http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt700026mn No online items Processed by Nurit Lifshitz. Caltech Archives Archives California Institute of Technology 1200 East California Blvd. Mail Code 015A-74 Pasadena, CA 91125 Phone: (626) 395-2704 Fax: (626) 793-8756 Email: archives@caltech.edu URL: http://archives.caltech.edu/ 2007 California Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. 10215-MS 1
Descriptive Summary Title: R. R. Martel Papers, Date (inclusive): 1922-1935 Collection number: 10215-MS Creator: Martel, R. R. (Romeo Raoul) 1890-1965 Extent: 3 linear feet Repository: California Institute of Technology. Caltech Archives Pasadena, California 91125 Abstract: The correspondence, manuscripts, reports, photos, and published papers of Romeo Raoul Martel (1890-1965) form the collection known as the R. R. Martel Papers in the Archives of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Martel was professor of civil engineering at Caltech from 1918 until his retirement in 1960. Prof. Martel was a pioneer in the earthquake-resistant design of structures and in earthquake engineering research. He also served as a consulting engineer for the cities of Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Riverside and Los Angeles. Physical location: Archives, California Institute of Technology. Language of Material: Languages represented in the collection: English Access The collection is open for research. Researchers must apply in writing for access. Publication Rights Copyright may not have been assigned to the California Institute of Technology Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Caltech Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the California Institute of Technology Archives as the owner of the physical items and, unless explicitly stated otherwise, is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], R. R. Martel Papers, 10215-MS, Caltech Archives, California Institute of Technology. Acquisition Information The small collection of R. R. Martel Papers were donated to the Caltech Archives by Professor George W. Housner in April 2002. Biography Romeo Raoul Martel was born in Iberville, Quebec in 1890, and moved to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with his family a year later. He graduated from Brown University in 1912 and taught civil engineering at Rhode Island State College for a year, and at the Mechanics Institute in Rochester, New York, for another year. During 1915-1918, he was engaged in civil engineering work in industry. He worked as an assistant engineer for the Sayles Finishing Plants in Rhode Island and at the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in Amarillo, Texas. In 1918, he was invited to join the faculty of Caltech, where he became a full professor of civil engineering in 1930. R. R. Martel served as a consultant on the construction of Pasadena's San Rafael Bridge in 1921 and later consulted on the designs of the Linda Vista and Colorado Street bridges. He also served as a consulting engineer for the cities of Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Riverside and Los Angeles. He consulted on the design of flood control structures and reservoirs for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Los Angeles, and served on the Advisory Committee of Engineering of the US Coast and Geodetic Survey between 1947-1952. Professor Martel was one of the first engineers interested in the field of earthquake resistant structures. He was one of the founders, along with Dr. George W. Housner, of the independent non-profit Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, which was established in 1952 to promote research on safe and economical earthquake resistant structures. R. R. Martel was a member of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineers, the Seismological Society of America, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Concrete Institute, the Société des Ingénieurs Civils de France, and a past president of the Structural Engineering Association of Southern California. R. R. Martel passed away on February 28, 1965. Scope and Content 10215-MS 2
