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THE RACECOURSE DISASTER.
EVIDENCE OF EXPERTS:
DISAGREEMENT WIFE COLONEL WARD.
MR. H. W. BIRD STATES THAT HE WOULD HAVE PASSED THE SHEDS.
MR. LO'S STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF RELATIVES OF CHINESE
enquiry
VICRING
ENQUIRY TO CLUSE TOMORROW,
the disaster at the
That is, they would have resisto
Looking at the photographs, do you consider the 1014 sheds were more stable than the 1918 shods ---Undoubtedly.
Looking at the site plan you will seo that the sheds are erected, in Would you, on account of that carve have taken measures to make the shous
For the reason that the foors in 1914 were built on the same level?--Yes, but extra strong at the point where No
it does not follow that because the 1914 and 9 are erected 1 That would rather sheds were stronger that the 1918 sheds strike one aé being a weak point. were not strong enough.
In your opinion does it make any The photographs of the sheds for a difference to the stability of the atteds series of years show how the matsheds whether the poles are inserted into have been increasing in height from year ground or not-None at all.
year, would you have allowed that increase to go on 1-There must bon limit You cannot go on piling up the storeys.
to
stopped them I can hardly say.
If you had had the passing of the
The struts should be let Bato the ground-They want to be recoured to something which is let into the ground.
Race Course was continued at the lateral thrust in the sled-It is not mataheds over a séries of years you would say it was favourable to stability.
Magistracy yesterday.
Mr. T. L. Porkins, recalled, said the sid the ordinary price for erecting matsheds with windows and doors was 88 per bandred
feet. A fair price for the raccourse sheds. would be about $7 per 100 square feet of ground area covered. An approximate calculation made from the site plan of the raccourse matsheds showed that there were 22,300 square feet, which, at $7 per 100 square fout, came to 81,561.e
The object of this evidence was to show that a fair price had been charged by the contractor for his work. His charge was something over $1,000,
Mr. A. E. Wright then produced a plan of the matsheds, based upon the evidence given by the contractor, showing the position of the staircase in each shed.
Mr. Bowley: The general tendency of the positions of the staircases would be towards the cometer) {--Yes,""
AN ARCHITECT'S EVIDENCE Mr. H. W. Bird, partner in the arm of Messrs. Palmer & Turner, architects, said he had read the report of the en- quiry in the Daily Press, had seen the sheds during the course of construction and had examined the models of sheds 8, 9 and 16 in Court. In his opinion it www.impossible to pick out any shed and deal with it individually. One must take the whole structure when considering the cause of the collapse.
There was as much likelihood of these sheds giving way from a thrust front and back near the centre of the row, as from a thrust from right to left?--That is my opinion.
now..
Then it comes to this, that having se gard to the fact that the sheds 9 to 15 | 1910 are worse. inclusive hnd no
behind, though their party walls Were Cross braced, and to the fact that struts were
struts
boards, and not on the ground, is that favourable or unfavourable-I should
altogether lateral thrust. It is a hove noticed this increase Would you
The Crown: Solicitor: As a practising. have stopped it this year?--I would architect would you consider the drawing thrust from East to West
certainly not allow them to go higher of a plan of these matsheds beforehand, than But as a matter of fact as is done in the case of a permanent Judging from the photograph there was building, to be of any use?It would four storey matahod in 1916. To my have been useful to the Inspector to have mind there is no difference between the had plans made by someone with a know- matsheds of 1918 and 1918. If anything ledge of building. All he would have had to have done then would be to me that A THEORY AS TO THE COLLAPSE, the plans were carried out.
Have you yourself formed any theory
Do you think it would have made any as to the cause of the collapse-I have difference to the safety of the structure place behind sheds 1 to 3 inclusive, these thought a good deal about it, and the only if plans of the matsheds had been pre- matches were as well constructed to resist theory I can form is that, after the first pared! They might probably then not a lateral thrust from the direction of day's racing, some of the important up have been built so high but after all, abed No. 19 as they were to resist rights got out of the perpendicular that depends largely upon the man for thrust from front to back in the centre which, in a shed loaded with people, whom you are building, off of tho row Yes. In my opinion the would cause these uprights to break. ahods would have been very much stronger They are only intended to carry for these matsheds would you, having with the struts at the rear, but I would absolutely vertical load. That would: not go so far as to say that their absence cause the sinking at that portion of thei
that responsibility, have made certain was a source of weakness.
calculations and exercised certain pre- shed. A number of people would be thrown on to that
cautions?--I think probably I should, and the collapsc spot of any portion of the structure would tead but I do not think it possible to work to throw the whole thing down. It is out engineering strains for this building, possible that some of the lashings may taking the building na a whole. have got loon after the first day's traffic. That being so would your firm have That with the increased traffic on the refused to prepare the plans-Very second day, would cause the poles to leave likely. Certainly wo should not be their vertical position and the effect, cared about it. in a heavily loaded shed, would be to break the uprights. If there is any truth in the statement of lashings being, cut that would have a similar effect.
