374
tation was l.W, or 1.65 less than tlie nornid. The largest nionthly amount, 4.63, occurred at Easton, aiid the smallest, 0.45, at Davis Island Dam. The long continued drought extended until the l!?tth or 13th, when the surface drought was practically broken in the Delaware Basin and in the eastern ortions of tlie Rusquehanna Basin. Heavy rains occurred again in &ese sections on the 31st. I n the Ohio Basin the
MON!l!ELY WEATITER REVIEW.
at Blacksburg on the 30th. The average precipitation, l,il, was some- what below tlie normal, though it fell in a very beneficial manner-a series of gentle showers. The greatest nionthly amount was 4.15, and occurred at Birdsnest, and the least, 0.16, at Monterey. Frosts occurred on the lst, Sd, 3d, Ith, 9th. and loth, and ice on the Ist,, 2d, 911, &Ii, lOth, 21st, Ed, SBth, and 30th.
OCTOBER, 1896
went dr The mean tern erature was (i1.5', or 2.7' below the normal. The higtest temperature, 85', was recorded at Gillisonville on the ith,
~ ~ ~ ~ ~~
~-
~
at most stations to 10.00 at Harbor. The drought is one of the severest the lowest, !Eo, at Elizabethton on the 30th. The average precipitation on record. Frosta occurred at various points every day, except the 5th, , was 1.89. or near1 1.00 less than normal. The reatest monthly amount, and were most1 heavy enough to kill tender vegetation.
'
4.9, occurred at Jewanee, and the least, 0.60, at%cKenzie. The drou h t Omlimna.-TKe mean temperature was 56.90, or 4.6' below the nor- [ was partly broken on tlie 7th and Sth, but it was not until the 31st t i a t mal. The hi hest temperature, 96', was recorded at Lehigh on the general soaking rains prevailed. Frosts and thin ice were reported 16th, and thefowest, 21 , at Lehigh on the 28th. The average precipi- I from various stations throughout tlie State from the 1st to the 31st. tation was 3.14, or 0.42 above the normal amount. Tke greatest monthly I Z'c:rns.-The temperature averaged 4.1' below the normal. There amount, 4.69, occurred at Fort Sill, and the least; trace," at Lehigh. was a general deficiency of temperature throughont the State. The Frosts occurred on the 1st. 9th, 12th. 13th. 19th Both, 3lst. 24th. 25th, hi hest was !Ilj', at Houston, on tlie 18tli, and the lowest, 30, at Wichita Faqls, on the 8th. The precipitation was very irregularly distributed, but avernaed vnlv about 0.W less than the usual amount. The nreatest
31st. 2.00 less than the usual amount. The rainfall was ertreniely light, the average, 1.39, being about The greatest monthly amount was
I .
.~ 28th, and 31st. hgon.-The month was phenomenally dry; in fact, t.he driest eyer experienced within the memory of any pioneer. The average tem- gerature was 53.6', or 1.6', above the normal. In the eastern pnrt, owever, the temperature was decidedly hi her than the average. The highest temperature, 92', was recorded at 8anyon City on tlie lRth, and the lowest, Bo, at Burns on the 29th. The average precipitation was 0.09, being 3.65 less than, or about 23 per cent of the usiial amount. The greatest amount for the month, 1.37, occurred at Glenora, and the least, 0.00, at eight stations west of the Cascades, and twelve east of
zero, at Shiloh, on the 29th. The average precipitation was 0.20, or 1.14 less than the usual amount. T!le greatest monthly amount, 0.60, oc- curred at Bowdle, and the least, trace," at five stations.
month1 '&noun<, LY6, occurred at Temple, and the least, 0.00,'Slt Fort Ringgoh. Frosts occurred on the 13th, l-lth, 15th, 19th, a t h , Bth, Blth, and Slst. Utah.-TIie mean temperature N as 49.2'; the highest recorded, 95O, occurred at St. Georbe on the Sd, and the lowest, lo', at Castle on the 31st, and at Soliliers%umniit on the 29th. The avera e precipitation was 0.66. The greatest monthly amount, 1.28, occiirretf at Grover, and the least, 0.04, at Logan. Snow, to the depth 11f 1.5 fell at Moroni, and
to 4.00 deep over the northern portion nt the close of the month. Il'yun&/z.g.-The mean temperature was -15.0'. or about nornial. Tlie highest temperature reported was 89', at Wheatland on the lst, and
By C. F. HARVIN, Professor of Meteorology, U. 8. Weather Bureau.
