It would seem from this table that the judgment of the investigators
was lenient. In nearly one-half of the cases the character of the men
and women was said to be good.
* * * * *
Fire tests of cast iron columns, made by order of the city authorities
of Hamburg, are described in recent issues of the Deutsche Bauzeitung.
The columns were 10 feet 8 inches long, 10.5 inches in diameter and of
1/13 inch or 0.5 inch metal. They were loaded centrally and
eccentrically, and some were cased with a fireproof covering. A
hydraulic press was placed below the column and its crosshead above
it, and then a hinged oven containing twelve large gas burners was
clamped about the column. The oven was furnished with apparatus for
measuring heat, with peep holes and with a water jet. On an average a
load of 3.2 tons per square inch, with a heat of 1,400° F., produced
deformation in thirty-five minutes in a centrally loaded column
without casing. This showed itself by bulging all round in the middle
of the heated part, especially where the metal happened to be thinner;
fracture occurred finally in the middle of the thickest point of the
bulge. If the load was less, this occurred at a higher temperature.
Jets of water had no effect until deformation heat was reached. The
casings had the effect of increasing the time before deformation began
from half an hour to four or five hours.
* * * * *