larye buildings with wood interiors, generally jn'odueed higher tem- peratures than the contents of the lire-jH-oof buildings. There were numerous instances iu tlie former buildings where east-iron columns were literally burned in two and where light steel members were Comparative ■ i i i T ^ snmlarlv se\ered. Temperatures. The burning of neighborhig or adjoining buildings, contrary to pojjular belief, has very little or at least no ai)preciable eifect on the temperatures witliin the hre-proof buildings. This can be understood more readily perhai)s in consideration of the fact tliat a temperature of ISOO F. can be maintained for four hours on one side of a 12 brick wall before the other side becomes sufficiently heated so that the hand cannot remain on it. The temperatures that test the different materials of construction and finish in the interiors of the tlre-])roof buildings are therefore those generated within the structures themsehes, and the results are entirely independent of the existing conditions on the outside. The intensity of the heat and the duration of the tire in the interior of the fire-i)roof buildings varied greatly, and dei)ended upon the conditions of draught and the amount and character of the fuel or combustible contents. In ofiice buildings and hotels, this fuel generally consisted of the wood finish, the furniture and the furnishings. These were generally ignited after the glazing of the windows had been destroyed and the frames and sash Avere Inu'ning. Consecpiently, draughts were induced which fanned the hre, producing high temjiera- tures as long as the fuel lasted. Under normal conditions, the duration of the fire did not exceed 20 to 30 minutes at any one place, as in any given room for exam])le. In special cases, as in su|)|)ly and baggage rooms, the duration of the hre was longer; Init tlie conditions of draught in such rooms were generally such that the fire smouldered and did not burn with as intense a heat. The a\'erage maximum temi)eratures attained in office and hotel buildings, as determined by the fusing of metals and other phenomena, ranged from 1.500' to 1900 Fahrenheit. In certain spots, where there happened to be more than the average amount of fuel, and the conditions of draught Avere favorable, temperatures of about 2200" were sometimes reached. These maximum temperatures were not i)robabh" maintained for more than a few minutes in each case. The Telephone Comjjany's Main and South offices, the Merchants' Exchange, the Spreckels, Aronson, and Crocker buildings, and the Hotels St. Francis, Hamilton, and Alexander were subjected to the severest fires in buildings of this type. In the store and loft buildings which, in addition to the e()nd)ustible finish and furniture, frequently contained large (quantities of inflammable stock or supplies, fires of nuich longer duration occurred. The actual ^49 teiii]>eratures were seldom higher than those attained in the hotel and office buildings, but the length of time that the temi)eratures were maint;uned was much greater and in direct proportion wdth the amount and combustible (pialities of the fuel. The Kamm Building was subjected to a more severe fire test than any other of the fire-proof buildings. The Sloane, Parrott, Scott, Johnson & Co., and Bullock & Jones buildings also contained e\'idences of intense and long-coirtinued heat. In a few places, temjieratures of about 2300" Fahr. were reached, but ])robably only for \'ery limited j)eriods. The materials used for floor construction in the fire-proof buildings were the burnt clay ])roducts and Portland cement concrete. The former have been used for fire-proofing purposes for thirty years or more, while the latter has been employed extensively onl}'' during the past ten years. An opportunity ^iwiate'r^ais* '"^ ^^^ compare these materials under aj)proximately the same conditions occurred in the Baltimore fire, but in that conflagration it so happened that all the taller buildings were fire-proofed with hollow tile blocks, and the concrete construction was emj^loyed only in the smaller and lower bank buildings. In the San Francisco conflagration both materials were used in the tall binldings and imder identical conditions, concrete having been employed in the great majority of cases. From the detailed descriptions of the condition of the two materials after being subjected to fire, it is apparent that the hollow tile blocks sustained much greater injury, under the same conditions, than the concreteT^ In all cases where hollow tile was used for flooring, and where the blocks were not Hollow Tile. . , • i , t i i- i ? , i i l protected by a wn-e latli and plaster ceihng underneath, they were more or less damaged, the injury ranging from the falling away of the soffit shells, exposing the cellular s])aces of a few blocks, to extensive areas comprising in some cases 90 per