Salt Lake Telegram | 1927-09-12 | Page 3 | London Alarmed over Collapse of Buildings

London Al Alarmed Over Collapse of Buildings Shifting Strata C Cause use Weakened Foun Foundations a. a V Scientists I Seek Remedy LONDON England AP Lon don has dIscovered that Its house Is upon the sand and It Is shivering In consequence Not since the German aIr raids of ten years ago has there been such trepidation over the possibility of catastrophe In the last few weeks weeks' a half haIr dozen buildings In varIous parts of the city have crumbled and fallen to the ground great holes hav have opened In the streets and a tremendous cavity was found beneath PIccadilly which Is In course of reconstruction A joint committee meeting has has' been called to take J lac between the Royal Institute or of British Architects Architects Archi- Archi and the Federation o of BuildIng BuildIng Build Build- Ing Trades Employers to discus s the stability or of London London builders have made application for fora a of the standard form or of agreement ement between builders and andl l and the National Physical cal laboratory Is studying the effects effects ef- ef ot of vibration on buildings The collapse o of large structures one a 0 story seven office building In street across from the Bank of and England the opening of huge ho s In the streets have revealed the the faCt that London Is built on on a shirting shifting foundation The top thirty feet feel of London's surface ground Is composed of shift Ing strata In which h endless burrowing has gone on and on Underground London Is full of streams and w water tex has been drained from one place to another as an architect said recently to meet th the needs ot of the moment In such an InconseqUential way that the water water- bearing strata Is constantly shifting and making hidden chasms that may have serious consequences V We Ve must consider carefully the ulterior effects ot of any work undertaKen under under- taKen said a London builder belta be ID l learned arned that In dig dig- n w u ging a foundation In one oha place we may under certain circumstances bring down downa a building a mite mile away Builders now desire the immediate immedi- immedi ate limitation o of their ties because of the instability ot of many old London buildings gs h ha have va no foundations at all and whose walls even lack footings The new buildings noW In course of construction are supported on shafts sunk thirty feet to the substrata substrata sub sub- strata strata- of rock Any building not supported on such shafts thirty feet deep Is considered unsafe London antiquarians fear for the preservation of their ancient architectural architectural archi- archi monuments and the trustees of several ancient churches are discussing dis- dis cussing the cost or of havIng foundation tIon surveys made