The small collection of R. R. Martel Papers comprise four boxes of correspondence, research notes, reports and photographs. They cover the time period of 1922 through 1935. About a third of R. R. Martel's collection deals with the Long Beach Earthquake, which occurred on March 10, 1933. A variety of material regarding that earthquake, from related correspondence to reports, can be found in Series 2. In 1926, Martel was a delegate of the Southern California Council on Earthquake Protection to the 3rd Pan-Pacific Science Congress in Tokyo, and again in 1929, to the World Engineering Congress there. Material regarding these conferences and others can be found in Series 3. Martel was consultant on the design and construction of many buildings and structures, both public and private. Rare and unique photos of earthquake damage to a variety of those structures in the U.S.A. and Japan can be found in Series 4. Rare journals and reprints from the late 1920s to the early 1930s, as well as Martel's remarks on earthquakes can be found in Series 5. The collection is organized into the following series: Series 1. Correspondence Series 2. Long Beach Earthquake (March 10, 1933) Series 3. Talks and Conferences Series 4. Maps and Photos Series 5. Publications Related Material Researchers should also examine the Papers of Robert A. Millikan, Don L. Anderson, and John P. Buwalda, as well as the oral histories of George W. Housner and Donald Hudson, which are deposited in the Caltech Archives. Indexing Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog. Subjects California Institute of Technology Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Civil engineering Earthquake engineering Earthquake resistant design Occupations Civil engineers Series 1. Correspondence Box 1, Folder 1 Board of Fire Underwriters of the Pacific 1927, 1933 Box 1, Folder 2 California Uniform Building Code 1933-1935 Box 1, Folder 3 Dewell, Henry D. 1928 Box 1, Folder 4 McBean, A. 1934 Box 1, Folder 5 McLean, Ralph S. 1933-1934 Box 1, Folder 6 Richter, R. M. 1934 10215-MS 3
Series 1. Correspondence Box 1, Folder 7 Miscellaneous correspondence Scope and Content Burne, Stanley 1933 Clay Products Institute of California 1928 Derrick, C. J. 1934 Doolittle, H. L. 1931 Erick, Murray undated Garrett, J. A. 1933 Gregory, S. M. 1933 Hadley, Homer M. 1933 Hayes, J. E. 1935 Maher, T. J. 1933 Naito, T. 1927 Querida, Quinta 1933 Simons Brick Company 1933 Whittlesey, H. C. 1933 Wilder, Robert M. 1933 Series 2. Long Beach Earthquake (March 10, 1933) Related Correspondence Box 1, Folder 8 Binder, R. W. 1933 Box 1, Folder 9 Davies, J. H. 1933-1934 Box 1, Folder 10 Hammill, Harold B. 1933 Box 1, Folder 11 Marshal, Donald E. 1933 Box 1, Folder 12 Miller, A. F. G. 1933 Box 1, Folder 13 Narver, D. L. 1933 Box 1, Folder 14 Shield, J. E. 1933-1934 Box 1, Folder 15 Sweeney, John 1932-1933 School Buildings Box 1, Folder 16 "Estimates of cost for rehabilitation of Los Angeles City schools," excerpt from Southwest Builder and Contractor 1933 Dec Box 1, Folder 17 Report: "Certain information pertaining to the problem of reconstructing, rehabilitating, and strengthening school buildings of Los Angeles City" 1934 Jan 5 Box 1, Folder 18 Report: "Structural problems in connection with the design of earthquake resistive school buildings," [by] C. H. Kromer 1934 Apr 14 Box 1, Folder 19 School Safety Bonds 1933-1934 Box 1, Folder 20 Brochure: "Safety with economy in school buildings" 1934 Aug Prepared and published by National Lumber Manufacturers association. Box 1, Folder 21 Diagram: Beverly Hills High School undated Reports Box 1, Folder 22 "Preliminary notice: Earthquake of March 10, 1933" 1933 Apr 4 Box 1, Folder 23 "Engineering lessons of the quake," by R. R. Martel 1933 Apr 12 Presented at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Symposium on the Long Beach Earthquake of March 10, 1933. Box 1, Folder 24 "What happened geologically," by J. P. Buwalda 1933 Apr 12 Presented at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Symposium on the Long Beach Earthquake of March 10, 1933. 10215-MS 4
Series 2. Long Beach Earthquake (March 10, 1933) Box 1, Folder 25 "What happened seismologically," by H. O. Wood 1933 Apr 12 Presented at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Symposium on the Long Beach Earthquake of March 10, 1933. Box 1, Folder 26 "The Southern California earthquake as affecting automatic sprinkler fire protection" 1933 Apr 12 Two copies. Box 1, Folder 27 "Building Department of the City of Long Beach repairs by Gunite, specification no. 1" 1933 May 4 Includes photos. Box 1, Folder 28 "Effect of Southern California earthquake upon building of unit masonry construction," by Raymond E. Davis 1933 May 31 Two copies. Box 2, Folder 1 "Abstracts of reports received regarding the earthquake which occurred in Southern California on March 10, 1933" 1933 Jun 15 Prepared by the Department of Commerce, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Box 2, Folder 2 "Report concerning earthquake of March 10, 1933" 1933 Jun 26 Submitted by Harry H. Baskerville to the Los Angeles City Board of Education. Box 2, Folder 3 "Condensed report of the damage done by the earthquake of March 10, 1933, and subsequent shocks to the Lyons Van Storage warehouse, Long Beach, California," compiled by E. S. Marsh 1933 Aug 1 Box 2, Folder 4 "The Southern California earthquake," by Victor A. Endersby 1933 Includes photos. Box 2, Folder 5 "Report of the Southern California earthquake of March 10, 1933 in the design of steel storage tanks" 1934 Jan 11 Prepared by the California District Sub-Committee on Tanks. Box 2, Folder 6 Box 2, Folder 7 "Report of the structural damage to the Wilmore Apartments, Long Beach, California," [Prepared by] Edward L. Mayberry probably 1933 "Report on California First National Bank building, First & Pine, Long Beach" probably 1933 Includes photos. Series 3. Talks and Conferences 3 rd Pan-Pacific Science Congress, Tokyo, Japan 1926 Box 2, Folder 8 "s: Reconstruction of Tokyo and Yokohama" [1927] 10215-MS 5