cent, of entire floors. In numerous places the blocks failed completely and fell away from the beams. A'Vherever extensive damage of this character occurred, the floors remained in a \'ery weak and unsafe condition, necessitating the exclusion of all persons who wished to examine the buildings. The brittle character of the material also renders it particularly undesirable, on account of its inability to resist the impact of heavy objects, such as safes, vaults, etc. In every building wiiere the hollow tile floor arches were exposed to the flames, and which contained large safes, there are numerous cases of failure where the safes have broken through and destroyed the arches in successive floors below them to the basement. Wherever a Are of normal intensity and of one-half hour's duration occurred the soffits of the tile blocks invariably failed. The tile slab soffit ])rotection that is usually held in position bj^ the dovetailed jn-ojections of the skewbacks also failed ((uite generallv- falling awa}^ and ex])osing tlie soffits of the beams and girders. In a few })laces where small libraries or (|uantities of other inflammable materials produced fires of more than an hour's duration, the steel girders and beams, with the soffits exposed by the failure of the hollow tile protection, 250 were permanently dcfieeted and will require straiohteninff or re-rolling. In sneli eases, and oenerally where temperatures in exeess of 'iOOO Fahr. were reaehed, the hollow tile was yreatly injured b\' ineineration, the material beeominy inert and soft so that it eould he erushed hy the Hny-ers. \Vhene\er the steel work heeame sliyhtly distorted, as when eolumns huekled and settled, the hollow tile arehes fre([ueutly fell out, their impact hreakinn' down other tile arches below them tliat were not subjected to the same al)normal conditions. There was no api)arent difference in the hre-resistinij; iiualities of the side or end construction methods, of the porous t)r hard-burned materials, or whether tiat or segmental in form, but the blocks with heavier shells ;uid webs uenerally dexeloped better fire resistance than the lighter material. The best quality of hollow tile that was obser\'ed in the burned district was that used in the Chronicle Building Aimex, which consisted of end construction terra cotta blocks, 1(>" in depth and with shells and webs j^-" in thickness. Even in the case of this material, an insignificant fire, resulting from the burning of scatfolding and a comparatively small quantity of wood trim, caused a nund)er of the sofhts to drop away, necessitating considerable rej^airs. The damage to the soiht members of the hollow tile blocks is no doubt caused by the ex))ansion due to unequal heating. The under side, which is ex|K)sed to the direct action of the flames, becomes very much hotter than the other portions of the block which are separated by air spaces of considerable size. There is co)ise- quently an innnediate tendency of the under surface to exjiand and buckle downward, particularly in the case of first-class work, and where the mortar joints are solidly filled with mortar at the under side. It is probable that if the mortar joints could ])e kept open for an inch or so from the under surface, there would be less damage to the soffits in case of fire. All this damage was caused by the fire only, and without the application of water. In e\'ery fire oeciu-ring in large cities with a well e<|uipped fire department, water is invariably thrown into the burning buildings while the materials of construction are generally in a highly heated condition. It is well known that the sudden cooling of this material by water when heated to a high temperature is very destructive, and always causes vastly more damage than fire alone. In a few of the less important buildings, such as the stock houses of breweries, common roAvlock. segmental brick arches were used. This is an excellent method for sti-ength, and the fire resistance of comnjion brick is well established. It is, however, a heavy construction, and it is difficult to adapt an Common ric . efficient ])rotection for the soffits of the beams and girders. Consequently where this method was employed, the soffits of the girders and beams Avere generally ex])osed. In many of the recently published reports of the fire, the concrete fioors are all referred to indiscriminately as "reinforced concrete." In order to make intelligent comparisons and arri\e at correct conclusions, it is 251 necessary to distinguish the different materials as well as the principles involved. The concrete floors, with reference to their fire-resisting qualities, were of three general classes: (1) Segmental arches; (2) Short span flat slabs, and (3) Reinforced concrete construction. In the segmental arches the entire cross section of the concrete is in compression, and the strength is entirely