considerable deflection had developed. As the load increased, the
deflection increased, and extended for probably 15 or 20 ft. on either
side of the loaded area. Finally, under about three-fourths of the
desired breaking load for the 4-ft. strip, it became evident that
collapse would soon occur. The load was left undisturbed and, in 3 or 4
min., an area about 16 ft. square tore loose from the remainder of the
floor and fell. The first noticeable deflection in the above test
extended for 8 or 10 ft. on either side of the loaded strip. It would
seem that this test indicated considerable distributing power in the
round rods, although they were not counted as reinforcement for
load-carrying purposes at all. The concrete was extremely poor, and none
of the steel was stressed beyond the elastic limit. While this test may
not justify the designer in using lighter reinforcement for the short
way of the slab, it at least indicates a very real value for some
reinforcement in the other direction. It would seem to indicate, also,
that light steel members in a concrete slab might resist a small amount
of shear. The slab in this case was about 6 in. thick.

SANFORD E. THOMPSON, M. AM. SOC. C. E. (by letter).--Mr. Godfrey's
sweeping condemnation of reinforced concrete columns, referred to in his
fifteenth point, should not be passed over without serious criticism.
The columns in a building, as he states, are the most vital portion of
the structure, and for this very reason their design should be governed
by theoretical and practical considerations based on the most
comprehensive tests available.

The quotation by Mr. Godfrey from a writer on hooped columns is
certainly more radical than is endorsed by conservative engineers, but
the best practice in column reinforcement, as recommended by the Joint
Committee on Concrete and Reinforced Concrete, which assumes that the
longitudinal bars assist in taking stress in accordance with the ratio
of elasticity of steel to concrete, and that the hooping serves to
increase the toughness of the column, is founded on the most substantial
basis of theory and test.

In preparing the second edition of "Concrete, Plain and Reinforced," the
writer examined critically the various tests of concrete columns in
order to establish a definite basis for his conclusions. Referring more
particularly to columns reinforced with vertical steel bars, an
examination of all the tests of full-sized columns made in