The Evening Star THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1873.

Evening Star, Issue 3325, 16 October 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1873.

ALTHOUGH quite agreeing with the City Surveyor that it would be impossible for him to add to his other duties that of supervising the whole of the buildings in course of erection in Dunedin, it is plain that there is something yet to be ascertained with regard to either the process of construction or the strength or condition of the materials employed in the formation of cornices such as that which fell in Princes street. We can corroborate the statement of the City Surveyor, so far as a calculation of the balance of weight of the material employed is concerned. There should have been no foil of tho cornice had the conditions been fulfilled ; but since nothing happens without a cause, a more searching investigation than has been made should be instituted, lest something more serious than has yet occurred should hereafter take place. We do not consider the suggestion of the City Surveyor, that the cornice fell through the vibration of the scaffold, by any means a solution of the mystery. The displacement of the walling through the leverage of the cross piecesofthescaffoldinsertedinto the wall, when it fell, did not bring the brickwork down, nor cause any very extensive derangement of it. Throughout the whole length of the building the brick-work stood, which would not have been the case had the cornice overbalanced it, or the vibration of the scaffold disturbed the equilibrium- It was not the brick-work that gave way, it was the cornice that broke and fell;' and we are therefore thrown back upon the question of strength of materials I under given conditions, and the actual | conditions under which those materials were expected to bear the strain. These should be known in order to ascertain whether any special circumstances led to the disaster. A minute investigation is the more necessary, as this is not the first nor merely the second

time that similar cornices have given way in Dunedin. Builders, architects, and citizens ai’e deeply interested in a thorough search into the matter. The reputation of an architect or of a builder may suffer through some unexpected tendency in the material employed to soften, and consequently become weak in carrying out certain processes in building. Mr Barnes appears to have ventured upon expressing an opinion that tho contractor was “in no way to Mr Mirams effectually clears the architect. If he be correct in his surmise that the vibration of the scaffold caused the accident, we ask who was to blame fur that ? It is no use now to inquire of the scaffold ; for its fall effectually prevents all proof as to its efficient construction ; and, as we do not think such a surmise a probable explanation of the cause of the fall, although no point should be lost sight of tending to throw light on the subject, it does not seem to us of primary importance. Careful examination of the wall, we have no doubt, has been made by both architects and builders, and tests should be applied in order that the nature and composition of the materials employed, and their capability of sustaining specific strains or weights should be known. Mr Mirams tells the public this was done, and the test was satisfactory on “a cornice erected in the Corporation store, without the cantalivers.” This was proof enough to show that, if the material was strong enough, it was quite safe to construct the cornice first and add the cantalivers afterwards. But the cornice broke, fell, and carried the scaffold down : and other cornices have fallen as this did : has the “ vibration ” of the scaffold always induced this ? If so, the construction of scaffolds must be looked to, and we think that at any rate a fair subject for inspection by a competent officer. Public safety and that of the workmen should not be imperilled by ricketty scaffolds. Mr Mirams has plenty to do \ hut scaffold construction is a question that is clearly within the scope of Corporation bye-laws, whetffei provided for in the Building Ordinance or not.