independent of light metal tensile elements which invariably weaken in a severe fire test. This type of flooring, with well designed concrete soffit protection, developed the best fire resistance. It was used in the Hotel St. Francis and withstood the earthquake and fire without damage to a single square foot of the large floor area. The short span flat slab floors, next to the segmental arches, gave the best results. In this form of construction, the slabs are either very thick and without metal elements as in the lower stories of the Spreckels Building, or are about 4 " thick with metal elements incorporated in the concrete. In the best examples of the latter type, the sectional shap3 of the metal and its position in the slab was largely influenced by a consideration of fire resistance as well as strength. Consequently none of the usual formuhe for reinforced concrete will apply to these methods. When installed in connection with conventional steel designs in which tlie floor beams were spaced from 5 ft. to 7 ft. centres, this type of floor gave satisfiictorj^ results. Normal fires caused no apparent injury either to the concrete or to the metal lath and cement plaster soffit protection. Even under severe conditions, where fires of two to three hours' duration occurred, the soffit ])rotectioii remained in position and fulfilled its purpose by preventing the permanent deflection of the steel members. The concrete floor slabs, under the same conditions, remained practically uninjured ; a thin layer of the material, ^'arying in thickness from ^" to ^" on the under side, being afffected. This amount of the sectional area has no appreciable effect on the strength or efficiency of the slabs. In the Telephone Co. 's main office building on Bush Street, portions of which were subjected to a particularlj'^ severe fire test of at least two hours' duration, a few of the concrete floor arches of the flat slab type deflected slightly under heavy loads during the fire. These were subsequently tested by uniformly distributed loads of 600 lbs. to the square foot ; the loads being of sand in boxes without bottoms. The deflection under this load, of about 3J3 ", is almost identical with deflections under the same load imposed on similar constructions that have not been subjected to fire. This would indicate that the concrete arches retain substantially the same strength as before the fire, and are practically uninjured. In the case of unusually severe conditions, as in the Kamm Building, where fires undoubtedly burned for many days, and where the fire-proof floors were subjected to the most severe test in the burned district, the ^concrete floors were not seriously damaged by the heat. Sections of the first floor, immediately above the basement story, where the intense and long- continued fire occurred, were apparently in good condition, only a 252 thin hiyer of \" to f ' on the under side of the floor slab bcinc, were in all eases sufficiently strong, l)oth at the time of the earthcjuake and during the Are, to sustain safes and other hea\'y bodies. No eases were ol)ser\'ed where safes had broken through any of these floors. Light reinforcing material, such as wire netting, expanded metal, etc., esi)ecially when ex|)osed on the inidcr side t)f the concrete slab, did not show as good results as steel bars of considerable sectional area. In several cases, concrete of i)Oor ([uality was originally installed in the work. This fact was determined by an examination of the concrete where it had been subjected to very little or no tire. E\'en in these cases, when subjected to normal flres, the concrete retains practically all of its original strength. Both stone and cinder concrete were used in the segmental arch and short sjian flat slab ty])cs of fire-proot floors. There was no apprecia})le difference in the relati\'e tire resistance of the two classes of concrete. It is, however, well known that cinder concrete at high temperature does not disintegrate under the action of a fire stream to the same extent as stone concrete and, for this reason, it is a sui)erior material for fire-proof construc- tion. Stone was used exclusively for the aggregates in reinforced concrete work. The San Francisco Building Code, prior to the fire, did iiot legalize the construction of entire buildings of reinforced concrete. One building with reinforced concrete colunms, girders, l)eams and floors, and brick Avails was in the course of construction. There were, howc\ er. a number of buildings that contained reinforced concrete floors consisting of a floor slab. 4 " to '.)" in thickness, supported by reinforced concrete beams between steel girders. The ])rincipal distinguishing feature of reinforced concrete as compared with the preceding methods is the princii)le of using light steel rods or bars exelusixely in tension and in accordance with