34 THE SAN ERANCISCO EARTHQUAKE AND EIRE. 
were fireproofed with concrete. The brick protection around many 
of the columns was jarred loose, and the brick vaults on the first, sec- 
ond, and third floors were badly cracked around the archways of the 
openings into them, as shown in PI. XXIX, A, a view of a vault in 
the second story. The stairways were constructed of concrete with 
steel channel horses and were cracked in a number of places, espe- 
cially at the landings. Some of the wooden window frames were 
burned, but the fire was not very severe either in the building or sur- 
rounding it, the greatest damage resulting from the earthquake. 
The partitions inclosing stairways and elevator shafts were of the 
usual flimsy metal lath and plaster type. The walls were so badly 
cracked as to require partial rebuilding, especially at the southwest 
and northwest corners. 
CALL (CLATTS SPRECKELS") BUILDING. 
The Call Building (fifteen stories besides the dome), corner of 
Third and Market streets, was one of the best-designed skeleton build- 
ings in San Francisco. It was fairly well braced laterally, and the 
workmanship was first class. It stood the earthquake shock well be- 
cause of its excellent foundation, which extended 25 feet below the side- 
walk and consisted of a grillage of steel beams embedded in concrete. 
The main defect was in the fireproofing of the floors and columns, 
in which terra cotta was used, and the greatest damage to the build- 
ing was from fire. Although some of the diagonal braces were bent 
and had apparently been stretched so as to take a permanent set, the 
general behavior of the structure demonstrates that high build- 
ings subject to earthquake can be erected with safety even' on sand 
foundations. 
The floors were of reenforced concrete up to the seventh story and 
of hollow-tile arches above, topped with cinder concrete. The par- 
titions were principally 3-inch hollow tile, and these failed very gen- 
erally. The terra-cotta fireproofing around the columns proved inef- 
fective, and although the steel did not buckle, the paint had been 
burned off the metal. Wood floors laid on wood nailing strips were 
used in all offices and were all destroyed by fire. The marble tiling 
and wainscoting of the corridors was either shaken down by the 
earthquake or destroyed by the fire. The stairways had cast-iron 
horses and marble treads, most of the latter being calcined. The 
suspended wire lath and plaster ceilings were generally destroyed 
because of the lack of proper fastenings. The curtain walls of 
granite and sandstone were not damaged by the earthquake, but were 
considerably spalled by the fire. 