An earthquake of sufficient severity to arouse many per-
sons from sleep and otherwise attract notice occurred shortly
after 5 a. m. ninetieth meridian time, of October 31. The
damage resulting therefrom was confined to the overthrow of
some chimney tops, the cracking of walls of brick or ma-
sonry buildings, the falling of plaster, and the breaking of
household ornaments, etc. The disturbance was felt over a
comparatively extensive region, embracing New Mexico and
Nebraska on the west, some portions of Canada on the north,
Louisiana and Georgia on the south, and North Carolina and
the District of Columbia on the east.
Without special solicitation of information relating to this
SPECIAL CONTFUBUTIONS.
other sources, about 300 reports, abstracts of which are given
a t the close of this account.
Earlier shock.3.-An earthquake on October 11 was reported
by several observers, ns follows :
A. S. Animerman, Rochford, 8. Dak. : A t 5.55 p. m. ; lasted
seven seconds; a low rumbling noise; only one shock felt;
intensity light, on a scale of 5 ; appeared to travel from north-
west to southeast.
P. Haunnerquist, Faniiingdale, S. Dak. : Lasted about oue
minute; like a, wagon going pad the house ; intensity very'light.
W. H. Zimmerhoff, Hill City, 8. Dnk. : At 7.30 1). in. ; lasted
two or three minutes ; rumbling like a heavy wagon ; only one
shock felt; intensity light.
I
OCTOBER, 1895. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 376
time (longitude 1 0 3 O 22 ; therefore, this apparent solar time if
equivalent to 8.08~. ni.,,ninetieth meridian time) ; lasted about
ten seconds. The shock waR preceded by a rushing or hissing
sound for three or four seconds, like the wind blowing through
brush. It was followed by a rumbling sound, similar to n
heavy wagon on hard ground; this lasted two or three
seconds ; then came this heavy jarring shock ; two shocke
were felt. The worknien on the night shift in the mill8 and
mines say that there \VRS a.nother shock about 3 a. in. of the
12th. The intensity was 3, or moderate, on a scale of 5.
A h . Jacob Broht, the voluntary observer t i t Corning, Clng
Co., Ark., reports that light shocks of earthqddie were felt on
October 30, a t 1.30 a. in., and a.t 3 ruid 4.30 p. in., in addition
to the heavy shock on the morning of the 31st.
Nessrs. Powell and Haininel, the voluntary observers at
New Madrid, New Madrid Co., Mo., report the occurrence of
two light shocks on October 18 a t 12.10 and 3 a. ni.; also,
the severe shock of October 31.
Whether these disturbances were real earthquakes and re-
lated in any way to the greater shock of the 31st, or were in
any cases accidental local distnrbaiices supposed to be earth-
quakes, is diilicult to determine.
Cnrtscs qf enl.tn.qzcnkes.-Conceraing the causes of earth-
quakes, Professor Abbe remarks as follows :
According to views commonly accepted in geology, the so-called solid crust of the earth consists of an unknown depth of granite and gneiss, on top of which are 5 or 10 mibs of metamorpliic and sedimeiibary st.raDa. This crust is everywhere in a state of strain, due to various kinds of stress; in other words, the outward bulgings that make the continents and the mountain ranges, or the downward bendings that have made the ocean beds, represent strains that frequently become too severe for the rocks to resist. Moreover, in special localities there are upward-pressing masses of lava or other plastic material that pro- duce great local strains. In other places the strata that ages ago were tilted up to make a mountain are still in a state of strain, and, notaith- standing the long interval that has elapsed, are occasionally cracking and sliding on each other. These various stresses have produced the innumerable cracks t.hat we see in the smaller beds of rock and the faults that the miner discovers in his attempt to follow up a vein of mineral ore. Even the tidal action of the sun and moon and the varia- tions in barometric pressure and in the loads of snow and alluvium call produce appreciable effects. Small cracks, with att,endant shocks, are continually-occurring every- where throughout the globe. Pome localities are famous for mysterious noises that have almost in every case been traced to the sudden cmck- ing of rocks near the surface. Such are the famous Moodun noises at the town of that name in Middlesex County, Conn., where the Palmoil Rirer empties into the Connecticut River. Such sounds are heard at the famous gneiss quarries of Monson, Ham don County, Mass.; when- ever a large iece of rock is loosened, loud, crackling noises are pro- duced. On &e slo e8 of Black Mountain, N. C., in 1856, many myste- rious noises were geard, until, finally, it was discovered that a large portion of rock was crackling and settling.
In a recent number of Nature, Vol. 1,111, p. 4, Professor
Davidson remarks on these slight earthquakes as follows :
Is it not possible that the  Berisal guns I and  mist pouffers, re- ferred to by Professor Darwin (p. 650), are merely earthquake ~ouncls, t.he attendant shock being too slight to be otherwise perceptible ?