rational formulae. The spans Ijctween supports are also generally much greater. A^'here^'er reinforced concrete floors of this character were subjected to normal fires, such as occurred in office buildings or hotels, the deflection of the reinforced beams was always much greater tlian that of steel beams of the same carrying capacity. An interesting demonstration of this fact occurred in the top story of the Telephone Co. \s main office on Bush Street, where reinforced concrete beams alternated with steel beams at about 7 ft. centers, carrying the same loads and being exposed to the same conditions. This stoiy sustained a se\'ere fire test, a large (£uantity of combustible supplies being stored in that i^art of the building in ])acking cases. The heat generated by this fuel caused the reinforced concrete beams to deflect badly, and one of them to fail. The alternate steel beams, with ^53 a soffit i)rotection equal to that iinder the metal of the reinforced concrete beams and consisting of crimped wire lath and cement plaster 1" in thickness, were unaffected and were not permanently deflected. Injuries and deflections to the reinforced concrete beams caused by fire were also noted in the Monadnock and INIarston BuildinQs. In Johnson & Co. \s Buildino-, where a fire of greater intensity and duration occurred, the failure of the reinforced concrete beams was ([uite general, and no doubt contributed largel}^ to the collapse of the sections of the building that were wrecked. Reinforced concrete floors of long span suffered similarly, as was shown in the Bekins Xan and Storage Co. \s building and the Annex of the Academy of Science, where insignificant fires exposed the reinforcing bars and caused deflections. In reinforced concrete floor construction the strength is almost wholh" dependent upon the light steel tension rods or bars, which economy recpiires to be imbedded at or near the under surface. In the case of a fire the light metal in this exjjosed i)osition soon becomes heated, and by expansion and deflection disrupts the thin concrete covering under it. After the steel tensile members are exposed, tem))eratures of 1200° F. soon cause failures. Unequal heating while in a high state of stress and strain undoubtedly induced i)owerful tendencies toward ru])ture, and may also be a partial exi)lanation of the unsatisfactor}^ behavior of this construction when subjected to normal fires. There were a sufficient number of instances of total and ]iartial failures, and enough diversity in the size and manner of employing the reinforcing material, to fully warrant the conclusion that reinforced concrete, when used for floor construction, possesses relatively much less fire resistance than either the segmental arch or the short span flat slab types. Its use should therefore be limited to locations subject to moderate heat only. The materials used for the construction of partitions were generally hollow tile l)locks and metal lath and plaster. Neither of these materials gave entirely satisfactory results. The hollow tile partitions were soinetimes overthrown by the eartlKjuake and invariably failed to a greater or less degree in the fire. The light steel studs of tlie metal lath and ])laster partitions exi)anded sufficientlj^ to bulge or deflect the partitions out of plum!) in many cases. These partitions, howe\'er, remained standing in nearly all cases and served a useful purpose as a fire barrier, and to i)revent draughts. The hollow tile partitions, on the other hand, frecpiently caused the wreck of stairways and damage to the mechanical cfiuipment by falling through the ele\'ator shafts to the basement. On accoimt of causing such damage, hollow tile blocks should not be used to enclose elevator and stairway openings, and when so enq)loyed they should be reinforced by vertical metal studs, anchored top and bottom, to ]:)rcvent possil)le damage of this character. A bad practice that was frequently followed was the erection of the hollow tile partitions from the top of 354 tlie fire- proof tloors solidly to the under side of the fire-i)roof floors ;iI)ove, sometimes passiiis. The advantage of huildiiiy the partitions only to the wii-e lath eeilinns, whieh act as a cushion and allow the partition to expand, was eonelusively shown in the eases of the Flood and the (irant buildings. A few partitions of reinforeed eonerete were found in several of the fire-proof buildings, but seareel}^ in sufficient ([uantities to warrant comparisons and final conclusions. Iw every case they developed good fire resist- ance, and remained in nuich better coirdition after normal fires of one-half hour to one hour duration than either of the two preceding t\'pes. The behavior of the reinforced concrete |)artitions was entirely satisfactory, and it is probable that ])artitions of this tyi)e 4" to (>" in thickness will fulfill all ordinary