NOTES ON THE JAMAICA EARTHQUAKE 715 
The action on brick buildings was variable. The better class 
stood in some cases through both shock and fire, although the motion 
was sufficient to snap flagpoles at their tops. The churches fared 
very badly, most of them, even where not completely demolished, 
being practically ruined, the damage being such that they had to be 
pulled down (Fig. 8). The fact that they had little interior strength- 
ening in the way of partitions probably contributed to this result. 
The cracks generally meandered irregularly, but approximately 
diagonally through the brick walls, commonly making an angle of 
about 45° with the horizon. In other cases the action seemed to 
be largely one of disintegration, the latter being assisted by the 
rather poor local mortar commonly used. In general the destruction 
on the north-south streets seemed more complete than in the east- 
west streets.. 
Stone structures.—There were relatively few stone structures in 
the city or vicinity. Of these the Government Laboratories, several 
miles away, were almost unaffected, only a few small cracks, not 
necessitating repair, being developed. At the Colonial Bank, com- 
posed of stone and brick, the destruction was greater, but none of 
the occupants was killed, while many in surrounding brick buildings 
lost their lives. 
Cement structures.—Only one cement structure was seen by the 
writer. This was the building of the Jamaica College, situated near 
the Government Laboratories just mentioned. Unlike the latter, 
however, it was so badly wrecked that a portion had to be pulled 
down and the whole practically rebuilt. The action was one of 
cracking rather than of disintegration. The cement was not rein- 
forced to any extent. 
Wooden structures—The frame houses were considerably wrenched 
and twisted by the shock, and their plastering was often cracked or 
shaken down, but, owing to their elasticity, they generally escaped 
demolition, and after cleaning and a few repairs were ready for reoc- 
cupancy. A few wooden buildings were wrecked, however, in the 
eastern part of the city where the action was especially severe. 
Steel structures.—There were no steel office buildings in the city, 
but two markets, the Victoria on the water front (Fig. 9) and a similar 
one near the public square were built mainly of this material. They 
