Wellington FMlosophical Society. 495 



was made public they would most likely be asked to give their opinions 

 on the architecture "of Wellington. It seemed to him that a great deal 

 more was made of the elevation of Te Aro Hat than was necessary. Old 

 residents had told him that the flat was originally a swamp, impassable 

 except in a few places, and separated from the harbour by a bar ; and 

 that" one winter there was an unusual accumulation of water in the 

 swamp, with th.e result that it swept the bar away. From that time 

 the flat ceased to be a swamp of any great extent, and subsequently 

 drainage arrangements were carried out. The earthquake no doubt 

 assisted in the alteration, but he thought it was the accident of the 

 carrying-away of the bar that had most to do with rendering Te Aro flat 

 available for building purposes. 



j\Ir. H. P. Higginson thought that most of the defects in architecture 

 pointed out by Mr. Maskell were the faults of the property-owners rather 

 than of the architects. They insisted upon having structures of a certain 

 class, and getting as much show as possible for their money. The immunity 

 of Wellington from damage was probably due to the fact that the brick- 

 work put up here was of a more substantial character than that in most 

 other parts of the colony, particularly strong cement being used. Where 

 the effects of earthquakes were felt most severely they were generally due 

 in the main to bad workmanship. 



Mr. Natusch (architect) said that, since reference had been made to 

 the absence of architects, perhaps he might be permitted, although not 

 a member of the Society, to say a few words upon the subject. Permis- 

 sion having been given, he said that when he arrived here some two years 

 ago he naturally made it a point to ascertain what special provisions 

 were made against earthquakes. He was astonished to find none ; and, 

 moreover, in course of conversation with Wellington men they said, 

 " We have plenty of shocks — mere tremors ; but there has not been a 

 severe shock since 1855, when Te Aro was raised ; " and it seemed to be 

 generally taken for granted that serious earthquakes need not be antici- 

 pated. However, this hardly seemed reasonable to him ; and, after con- 

 sidering the subject, he came to the conclusion that no more effectual 

 "earthquake-proof" building could be devised than on the principle of 

 framing. That is to say : Erect the frame of the building with wood, or 

 with light T or angle-iron if preferred, v-ery much in the same way as 

 wooden houses are now erected ; but on the outside of the framing secure 

 thin slabs of concrete, with joints somewhat similar to those of rusticated 

 boarding. Thus, in the event of a severe shock, the framing itself would 

 sway more or less as the frames of wooden buildings do, and the slabs, 

 having loose although weathertight joints, would also move with the 

 frame. And he ventured to say that, except with a very severe shock 

 (such a shock as would demolish the town), no damage would be done, 

 and even if any of the slabs should be broken or cracked, they could be 

 unscrewed and replaced with new at a trifling expense. Two or three 

 people to whom he mentioned this were aghast at the idea of ugly build- 

 ings being put up with slabs of concrete. At first sight such an idea was 

 quite pardonable even to the average architect or builder. But, in reality, 

 architectural effects in any style, from the simple and pleasing Gothic to 

 the most elaborate Roman or Grecian designs, might be produced. So 

 much for the exterior. The interior could be finished with thinner slabs of 

 the same material for walls, and the ceilings could be either plastered in 

 the ordinary way, or formed with the patent steel webbing and plaster, 

 which, in the event of a severe shock of earthquake, viight when old. 

 hang down as old scrim does, but would not fall, as the ordinary 

 plastered ceilings would do under similar circumstances. It would be seen, 

 therefore, that buildings might easily be made to all intents and purposes 

 " earthquake-proof." The fears of the City Council as to the advisability 

 of permitting^the use of wood framings should give way before the fact 

 that fire could not possibly touch the wood, because it would be encased 