requirements in fire- proof buildings. One of the great lessons of the conflagration is the jrccessity of better |)rotection for the steel columns. This is perhaps the most im])ortant new de\elopment of the conflagration. All the ordinary and accepted methods of column protection were shown to be insufticient under the severest conditions. One Column Protection. ^ i • ■ i ^ ■ . tt i i t n • i o y i p reason for this is the tact that m San r ranciseo, buildings designed tor offices, lotts, light manufacturing purposes, etc., were fretiuently used as storage buildings for large fiuantities of inflammable goods. The comlmstion of these materials caused fires of greater intensity and much longer duration than any that occurred in the Baltimore buildings. In the Baltimore conflagration, buildings that were actually used as offices were practically the only type that were tested. Similarly, the recent llochester hre attacked mainly buildings of the office ty]3e. The San Francisco Are was therefore the only one \\'hich protluced conditions suf- flciently severe to point out the defects and insufficiency of the usual practice. ^'arious methods and materials for colum;i protection were employed; hollow tile blocks, 2", ;3" and 4" in thickness, were most generally used. W'^ire lath and plaster were also extensivel}' employed. In the basements and cellars, the columns were usually covered by common brick. Concrete was also used to a limited extent. Of all these materials, concrete, when properh' anchored to the columns, gave the best results. Common brick afford ecjually good protection, but unless anchored every 12" to the columns, do not cling to them as satis- factorily as concrete. A double layer of metal lath and plaster, next to concrete and brick, de\eloped the best fire resistance. In all cases where the double thickness was ]jro\ided, the inner layer was unaffected and the structural members were satisfactorily protected. AVhere only one layer of wire lath and plaster was employed, and it was sui^ported b}" well executed steel furring and anchored to the columns, it fidfilled the requirements under normal conditions that prevailed in offices, hotels and similar buildings. This method was not howe\'er, sufficient for the more severe re(iuirements and failed in locations where Hres of long duration occurred. 255 W, p. FULT.ER BUII.DIiN'G. Mission and Beale Streets. This was a Class B building. The walls were of brick with wood floors s\i|)|iorte(l by steel framing. The only part of the building fire-proofed was the columns. These were covered with stone concrete, anchored with No. 10 gauge steel wire wrapped spirally around the column at IG" centres. This building was filled with a stock of paints, oils, etc., producing a hot, spectacular fire, and causing the total wreck of the structure. Note the tenacity of the concrete cfihmin protection, which remains in jilace after the .severe fire test and the jarring sustained by the columns in falling over. The granite bases are badly spalled, this material being unsuited for carrying loads in locations where it is exposed to fire. 256 The liollow tile blocks which were most generally used \aried considerably in efficiency. Where the blocks were erected in a careful and tirst-class manner, with good cement mortar and anchored to each other with metal ties at the corners, the>' sometimes fulfilled the reciuirements under normal conditions, but were frequently damaged and fell away from the colunms. ANHiere the blocks were erected in an indifferent manner the failures were very extensi\'e and resulted in large damage. In mmierous instances the bulging of jnpes within the column coxering facilitated the failures; the hollow tile blocks sustaining more damage from this cause than the other methods. Superior results were always obtained when the cohmui i^rotection was erected independently of the partitions. AVhen one side of the column protection was a ])artition surface and the other three sides were simply built around the column, the failure of the ])artition in\ariabl.v exjiosed the column. Wire lath and plaster ceilings, Avhen erected in a first-class manner, with steel clii)s of sufficient size and strength, and when the lath was ajjplied with a mild steel gahanized wire of about No. 18 B. & S. gauge, made an excellent showing. They, in all cases, de\-elo]jed better fire resistance than Ceilings ^'^^ soffits of the hollow tile floor blocks, and when used as suspended ceilings vmder inclined roof siu'faces they in\'ariably ga\'e better results than the 3" hollow tile blocks that were also used for this puri)ose. In man\' cases the wire lath and plaster ceilings were the only protection provided for beams and girders. Under normal conditions, and even in cases where fires of more than two hours' dm-ation occurred, well constructed ceiling; remained intact and seldom