102 EARTHQUAKES. 



the general character of the fractures which have been 

 produced can also be seen. The houses are built of brick, 

 and are in many cases faced with a thin coat of white 

 plaster. Projecting from the level of the upper floor 

 there is a balcony fronted by a low balustrade. This is 

 supported by small beams which at their outer extremity 

 are carried on a row of cylindrical columns. This forms 

 a covered way in front of each row of houses. The roofs 

 are covered with thick tiles. It will be observed that the 

 arches of the upper windows spring sharply from their 

 abutments, and at their crown they carry a heavy key- 

 stone. The lower openings, which have a span of 9 

 feet, have evidently been constructed in imitation of the 

 open front of an ordinary Japanese house. These arch- 

 ways curve out gently from their abutments. The out- 

 side walls have a thickness of 13 J inches. 



The results obtained from a careful examination of 

 174 houses in streets running N.E. and 156 houses in 

 streets running N.W., all of these houses being similar, 

 were as follows : — 



1. In the upper windows nearly all the cracks ran 

 from the springing, which formed an angle with the 

 abutment. 



2. In the lower arches, yv\i\c\i curved into the abutments, 

 not a single crack was observed at the springway. The 

 cracks in these arches were near the crown, where beams 

 projected to carry the balcony. In many instances the 

 cracks proceeded from such beams, even if there were no 

 arch beneath. That cracks should occur in peculiar 

 positions, as is here indicated, is shown in the illustrations 

 which accompany the accounts of many earthquakes, 



3. The houses which were most cracked were in the 

 streets running parallel to the direction in which the 

 greater number and most powerful set of shocks cross 

 the city. 