PASSING THE SHEDS. If you had had the duty of inspecting these shoda, do you think you would have passed them as erecteal i-It is a rather difficult question, but seeing that these matsheds have been similarly constructed -certainly in 1915, 1916, and 1917-and they have successfully done their work, I think I should have passed them,
You would have had no misgivings about it? That again is a difficult ques tion; but supposing I had had misgivings and I had said let us test these matsheds. you could only test then with a dead load. It would have been quite impraed
The Coroner. If your firm had been asked, professionally to prepare the plans
Supposing you had been asked to pre- pare these plans and had undertaken fo do it, could you have arranged for a safety margin of strength to be allowed The suggestion was made by Colonel to cover all the conditions? I think you Ward that if these lashings were cut at could. You could have allowed a margin any point it would not cause the uprights so as to bave made it morally certain Witness wag a invited to make a state-ticable to test them with a live load to leave the perpendicular-I do not that the structure would serve its pur- ment, but he remarked that he would The point is whether you would have agree with that at all. That opinion pose 1 should be inrgoly guided by pre- prefer to answer questions and give his insisted upon certain changes being made? would only apply to an absolutely dend
eedent without doubt, opinion, on an aginte that might fond specstihy I would be very diftong, and I should be doubtful about it
The Crown Solicitor Some of the dent about making any very great changes strains are coming all day. sheds are ore storey, some two storeys in construction, especially in view of the Hate you been able to form any opinion and some three storeys. Do you consider fact that similar sheds hail been erected as to what point in the row of sheds the
collapse, began
"E" Twi
Would it be fair to say in considering the cause of the collapse that, although ture, the cause of the collapse might hage the sheds must be regarded as one struc- been defective material in one shed
a three storey matshed is safe for prac in previous years 9 Model MD. VALE STDThe only thing I can Yes, but all the other theds would go to
tically an unlimited number of People
again it is1o
it is a question of the three storey portion of the whole · structure. If you took out
this particular three storey matshed and allowed it to stand by itself, and crowded it with people it would be exceedingly dangerone, That would be quite different to the pree sent position where the shed is supported by the sheds adjoining it.
Dealing with the question of strute, witness stated that the struts of the. three storey matsheds should have been carried out in line with the roof, as was
είναι
the case with the two storey matsheds, But in that case these struts would have hed to have been carried back some feet and that would put them right on to the putting greens. O
The Coroner: For this reason that
You think you would have passed then confidently I don't know about that. I must say it would have been ʼn vory strong point in their favour that the sheds bad been similarly constructed for several years previously and there had never been an accident. One has a great deal of faith in these matched contractors. would have weighed very strongly with
suggest is that it was somewhere near counteract that weaknes, If the weak Nos, 8 and 9
ness What makes you think that? The way could not counteract it there would lo Was so great that the other sheds in which, according to all accounts, the collapse Take, for instante, one shet sheds fell. They fell, in that direction standing alone. It would be much more from East to West
The fact that they fell East to West than if the the End others on either side dangerous to have a defect in that shed lends you to suppose that a weakness of it. occurred there?--I think so. If it had ccurred there it would have had the all the respon
What we are asking is that you take effect of bringing the sheds, down in that
responsibility on your win should direction that the cas
Joe.
ars and form an opinion as to what Let us assume that the cause of the you would have dong 1-It is pure conjec collapse was that there sheds were ture. I might have insisted upon some,
Carry
more strute at the be on to the grem, ang loud too heavy for them and, sup If I had made any changes at all that the time, how would you expect that fact greens pose the shods were standing upright at is the ore I think I should have made to disclose itself 11 think the poles
Assuming for this discussion that you
would break, had seen the designs before the sheds weze erected and had bean given a free hand
that the sheds were seen to sway back
How would you account for the fact
Wards and forwards before falling-If
portion of the structure had suck down I think that the sheds would un doubtedly sway before falling.