failed. "Where the ceilings actually failed, the supi)orting clips were of light wire or of poor design; or a metal lath without stiffening ribs was employed. Solid rod stiffening ribs, on account of their considerable mass, add greatly to the life of metal lath in a fire. In a few buildings cojjper wire was used for securing the metal lath to the ceiling furring su])ports. The low temperature at Avhich copper wire fuses makes it undesirable for this ])urpose, and Avas the cause of numerous failures. Steel lacing wire, A\'hich retains greater strength in high temperatures, is ])referable and proved much more efficient. AN^ire for this i)urpose should in all cases be galvanized to i)revent initial oxidation while the plaster is moist. The good beha\'ior of well executed ceilings of this character, wari-ants their continued use. In buildings of the office and hotel types, such ceilings affi)rd sufficient protection for the soffits of the floor beams. Portable safes and small \-aults gave very unsatisfactory results. In many of the large office buildings, particularly those of Class B construction with wood floors, fires of sufficient intensity occurred to incinerate the contents of the largest safes. Many of these were of standard makes and supposed to Safes and Small Vaults. , r«. • .1 /• • ,• , ,1 • ^ ^ ii n 1 • be sufficiently nre-resisting to ])reserve tlieir contents, the waifs being in many eases 8" to 12" thick and filled with composition non-heat-conducting materials. One of these large safes, in the 257 VAULT of the Bancroft-Whitney Publishing Company. In the rear of a building on California Street between Kearny and Dupont Streets. A Standard Underwriters' metal covered door separated this vault from the basement of the building. The tire destroyed the door, igniting the contents of the vault, causing the total and partial failure of the cast-iron columns, and the failure of a section of the concrete arches supported by them. A double fire-proof barrier in the door opening of this vault would probably have saved the contents. 2.58 Crossley Building, became heated to such a degree tliat not only were the paper contents reduced to black ashes, but silver coins were partially fused, entire packages or rolls of 20 silver dollars being fused together into one jjiece. In many of the fire- proof othce buildings, where tires of nuich less intensity and shorter duration occurred, a majority of the better makes of safes preser\ ed their contents in a fairly satisfactory niaiuier. In m(jst of these, however, the papers were scorched and discolored, and in some cases destroyed. There were very few instances where paper documents were preserved without injury. The small steel Aaults that were protected by hollow tile blocks or wire lath and ]>lastei' also failed in the majority of eases in the tire-proof liuildings. When subjected to more severe fires than occurred in these buildhigs, the ct)ntents were always destroyed. Large vaults, with brick walls 18" or more in thickness, were more successful, and when eciuijjped with double steel doors, in all cases preser\'ed the contents in good condition. Several special vaults, with reinforced concrete walls 4-" in thickness and double steel doors, also preser\ ed their contents. It is therefore safe to conclude that a well constructed vault offers much more security for valuable documents, money, etc., than the best makes of portable iron or steel safes. For office building requirements such vaults should be built of reinforced conci'ete not less than 4" or i>" tliick, or of conmion brick not less than 8" thick, and e(|ui])i)ed with double steel doors with an air space between them. Portable iron safes must be considerably improved in their fii-e-resisting (pialities before they can be depended ui)on to preserve their contents in a conflagration sucii as is likely to result in the combustion of the contents of ordinary oflice buildings. Metal and metal-covered wood trim and finish is a decided ad\antage in fire-proof buildings. The only building in ^\■hich it was extensively employed was in the Kohl (or Hayward) Huilding. There was ample evidence in this building to show that tlie trim and finish resisted and retarded the spread Metal and Meta - ^^^> ^|^^ ^^.^ frcHiucntlv Confining it in tlie same room containing the windows through covered Trim. '^ ■ ^, . . . ^ which the flames got access to the building. Without doubt, the entire interior of the Kohl Building, had it not been e(|uipped with the metal-covered trim and finish, Avould have been fire swei)t in the same manner as was the Mutual Savings Bank. Cement, granolithic, mosaic, and otlier incombustible floor finish is a most desirable feature in buildings designed to l)e thoroughly fire-proof. The wood finish and trim comprise a considerable portion of the combustible contents of fire-jiroof buildings when the wearing surfaces of the floors are of wood. Even Incombustible Floor [f l]-^Q other finish and trim is of wood, an incombustible floor finish separates the wood Finish. . , . . , , , siu-faces so that fires of great intensity can rarely oceiu'. In many of the recent fire-i)roof buildings incombustible floor finish has been employed with entirely satisfactory results and without any draw- backs or disadvantages. 