Nearly all eart,hquakes are accompanied by a rumbling sound, due, I believe, to the small and rapid vibrations proceeding chiefly from the margin# of the area over which the fault-slip producing the earthquake takes elace.. , (.Geol. Mag., Vol. IS, ISM, pp. 2OS-218.) In some dis- tricts ( omrie, in Perthshlre; East Haddam, in Connecticut; Pignerol, in Piedmont; Meleda, in the Adriatic, kc.) sounds without shocks are com- mon during intervals which mny last for several years, but slight shocks with sound occasionally intervene, as if the sounds and shocks were manifestations, differing only in degree and the method in which we prceive them, of one and the same phenomenon. In great earth- quakes the sound area is confined to the neighborhood of the epicenter; in moderate and slight shocks the sound area and dihrbed area ap-
proximately coincide or the sound area may even overlap the dis- turbed area. I n the fimitin cwe the disturbed area vanishes, and the vibrations are perceptible on?y as sound.
Accuracy of tinae very ini~ortu?it.-Inasni~icli as there is not
any organized effort made to accurately observe earthquake
phenomena in the United States, the popu1a.r and voluntary
reports of such disturbances are alone available ; but the
~~ ~~~~
study of these is not fruitful of definite and conclusive results, owing both to the lack of information respecting
details t.hat can not be observed except by instrumental
appliances, and to the need of greater exactness than can be
expected from niiscellaneous reports by untrained observers.
While the introduction of standard time and its general
use throughout the country has greatly increased the value
of the ordinary reports of the time of occurrence of an earth-
qnake, yet the speed of propagat,ion of seismic disturbances
is so great that it can not be even approxiniately determined,
unless the time is ohserved with a much greater degree of
precision than is usual in the ordinary popular report.
Very few people pay any regard t,o the second hands on their
watches, and probably never use them, even if they wish to
note the time accurately. Indeed, it will generally happen
that there is a noticeable discordance between the second and
minute hand of almost any watch one inay please to esamine.
When the minute hand is esactly over one of the minute
inarks of the dial, the second hand should be esactly over the
60-point on its dial. In the majority of cases, however, the second hand will he found to he at ot.lier points on its dial,
and a discorclance of as much as thirty seconds may exist in
this way. In using such a watch an accidental error of a
whole minute of time niay lie made from this cause. Espe-
cially is this possible if one takes account of t.he position of
the second hand and seeks to find the error of his watch by
coinparing i t with some standard time. It is hoped that some of those who niny reacl these remarks, and who niay carry good
watches (there are many such), will cultivate the practice of
placing the minute and second hands in iccord with each
other when setting t,heir watches. If at t.he monient of set-
ting, the second hand is onequarter: one-half, or two-thirds,
etc., of the way around its dial, the minute hand should be
set. at. one-quarter, one-half, or two-thirds, as the case may
he, of the distance between the two proper minnt.e lines on
the dial where the hand is to be set.
In the case of ea.rthqualies the esact time of the beginning
of the disturbance, or better, of some pronounced maximum,
and, if possible, a close determination of the duration of the
whole series of oscillations constitute the most valuable fea-
hres that can be noted by personal observation.
Dirwtion of d~ock.-Much atteutioii is often concentrated
tipon what seems t.0 be the direction of propagation of the
dist,urbance. An intimate knowledge of the nature of the
actual niovenient of the earth at ones feet during an earth-
qmke and of the manner in which surrounding objects are
ugected by such movements, will show how erroneous it is to
auppose that the direction of progression of the disturbance
can be dcterniined by reference to such effects. I n Japan,
where earthquakes occur frequently, they have heen made
the subject of the most exact observation and measnrement
by iast.runients that give a completx trace of every phase of
the earths movp.ment. Froin records thus obtained the esact
movement. of the earth at the instrunient during every instant
3f the entire disturbance has beeii worked out for many
m-thqnakes.
576 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. OCTOBER, 1896
Figure 1 is a picture of a wire that has been so bent as to
represent the recorded path of the ground and the instrunient
during a portion of one of these earthquakes. The wire takes
up the record after the earthquake has been on for forty
seconds, as is shown by the tag, No. 40, atta,ched to the wire
at this end. The other end of the wire conies out a.t the
tag, No. 73, which marks the position of the earth particle
at the seventy-second second of the distnrbance. The wire
shows the motion on a greatly niagnified scale, the actual
motion, being only a small fraction of an inch.
