42 THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE AND EIRE. 
UNITED STATES MINT. 
The massive three-story Government building occupied by the 
United States mint, at Fifth and Mission streets (PI. XXXVIII), 
which was not damaged to any appreciable extent by the earthquake, 
was inspected in company with the superintendent, Mr. Leach. One 
of the interior walls was weakened by a break in the sewer which ran 
under it, and one of the chimneys was cracked at the top. This struc- 
ture, which is located at the intersection of two wide streets, is built 
on soft alluvium, but rests upon a substantial pile foundation. The 
bearing walls were of solid brick faced with granite, the northwest 
face of which was badly spalled by fire (PL XXXVIII, B). The 
floors consisted of brick arches between steel beams, finished in cement. 
They were supported by cast-iron columns, which were unprotected 
except where they were incased by the heavy brick wall partitions. 
The doors and windows were of wood glazed with plate glass, the 
windows on the first and second floors being fitted with folding inside 
iron shutters. The roof and northwest side of the third story caught 
fire from without, but as an artesian w T ell provided an independent 
supply of water the fire was prevented from gaining a foothold, and 
the building was but slightly damaged. 
MONADNOCK BUILDING. 
The ten-story Monadnock office building, on the south side of 
Market street between the Palace Hotel and the Call Building, was 
in process of construction and was damaged by the earthquake and 
by dynamiting in the vicinity, besides being gutted by fire. 
The west wall was not erected, as that section was incomplete, pend- 
ing the satisfactory purchase of the land. The structure had a steel 
skeleton frame, reenforced-concrete floors, with a ceiling of plastered 
expanded metal. The columns were incased with two layers of plas- 
tered expanded metal, with a dead air space between them. The 
partitions were 3 inches thick, plastered on wire lath. The floors were 
topped with cinder concrete and covered with tile in the corridors 
and with w T ood in the offices. The corridors were to have been wain- 
scoted w T ith marble also. The building was not adequately braced 
diagonally. Large areas of the exterior were damaged and will 
have to come down. Two unprotected columns in the basement col- 
lapsed, settling the floors for 7 inches. The building is to be repaired 
by jacking up the floors and replacing the buckled columns. What 
effect this will have on the reenforced-concrete floors is problematical. 
Certainly their factor of safety is reduced, and in the judgment of 
the writer the building is materially weakened, for the reason that 
the buckling of the columns, which resulted in the settling of the 
floor, cracked the floor beams at their points of connection with the 