259 Metal furring and lathing for ornamental effects is fairly satisftictory and usually fulfills the requirements. Well executed work of this character in all cases remains in jjlace, and was uninjured e\ei» where considerable damage occurred to the plaster surfaces. It would not seem necessary to add to the an^ Lathing""^ expense or efficiency of this work, which fulfills its purpose as long as the plaster work remains intact. AVood roofs over fire-proof buildings are most undesirable. In several instances such roofs caused great damage, and after their destruction exposed the entire building to the elements. In the Chronicle Building the burning of a wood roof, together with the contents of the top story, without doubt started the jjrecipitation of 19 linotype maclhnes which fell through the hollow tile floors and wrecked the interior of the entire west side of the building. AVood roofs over hre- proof brewery buildings and over the Sub-Stations of the San Francisco Gas & Electric Co. largely increased tlie damage to these structures. Under the new building code, theatre construction in San Francisco will be much Theatre Construction. ... . , ... unproved. It was a serious mistake to permit wood construction in large amusement buildings of this character. The ruins of the Tivoli Opera House are an object lesson even to the uninitiated in building construction. The resort to dynamite in the effort to check the spread of the flames is a questionable action. In the Baltimore conflagration similar attemj^ts were made to check the fire, but without success. Crreat damage invariably resulted to adjoining buildings, and the disintegration of the buildings dynamited, when there was not sufficient time to remove the combustible parts of the debris, ser\'ed only to make the conditions even more fa\'orable for ignition and the rajnd spread of the flames. In San Francisco there seems to ha^'e been a lack of good judgment in selecting the buildings to be dynamited, for in three cases fire-i)roof buildings of excellent construction were selected, and two of these were completely wrecked. In the case of the other building, a small section only was seriously injured, but con- siderable damage was caused to the parts in close proximity to the exijlosioii. The buildings of fire-proof construction generally serve as barriers to the rapid i)rogress of the flames, and their destruction by dynamite was certainly a great mistake. It is unfortunate that in the large number of hre-proof buildings tested by the recent conflagration, there were so few that had the window openings protected with fire-resisting barriers. Protection of Window j^^ ^^^^ few cases where the openings were protected, the methods varied, and in Openings. . every instance but one they were incomi)lete. There are consequently little avail- able data for comi)aring efficiencies, but in every instance the advantage of such protection to the buildings is clearly shown. 2G0 The Telephone C'o.'s main ofHee on liush Street was e(iui])])e(l with excellent protection of this charac- ter. The front windows were fitted witli Kinnear outside corrugated steel rolhng shutters, the glazing he- hind the shutters heing of plate glass. The window openings on the otlier sides of the huilding were fitted with gravity, sliding, metal covered, inside shutters of good design. The outside glazing was wire glass with metal-covered sash and frames. For some unexplained reason, the rear door at the soutliwest corner of the huilding was left unprotected, and jjroAcd to he the vulnerahle point. As descrihed elsewhere, fire entered through this opening and destroyed tlie entire contents of the huilding. By far the greatest damage to the window protection was caused by high teniperatiu'cs within the build- ing. The rolling shutters were little damaged, but the metal-co\'ei'ed shutters were seriously injured in many places, and some of the glazing was fused. The Telephone Co.'s South Office on West ]Mission Street had the window openings of the two lower stories protected by wire glass in metal-covered frames, without shutters. This protection Mas sufficient to preserve the contents of these two stoi'ies, although the building was unoccupied at the time that the sur- rounding buildings were consumed. The third story, with unprotected openings, was tire-swept, and the ex- pensive equipment, supi^lies, etc., Mere consumed. The United States JNIint was ecjuipped in the tM'O louver