If the reader will follow closely the entangled windings of
the wire he will acquire a comparatively correct idea of the
extremely erratic and complex nature of the niovemeiit of the earths surface a t any point during a seismic disturbance. It
must be plain also that motions occurring in such a confused
snarl and in every possible direction, contain in themselves
no evidence whatsoever of the direction of progression of the
disturbance. Furthermore, when one reflects upon the effect
such motions will have upon the walls of houses, which,
it must be observed, are more susceptible to the influence of
motions in some directions than in others, and therefore do
not move precisely as the ground does ; and when one con-
siders, furthermore, the eflect of these modified motions of the
walls and floors upon suspended objects, such as pictures, mir-
rors, chandeliers, etc., or in causing the overthrow of insecure
objects-it beconies apparent that the upsetting of an unstable
vase, for esaniple, in a certain direction, or the swinging of a
mirror or chandelier after a certain fashion within a house
can not he admit.ted to represent with a.ny accuracy, either the
nature of the motion of the earth immediately under the
hopse where the obsarvatione are made, or the direction whence
the wave came or whither it went.
Reports specifying directioii of progression of the recent
ea.rthquake exhibit, as might be expected, marked discordance
with each other in this respect. This element of the report,
t,hough sometinieR given, is liot regarded as of any special
significance.
S p f d of th.e runzrc.-The only means of ascertaining the
speed and direction of motion of the earthquake wave is by
a comparison rand chart.ing of the tjnies of occiirrence at dif-
ferent places. The trembling of the earth takes place at a
later moment of absolute time the greater the distance from
the real origin. In the case of the Charleston earthquake,
the speed of bhe wave was worked out with great care by
Capt. C. E. Dutton, of the Geological Survey, and found to
be 3.22 miles per second.
Many more reports than those discussed herein could
doubtless have been obtained had an effort been made to se-
cure them, but the labor involved in such an undertaking
(incident to the sifting of good reports from the bad, and to
the laborious mathematical treatment necessary before re-
sults of even a fair degree of a.ccuracy could be deduced
from a large number of inferior observations) seemed entirely
disproportionate to the profit to be gained, especially as the
writer has been so closely occupied with other important
investigations that but little tinie could be devoted to these
earthquake studies. The present summary will impress the
reader with the fact that the most important thing, by far,
to observe at the time of an earthquake is the exact time of
occurrence to the nearest second, if possible, and this time
should, if possible, be the nioment of some pronounced phase,
such as the maximum of severity. The beginning and end-
ing of an earthquake are a series of imperceptible tremors,
and the times of beginning and ending are less definite and
not as useful for atady as the time of greatest violence, but
should be observed, if possible. To merely note the time on
ones watch, or other timepiece, is by no means sufficient.
The timepiece must be compared a t the earliest possible
moment with some regulator, or other standard of time, and
allowance be made for the errors, not only of the watch or time-
piece employed, but of the regulator itself. The best reeulta
are obtained when coniparieon can be made directly with the
standard time signals telegraphed each day to almost every
city and town. If an observer wishes his report of the time
of occurrence of an earthquake to serve any useful purpose,
he can not expend too much care in noting the exact minute
and second, if possible, or a t least the tenth of a minute, and
in afterward8 finding out exactly the error of the timepiece
employed. A hundred accurately made time reports, over a
region distnrbed by an earthqua.ke, would be more valuuble
than thousands in which the time is stated to be & about 6 a.
m., or a few minutes after 6, or i n which the time appears
to he stated to the nearest five minutes only.
The cnrtlaqnake of Ortoher 31.-Although at u, few points
within the region affected seismic instruments had prwi-
ously been installed, yet from long inaction and neglect none
of these were in condition to make a record when this earth-
quake finally came. There is a marked exception to this,
however, in the case of the seismograph at the U. 8. Weather
Bureau a t Washington, D. C., which faithfully made a per-
fect, and the only exact record of the time of occiirrence of
the disturbance a t this place. The apparatus was fully
described in t.he July REVIEW, and this is the second earth-
quake recorded since the installation of the instrument.
As recorded by this seismograph the time a t Wa.shington
was 6 h. 13 min. 15 sec. a. m., seventy-fifth meridian tinin.
Two other instrunienta.1 records of the time were obtained,
respectively, one from the weighing rain gauge on the top of
the Auditoriuni Tower in Chicago, a.nd the other from a simi-
lar gauge on the roof of the post. office in St. Louis. The times
from these records! ure 6.07 and &OS, respectively. This in-
strument consists of a poised balance, so arrangeti, electric-
ally, that a gradual accnmnlatioii of weight in a receptacle
for collecting rain on one end of the balance causes the re-
cording pen to ninrk on the register the total weight col-
lected. When clisturbed by agitations the balance will oscil-
late, and thus set up an electrical actmion that results in a
record as if a small weight had been added to the receptacle.