Mr. Perkins in his evidence yesterday
is the absence of struts the three-If I had made any alteration the one story shed would be less stable than the I have just referred to would have been two storey shed !—You sto rather taking the one I should have made. I should one matahel out of the whole structure have said You want some more struts again.
at the back." I do not think I should have made any point about cross-bracing front and back. You have to take into dealing with overloading, and ho would consideration what the sheds are for and expect the sheds to bulge at the back or
The Coroner That 50 we will say would be at less stable portion of the structure "Yes.
storey shed, do you think it would have been better if there had been more cross bracing If there had been more cross bracing it. would have been stronger, but, at the same time, the braces which have been put in are more aportant than the branes which have been left out. I think fade yet on be that cross bracing in the rear and front
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If you had had control of the design of these sheds the only alteration you would probably have made would be the addition of struts behind I think, so your worship.
contract with the contractor, and it is of Each of the owners made a separate great interest to them, I take it, to know whether what caused & collapse was a structure or whether the cause of the defect in the whole row of sheds as one collapse was a defect in the material in one of the sheds. Can you help us!--I
see your point, but I cannot give any
dency of a collapse at that spot would help. If certain of the uprights get oht of position in certain shed the ten- bo to draw all the sheds with it.
THREE POSSIBILITIES
that the uprights got out of the per- Then there are three possibilities, one ing same, uprights, one or more broke pendicular, two, that owing to overload- and three, that there was defective ma any of those throes Each, to my mind, terial in one of the shods? It might be would produce the Base results It has been suggested that the lashing were eut at the bases of No. 12. What
would you expect the effect of that would be I do not think if they were cut at that low level that it would cause a,
Commenting upon the
showing aid that the fact that the majority of the positions of the staircases witness the staircases were on the same sides of the sheds would be cause of weakness in case of a panic.
Dealing with the model of the three you want to keep the front as open as front. You think that the fact that there collapse. I do not think it would effect
see and at the back was too great a load would be disclosed the whole structure, by the breaking of the uprights --My 11: own idea is that the uprights would bend and then finally snap. The act of bend ing might cause the sheds to bulge- noticeable back and front 1-Nut for any Would you expect the bulge to be
length of time: The poles would bend first and then breaks
Look at the cross bracing in the front and rear walls
at shown on the plan.
walls would innke the shed stronger, but I insisted upon the three-storey portion You do not think you would have think, also, that the cross bracing of the being reduced to two storey?—No, <1 party wall is more important because it don't think . Actually, of course,
have
deal
tor's sketch of the cross bracing your Mr. Bowley Looking at the contrac criticism was that the cross bracing of No. 9 was not carried far enough. The reason for stopping the cross bracing was to allow for the openings? That is to
The Coroner: Don't you think that these doorways could have been so arrang-
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ant to back of difference, and if you have doors car crass bracing in the rear wall, does not It would be difficult, but I don't think it It has been suggested that the cause ried through the whole structure is conjoin up with the adjoining cross bracing Mr. Bowley: You were asked by his
would be impossible,
of the collapse was a thrust towards one siderably stronger.
Dear sheds 9, 10 and 11.
worship if Nos,& and 9 did not for a Bide towards
For that cause there is a point of weak spot owing to the 20gle, Bering that there sheds are constructed as one weakness-Yes.
that all the poles are carried as for an In the model, as you will see, there is possible, that the cross bracing under cross bracing underneath the floor. Do the floor is carried right through, that you consider that cross bracing woulded as if there was a single roof-generally
the cross-bracing of the roof in construct have any effect in resisting thrust is not the fact that these sheds were con Oh, yes, to a certain extent. It would structed as one a source of strength I offer a fair amount of resistance to a think so, year it ha thrastu
The crows bracing in the roof, would that help --I do not attach much im portance, to that 2754
than any
cemetery do you Do you think you would have insisted think that in thei construction the on the floors being for the most part on mustehods are we to resist that thrust the same level throughout That is prac ther 1-→That question is rather tically the same as the previous question. answered by my suggestion about struts. Not quite, because in some two storey If the struts had been carried out right sheds the floors are at different levels 1- at the back they would have resisted such I don't think I should, plac za b
thrust. If there had been a thrust that way these shores, which I suggest, would have counter acted it,
In view of past experience you would have, passed the sheds is the stood think I abo
7
Mr. Perkins informed us that the stair- case would form a natural, strut– No doubt it does. Constructed as it is, it forms a good strut,