stories with inside folding iron shutters, wdiich were of material assistance in protecting this building against ignition. The most remarkable illustration of the advantage and efficiency of windoM' protection Mas shoM'n in the case of the California Electrical Company's building, at the nortliM^est corner of Folsom and HaM'thorne Streets. This Mas a non-fire-proof building M'ith brick Malls and Mood floors. Although all the buildings around it Mere completely destroyed, this l)uilding and its contents Mere preserved in their entirety by metal sash and frames M'ith M'ire glazing. Enthusiastic ])ersons in fa\or of concrete construction, and interested contractors, ha\e recently published and disseminated much reading matter advocating buildings constructed entirely of reinforced concrete as a tyj)e M'ell adapted to resist carthcpiake shocks. Much of the information and many of the statements so |)ublis]ied are misleading. It M'ould therefore seem aj^jiropriate and necessary to sound a note of Avarning and conservatism to those Mdio contemplate the erection of buildings of this class in sections subiect to earthcpiake disturbances. In tvpical reinforced or armored concrete buildings, not only the M'alls and the floors, but also the columns, airders and beanrs are built of stone concrete reinforced M^th steel rods, bars, etc. The radical feature of doubtful expediency in these buildings is the substitution of reinforced concrete for the steel columns, girders and beams Avhich are ordinarily used in the best practice in fire-proof buildings. 261 It is well known that the standard connections in a well execnted structural steel design will bear a consider- able amoiuit of distortion before being damaged or Aveakened to any serious degree. It is also a fact that in nearly every building, excepting only those founded on solid rock, there are more or less settlements in the foundations. Steel columns frequently settle se\eral inches without serious consc(|uences. In the case of a wall column the connections of the girders and beams are slightly distorted ; a few ci-acks appear in the walls, and some of the wall material is crushed at the intersection of the wall girders and the column ; but such displace- ments ne^'er appreciably weaken or endanger the structure. Even under the most severe and abnormal conditions, such as fretpiently occurred in the fire-proof buildings of the burned district, where interior columns settled fronr 2 feet to G feet, the ])adly distorted steel connections still held together and ]>revented the collapse of the steel frame and the total wreck of the buildings. In reinforced concrete construction, howe\'er, slight dis])lacements or settlements are of A'ital importance and a menace to the safety and integrity of the building. The light rods and bars which are ordinarily employed for reinforcing, and which are anchored in the concrete or simply hooked together, lack the positive rigidity, strength and tenacity of the standard steel connections, and would in no case withstand the same distortion without failure. It was also conclusively shown in a number of instances in the recent conflagration that reinforced con- crete girders and beams under identical conditions possessed much less fire resistance than steel members of the same carrying ca])aeity. Reinforced concrete columns and girders are mucli more bulky than similar members of ecpial capacity in steel. In order to adapt concrete buildings to withstand earthquakes, it would be necessai-y to jjrovide an elaborate system of ties and braces, which woidd not only in\"olve original and untested designs, but would also obstruct the head-room with unsightly structiu-al members. The success and safetj^ of reinforced concrete de])ends wholly upon the uniformly good ciuality of the cement. A single barrel of damaged or ))0()r (piality cement going into the concrete of a column or a girder would create a weak sjjot and might at an 3^ time cause a fatal and expensive accident. E\'en under the most favorable conditions concrete girders and beams \"ary from 10 to 50 per cent, in actual strength Avhen tested to destruction. This fact shows that it is not a uniform or homogeneous material like steel, and consequently it is less reliable. In \'iew of the foregoing considerations, reinforced concrete is not as well adapted as steel for co'umns, girders and beams, and should not be used for this purpose where steel is available. The steel skeleton frame, consisting of columns, girders, and beams, has tlioroughly demonstrated its aliility to successfully resist eartlu[uake mo\ements, and absolute dependence can be placed on it to retain its strength 262 and integrity when subjected to tlie crucial test. It sliould be adopted in all eases for the better class of buildings, and particularly tor hotels, ofHces, schools, institutions, and similar l)uil