I n the case of Chicago, with the gauge on the top of the lofty
Auditorium Tower, the record indicated an1effect equal to that
produced by adding a weight of a little less than half an
ounce to the collector of the gauge. The record at St. Louis,
where the gauge is located upon a lower and consequently
more stable building, showed an effect no more than one-third
as great.
In order to reach sonie conclusion as to the validity of these
records (similar ones being easily produced by wind and other
causes), experinients were made with a gauge a t Washington
by mountiug i t upon a shaky table. The whole observed
effect was easily reproduced by imparting to the table a vibra-
tory motion, and particularly if this motion was not allowed
to take place in any one plane nor be rythmic in character,
but was made to be irregular, jerky, and in all directions.
It ie believed that these experiments show the observed records
to be unqusstionably the result of an earthquake. Unfor-
tunately, however, their value as time records is but slight,
owing, first, to the fact that the time can not be obtained
from the sheet to within less than one minute (= one-sixtieth
of an inch on the scale of the record sheet); and, second,
from the fact that the error in set,ting the sheet to standard
t.ime is unknown, and is easily liable to exceed a whole minute.
In the case of the Bt. Louis record the official does not appear
to have known that his rain gauge contained a record of the
earthqnake, 811d his report of the observed shock states a time
two minutes later than shown on the record.
A1 though our observers frequently quote the t,inies at which
clocks were stopped by earthquake shock, yet but little weight
can he given to these records in any investigation that aspires
OCTOBER, 1896. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 377
to great accura.cy, owing to the fact that violent disturbaiices
oft.en fail to stop a clock which is subsequently stopped by a.
very feeble shock. I n general, when a clock is stopped by an
earthquake it is liable to run irregularly for a considerable
number of beats before ackually stopping, as any one can
demonstrate for himself by esperiment on his own clock;
moreover the :error of t.he stopped clock is generally 1111-
known.
A critical exan~ination o f all the time reports shows that
hy far the greater part of them are so inexact as to be of no
value whatsoever in 6xing the speed of the wave. A few,
only, can pass the requirements of good observations. Many
people in noting time consider only the nearest five minutes,
and this practice is clearly apparent in tlie reports. Out of ZG4
reports. 196 espress the time as al~out 6, a few minutes
after 6, or as some multiple of 5. While it is not impossible
that some of these times may be as trustworthy as others
which are regarded as better, the probabilities a.re that the
number of these must be quite small, and i t is impossible to
tell which they are. Furthermore, as the time at Wasliiug-
ton is unquestionable, and as i t is probably the most distant
point a t which the shock was felt, all other accepted times
must not be later than thia. Moreover times earlier than
6.00 can not be regarded as relating to the shock in question.
On t h i s score 94 reports must be rejected. Of those that
remain, 68 give the time as about 6 oclock, or a few minutes
after 6, or are otherwise too indefinite to be accepted
This course of selection leaves 112 reports yet to be dealt
with. Of these, 46 state the t h e to be  6.05  and  6.10, and
none of these contain internal evidence that the time is to
the nearest niinute rather than to the nearest five minutes.
There does not appear to be any rational basis by which
these times can be properly incorporated with the others, and
they also must, therefore, be rejected. The reports that re-
main arrange themselves, curiously enough, in two groups,
one on the time 6.07 or 6.08, the other on the time 6.19. The
idea that there might have heeu two shocks about five min-
utes apart is not sustained by the detailed accounts.
The following reports of the time were accompanied I)y
such esplanations as to the manner of observing, the coni-
parison of watches, etc., as to render them the. most esact
nieasurements obtained :
Cairo, IN., W. T. Blythe, L. F. O., 6 hr. 7 inin. 30 sec.
Rock Island, Ill., J. A. Udder, observed ending, ti hr. 11 inin.
MountVernon, Iowa, Miles E. Mitchell, 6 hr. 11 inin. 30 sec.
Mount Vernon, Iowa, W. H. Norton, 6 hr. 12 inin. 10 sec.
Washington, D. C., Weather Bureau, seismograph, 6 hr. 13
min. 15 sec.
The following times are reported with some appearance of
accuracy, but not enough detail is given to justify us in
assigning them the first rank :
Corning, Ark., 6 hr. 8 min. 30 sec. to 6 hr. 10 min. 0 sec.
Anderson, Mo., 6 hr. 10 inin. 48 sec.
Blaine, Kans., 6.15 to 6.17.
Pleasure Ridge, Ky., 6 h. 8 niin. 45 sec.
Glasgow, Mo., 6.13.
Milan, Tenn., 6.09 to 6.10.
Warrenton, Mo., between 6.08 and 6.09.