Series 3. Talks and Conferences Box 2, Folder 9 "Discussions on construction of earthquake proof frame buildings," by Dr. Tachu Naito undated Translated from Japanese. Box 2, Folder 10 Miscellaneous research material regarding Japan earthquake Sep 1, 1923 World Engineering Congress, Tokyo, Japan 1929 Box 2, Folder 11 "On earthquake and building construction," by Dr. Kenzaburo Mashima 1929 Presented at the World Engineering Congress, Japan, 1929. Box 2, Folder 12 "On the vibration curves of high framed structures," by A. Mizuhara 1929 Presented at the World Engineering Congress, Japan, 1929. Box 2, Folder 13 "Earthquake-resistant building construction in Japan in theory and practice" 1929 Abstracts of papers presented at the World Engineering Congress, Japan, 1929. Box 2, Folder 14 Photos of Japanese buildings and structures probably 1926 Students' classwork dated Jan-Apr 1929 on reverse side. Box 2, Folder 15 Postcards of Japanese buildings undated Students' classwork dated Jan-Apr 1929 on reverse side. Box 2, Folder 16 Excerpts from Engineering News-Record regarding Japanese structures 1929-1930 Box 2, Folder 17 Glass slides for Martel's lecture Scope and Content Box 1: 6 b/w slides of Tokyo, Japan undated Box 2: 7 b/w slides of Tokyo, Japanundated Box 3: 5 b/w slides of Yokohama, Japanundated Box 4: 5 colored slides of Japan, generalundated Talks Box 2, Folder 18 "Strengthening buildings for earthquake stress," talk given at University of Southern California 1934 May 31 Box 2, Folder 19 Structural Engineers Association of California Annual Convention (4 th: Fresno) 1935 Oct 18-19 Box 2, Folder 20 "Two years of experience in the application of the Field Act" 1935 Nov 7 Paper presented before the Industrial Section of the California State Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles. Series 4. Maps and Photos Box 3, Folder 1 Map: Los Angeles District undated Box 3, Folder 2 Map: Depleted groundwater basins in metropolitan area 1931 Aug Box 3, Folder 3 Photos: Seismographic records 1922, 1928 Box 3, Folder 4 Photos: Santa Barbara earthquake damages 1925-1929 Box 3, Folder 5 Photos: First Trust Building, Pasadena, California undated Box 3, Folder 6 Photos: The New Edison Building, Los Angeles, California undated Box 3, Folder 7 Photos: Southern California earthquake damages 1933 Mar 10 Box 3, Folder 8 Photos: Earthquake damage to a house in Compton, California undated 10215-MS 6
Series 4. Maps and Photos Box 3, Folder 9 Box 3, Folder 10 Box 3, Folder 11 Photos: Gold Medal Creamery Building, East Anaheim near Ohio undated Photos: Unidentified buildings photos undated Photo: Apparatus, unidentified undated Series 5. Publications Journals Box 3, Folder 12 Building Economy, vol. 6, no. 6 1930 Jul Box 3, Folder 13 California Highways and Public Works 1933 Apr, Jul-Aug Box 3, Folder 14 The Conference Bulletin 1933 Apr, Jun; 1934 Jan Box 3, Folder 15 The Engineering Magazine, vol. 1, no. 4 1930 Dec Box 3, Folder 16 Masonry Mortar 1934 Box 3, Folder 17 Pipe Progress, vol. 18, no. 2 1933 Apr Box 3, Folder 18 West Coast Builders 1933 Mar Reports Box 3, Folder 19 "The rigidity and strength of flame walls," by George W. Trayer 1929 Oct 7 Accompanied by a letter dated May 2, 1933 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Box 3, Folder 20 "Report of flame and bond tests made upon Thermax insulating board for the Thermax Corporation, Chicago, Illinois" 1932 Jan 14 Report no. 2282 of the Committee on Testing, Department of Civil Engineering, Columbia University. Box 3, Folder 21 "Report on effects of Southern California earthquake on Lamella Roof Construction" probably 1934 2 copies. Box 3, Folder 22 "The dynamics of oscillating structures," [by] L. M. Hoskins undated Box 3, Folder 23 "Earthquake provisions for First Trust Building, Pasadena, California," [by R. R. Martel] probably 1927 Reprints and Miscellaneous Box 4, Folder 1 R. R. Martel reprints 1929, 1933 Box 4, Folder 2 Reprints of others 1924-1934 Box 4, Folder 3 Binder: "s on earthquakes" by R. R. Martel 1933-1934 Box 4, Folder 4 Broschure: When earthquake comes-good construction wins! probably 1934 Published by Portland Cement Association. Box 4, Folder 5 Excerpts from Engineering News-Record and newspaper clippings 1927-1933 10215-MS 7