PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 38, 8 November 1907, Page 5

PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE.

'.m";Jo '.'.,'V'''i.:i'- w.iiil 'U .km * >iO , .. ' "So' tlio.,G6verrinient Architect' (Mr. John'-' Campbell) is' -aware •'there' iiig "resembling ,tk,o^,jjev^l'ublic,: :Offiq.o, ;,in „.qo.ursb of orcCtiol^'.''on' : framc" building, as-ariyoho' who.jpsse's" along Lambtoii ,-Qu'ay but ; anyoi|o;- wJjo liaa .travelled :'aud .pbser.vedj; knows r; caiis never trotiblo iabouta'steel-'frauio for 'a* building' of. tile" co'mparahYely pattryheight df.. : 6iir.'"'how'' is buildings of. oyer eight j and tea' stpries;whero 1 tho-steel-franlo construction" is '..'iss'ortEd. to, and,then it,is not to make a building carth-quak'c-prodf:' That 'was "not '"contemplated to any , marked extent until tho, San Francisco oarthquako proved that the steel-frame' -building was capable of resisting.a_tcnsional pull better than any other mothod of construction...'.ln America'the steel fraino of a building is calculated by the engineer (the. architect dias nothing to-do with it) to- carry a- certain weight, which includes besides the roof, floors, fittings, and goo Is to bo stored, tho actual weight of tho walls, be they of brick, stone, or other material, 'arid insteiuKbf'■rthY'se.-boarjnglm. tho ground direct,- the wall fabric is just hung on to tho steei frame. Tho public Trust building is hot of such a class. It is being built of brick and Tonga Bay granite, and oven whore, thei'b 'is a heavy 'facing' df-"stone (us oh'the first'floor)''there' is~ai- < linirijs , !of»brick, ' and'it? i's'-'this brick lining that is being built round 'tho steel uprights. The progress' of ,tho work', has; so far/ been fairly satisfactory, the steer work-construction particularly, so,' but the stono has not been coming to hand so freely as anticipated, owing to -the work-ontailod on opening-up the quarry so as to get tho better class-granite. For the purposo-of standardising the stone, tho Tonga Bay ; product has boon divided into .first,., second, and.third-class stono, butjmlytlio first and second classes are" Wing ''used. Mr. Canipboll says that while such a thing as an earthquake-proof building Jias not. yet been dovised by man, nor is dikely to' bo, ho estimates that tho Public' Trust Office, with its'massivo.. steel franjOj; will be fojr times as' strong as -if' it' werb just a brick and 'stono building; ■•<■■-■<