Golconda, Ill., 6.02 to 6.03. Abbtmcts of observer8 wports.-The reports show the disturb-
ance to have been felt, more or less, throughout the following
States : Alabama, Arizona, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illi-
nois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Xe-
braska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
The reports of the severity of the shock do not allow any
definite conclusion to be reached as to its approximate origin
or region of greatest violence. I n a general way the region
45 sec. ; duration ahout fifty seconds.
in the vicinity of and northeast of the junctioii of the Ohio
and Mississippi rivers seems to have esperienced the strongest
shocks. The lack of definite knowledge on this point consti-
tutes a further difficulty in the analysis of the time reports,
which are too small in number or too inesact in character to
indicate in themselves the center of the disturbance.
The following extracts from reports of the regular Weather
Bureau observers will nfford an idea of the character of the
shock in the different sections affected (these records tire all
converted in to seventy-fifth nieridian time) :
Atryiistd, Ga.-Shortlv after R :t. m. tu-day a number of persons felt a
sliglit earthquake shock, which, from all accounts, I&ed about H. sec- ond or two; the tremor was just )erceptible by the rattling of winrlows; direction of vibration conld not 11, ascertained. Coho, R2.-A severe eartliquake sliock occurrell a few minutex after
6 a. m. The time, as determined by the 1or:il forecast ottici2d hy com- pnliny his watch with seventy-fifth meridian t,ime later in the clay, was
jetween 6.Oi n. in. and 6.08 a. ni., seventy-fifth nirrickn time. Thc! local forecast official was in bed at the time the sliake began, but ww fullv awake. Its duration, as estiniatetl by considering liitj movenients from the time it began till it ended, and also from the experience of ot.hers, including Mr. J. W. Byrnm, CJLserver, is believed t9 have been from thirty-five t,o forty-five seconds. Tlirre is great diversity of opinion as to tlie direction of the waves, if waves there were. The m:tjurity of persons, however, claim that the movement was from cast.- nqrtlienst to west-southwest. The fact t,hat the local forecast official, raised himself on his elbow, remaining in that position ~R O )))C < time. t,hen arose, felt his wav (it was dark) around the foot of the bcd
tt~ the dresser, and light& the gas during t,he occurrence. without. frel- ing m y oscillatory motion, muses him to believe that the shock was it
severe hemor. KO noise, other tlian that of the cracking ant1 t?rediiiig timbers in the house, the ratt,le of crockery aiirl glassware, atnd tlie fall- ing and breaking of parlor and dresser oriianieiit.i+, WRB heard. The bees due to broken china and glassware, ornsnicnts, etc., aggregate quit.e
a considerable sum. The number of chimneys shaken down in the city proliably runs into the hundredti. The plaster in nearly all frame buildings was more or less damaged. But tlie brick and stone build- iiigs suffered tlie most serious damage, though none fell and l)rObdJl~7 none were rendered uniiiliabit.able. The following are n few of t,Iii. injured buildings: The eoni1t.y court house, cliiniiievs above the roof shaken down; walls badlv cracked. The large brick nftice building belon ping to and occupielt hy the Chiro Trust Co., cliiiunevs fell. slate roofs hamages, walls cracked. Tlie Safford Puldic Library; wallti l~atlly cracked and the front gable parted from t,lie roof; 1rIt st;tnding, 1JUt in a dangerous cundition, and will have to be removed and re >la&il. St,. Josephs Catholic Church, brick steeple cracked and twitit.et1; will have t.o be removed :iiid r e h i l t at an estimated cost of $l,W to #$%(I. Tlie United States custom house (stone), ob1 cracks opened and new ont:s
made. -4 large number of buildings in the downtown business dis- trict were damaged by walls being cracked nnd plate g1:iss fronts broken. ~7mrhlan, 8. C.-Light earthquake shock at 6.04 i. 111.; light. treincm and vibrations lasting dJoIIt eight seconds. C7mht& N. C.--dn earthquake shock was felt I iy several persontj.in the city at 6.15 this mornin the vibration lasting :1L9ut ten seconds. The shock was exOremely l&t and was f d t Ly so few persons that it.
W&R not positive1 known that it was an earthquake shock until in tlie evening, w hell $s atches were received by the newspapers stating that the shock had Eeen noticed at other points. The direction of the vibration was not noticed. Ch:~~ultccnoogu, Tsnn.-An earthquake shock was felt in this city at 6.10
a. m. to-da ; motion east and west; duration of the vihation, thirty seconds. do effect in this city outside of diaking chantleliers, rocking of11 ouses, rattling of windows, and rockin of beds. Chicago, Ilz.-An earthquake shock w a s felt in the morning at uhout 6.07 a. m. all over the city. The rain gauge register sliows a decided jar at that ,time, no doubt caused by tlie shock. The shock was also felt at Downers Grove, about 15 miles west of tlie city on the Burling- ton road. The shock lasted from fifteen to thirty seconds.
