EFFECTS PEODUCED UPON BUILDINGS. 97 



recognise any law as to the relative position of tlie masses 

 of debris and the general destruction with which we are 

 surrounded. The results of observation have, however, 

 shown us that, amongst the apparently chaotic ruin pro- 

 duced by earthquakes, there is in many cases more or 

 less law governing the position of bodies which have 

 fallen, the direction and position of cracks in walls, and 

 the various other phenomena which result from such 

 destructive disturbances. 



JMallet, at the commencement of his first volume, de- 

 scribing the Neapolitan earthquake of 1857, discusses the 

 general effect produced by various shocks upon differently 

 constructed buildings. First he shows that, if we have 

 a rectangular building, the walls at right angles to the 

 shock will be more likely to be overthrown than those 

 which are parallel to it. Experience teaches a similar 

 lesson. Thus Darwin, when speaking of the earthquake 

 at Concepcion in 1835, Hells us that the town was built in 

 the usual Spanish fashion, with all the streets running at 

 right angles to each other. One set ranged S.W. by W. 

 and N.E. by E. and the other N.W. by N. and S.E. by S. 

 The walls in the former direction certainly stood better 

 than those in the latter. The undulations came from 

 the S.W. 



In Caraccas it is said that every house has its laga 

 securo, or safe side, where the inhabitants place their 

 fragile property. This laga securo is the north side, and 

 it was chosen because about two out of every three de- 

 structive shocks traversed the city from west to east, so 

 that the walls in these sides of a building have been 

 stricken broadside on.^ 



* See Researclies in Geology and Natural Histwy, p. 374. 

 2 * The City of Earthquakes,' H. D. Warner, Atlantis Montlily, March, 

 1883. — 



