INGENUITY AND LUXURY 



however, it may be used in something the same man- 

 ner as is steel, although the strains are arranged so 

 as to be taken up differently. The " girders" of such 

 bridges of the more recent types, seem scarcely larger 

 than those used in many of the older types of iron 

 bridges; while the abutments and retaining walls 

 are much lighter than those built of masonry. It is 

 evident that if, in this infant stage of reinforced con- 

 crete, such remarkable structures can be erected, 

 there is little that may not be accomplished with it 

 architecturally in the future. 



The few reinforced-concrete buildings in and about 

 San Francisco at the time of the earthquake demon- 

 strated conclusively that this material resisted shock 

 better than any other combination of materials used in 

 construction. The effect of the shocks upon one 

 building in the course of construction, which was being 

 built of reinforced concrete in every part except the 

 outer walls, which the building authorities had insisted 

 upon having made of brick, was peculiarly instruct- 

 ive. The inner walls and supports were not affected, 

 while the exterior brick walls were so badly cracked 

 that they had to be replaced. Another striking 

 demonstration was the effect of the shocks upon the 

 Museum building of Leland Stanford University at 

 Palo Alto, where the earthquake was very severe. 

 The central portion of this building was built of rein- 

 forced concrete, while the two side wings were of brick, 

 with brickwork floors. These two side wings were des- 

 troyed, while the concrete central portion of the build- 

 ing sustained only a few small cracks in the interior. 



[ 202 ] 