CJiizciii~m.t~, 07rin.--An earthqunke shock was very generally felt. in this city at 6.05 a. 111. Two distinct waves of motion, apparently froin south to north, were felt in quick succession. Buildingti wavered, fiir- niture was moved, windows rattled, and beds (in which most people at that early hour were still restiii rocked like cradles. Clocks were stopped, pointing to 6.05 a. m. &e a great deal of alarni and con- sternation wa.s created Ly the tremble, no injury or serious dnniagr! was sushined.
Cohmbin, Mo.-A slight earthquake shock was felt at 6.08 a. m. No damage reported. <!oZuiiabitb, 8. C.-There was a sliglit. eartliqnake shock felt between 6.15 and 6.30 a. m. I t wad not severe enough to awaken persons sleep- ing, but was very perceptible to those who were awake. The vihra- tions lasted about thirty seconds, and from the swaying of oil in a lanip by my bedside it was thought that the wave direction was north and south.
378
7Utrrols-Cont'd. .... New Burnside.. !' (>hey ..............
MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. OCTOBER, 1896
~ ~
Concodia, Kina.-A slight shock of earthquake was felt, in this citv at 6.12 a. m. Mr. James, train dispatcher at the Central Branch Rail. road, who was on duty at the time, states that tliere were three dis- tinct shocks, about fifteen seconds apart,. Daaenp?J, Iwuw.-A moderate earthquake shock was felt t,his morn- ing about 6.13 o'clock. The direction, am litude, or intensit.y of the seismic didurbance could not be determine$. De8 Mokwa, Iowa-There is said to have been a slight eartllquake at about 6.00 a. m. Three shocks are reported, the waves moving froiii east to west. Port Smith, A419.-A very slight eitrthquake slinck was felt by a few individuals here at a few minut,es past 6 o'clock a. in., but without anv rumbling noise. Of about fifty persons asked relative to the shock on1 two stated that they felt It-Dr. Hatchett, a practising diyh3an,
ankMr. W. Abbot, 1iinibt.r nierclinnt. Dr. Hatchett reports tfie iliotion
as lateral, but docs not know the direction of movement; Nr. Abbot states the movement was toward the west. The Weather Bureau oh- server did not feel the shock. Grand Ihretr., Mich.-Sliarp earthquake shock felt this morning about 6.20, the vibrations lasting fully one minute. No dama e was done. Hannibd, Mi-A seismic disturbance, or earthquake Lock, was very perceptibly felt at this station at 6.12 tu 6.13 a. m., lasting fully one minute, and causing some damage to brick buildings by crscking the walls. I/JdiaitqwIt%, fird.-An earthquake occurred about 6.11 a. m., lasting about four seconds. I did not feel it, but Mr. Albriglit, who takes the
a. ni. observation, reports that he felt the first shock very distinct1 at 5.11 a. m. He could feel a trembling for about four seconds, and tgen he felt a second shock, then he felt trenibling for about two seconds, and then a third shock. The second shock was the strongest; no treni- bling was felt after the third shock. I n the city and State most people were awakened by the dinturlmice. No damage was done in the city.
lif0f.3178 CNg, Mr,.-Two very distinct earthquake shocks were felt at 5.13 a. ni., lasting about one-half a minute. It was general in t,liin localit , and from newspaper reports, esOendec1 over a wide belt. The oficiayin charge of station was not awakened by it, nor any member of his family. Mr. Young, an aasistant, and his family were not dis- turbed. Mr. Coup and Mr. Hall, rtrssistants, distinctly felt the vihra- tions as though some persons were under their beds, inoving them. Some parties who are sup losed to know more than others about such matters, state that the vibrations were vertical. Not the least sugges- tion of damage in this part of the country. h-eokuk, Iowa.-At 6.15 a. m. a slight earthquake shock was felt, pre- ceded by low, rumbling sounds. Motioii from south to north, lastin about ten seconds, then an interval of about ten stconds and a secon8 motion of about ten seconds felt; inotion swaying llght objects, such as
lamp shades hanging pictures, kc. h).o.c~iZle, hrn.-About 6.00 this morning several distinct shocks of earthquake are reported to have been felt all over this city, more par- ticularly on the ontskirt of the town. The shooks are reported to have
been from east to west and were very perceptible. Little Rock, Ad.-Distinct earthquake, the vibrations beiii-g east and west and lasting about one minute, occurred t i t ti.15 a. m. shock was NO felt at Forrest City, Helena, Brinkley, aiid several other points in easterii Arkansas. Louieui&, h*y.-Three distinct and very severe earthquake shockti were experienced this morning. The first occurred at 6.K a. m., and was followed a few seconds later b a second, and, after a brief interval, bv the third and most violent. d h i l e no serious damage resulted, the vibrations were of sufficient force to cause the. ringing of bells, the rocking of articles of furniture, aid the displaclng of ornaments and uther articles from tables and mantels. The disturbance a peared to proceed from the norhhwest toward the southeast. A numter of per- sons state that a slight shock occurred shortly after midnight, snd inany report that the main shock this morning ??s accom brilliant flash of li ht, resembling li htninp. l h e eartg;: bw: very general througtont Kentucky a n f was apparently most severe in the estreme western counties. Ilicrrrphzk. I'enn.-An earthquake shock of considerable severit,y was Pelt in this city this morning shortly after 6 o'clock. A careful coni- parison of time by a number of competent observers shows that the vibrations from the first shock ceased at ti hr. 07 min. 30 sec. a. m., having lasted about t.hirty seconds. A secondary shock or vibration was ,c>bserved at 6 hr. 14 min. (D sec. b B number of reliable observers, though not by all. There was no c&mage done in this city, except to two chimneys in the suburbs, which were shaken down. Mc~r.icli~zii, Mka.-Liglit earthquake shock said to have been felt in t.lie early morning.
iliot~ipmtvg, dL8.-Light errtliqiiake felt. in the city at 6.30 a. m. to- day; window8 rattled and beds were shaken; no damage. The re-
rrts from different towiis in the Gtate show the earthquake to have Ieen felt throughout the State. NCI&.CV~~@. Ibnn.-An enrthyiiake visited the city about 6.05 a. m.
Ot~ilhrr, NeI*r.-Shortly after 6 o'clock this niornin a slight eart.11- quake shock was reported by reliable penions to.have%een felt in this city. The shock was not felt by any of the st.ation force. No damage from the shock was reported.
~~ ~ ~~~~~ ~ ~~
Pcrrkcmbiwg, W. I%..-At li.15 a. m., several (about three) distinct earthquake shocks were felt. The first shock was the most severe, and was followed bv long, gentle undulations. having direc+ions from southwest to nortligakst, as nearly as could be told. Piiiabwg, Pm-A slight earthquake shock was felt at Bellevue aiid McBees ort, suburbs of Pittsburg, at. 6 a. m. The shock produced only
a very s&ht jar and a slight movement of pictures, etc., hanging on wslls, and continued but a few seconds. St Loitis, &.-A slight shock of earthquake was felt a t 0.10 a. m:, lasting about fifteen seconds. The direction of vil,rat.ion was from east to west. No damage of consequence reported. &ringfield, IU.-Qaite a distinct eartliquake shock, or series of shocks, was felt in the vicinity at exactly 6.16 a. m. It was accompanied b a
rumbling sound, and was sufficiently strong to rattle windows. !&he apparent movemeilk was from west to east. It lasted about fifteen seconds. &wiq/ii:Zd, Mo.-At 6.18 an earthquake shock was felt. The.vibra- tionn apprently were from the east to the west, and lasted about five seconds. It was accompanied h a sharp report and a rumbling noise. This rumbling noise was heart{ for twenty seconds aft,er t.he shock was felt, and seemed to grow fainter and fainter, like the passing of a
railroad train. No damage resulted in this locality from the phe- nomenon. ToZzdo, Ohio.-Eartliguake shock felt at t i l 2 a. m.; no damage. Tbpeka, Kana-An earthquake sliock about til2 a. m.. but the oL- server was not awaked by it, though a large number of citizens were. T't(W~rci*g, Mk8.-An earthquake shock was reported, upon reliable authorit,y, in the vicinity of station at iHJ3 a. m. Its duration was fif- teen to twenty seconds, and was apparently continuous. It wa.s accom- panied by no unusual noise. The word inodernte would best describe its intensity, and there was no other cause for what happened than an earthquake.
Ubaer.red tinice of owro'rem: of eti)..!hyiiilkd of O(-luber 31. -~ __ --
I st.at.it.ms of I 1qimc- 1' St.a.t.ions of : Ttinc- Weather Bnrea.u. I 75th meridlan. /I Weather Bureau.
~
. 75th meridian.
.......
... ....
......
... ...... 6.16. Columbla No. Columbia: S. C .. .... ..... 6. la. C'olumbus. Ohio. .... 6.19.
..... .4bOut 0.12.
.... 6.03.
...
.. ... I 6.12. Evansville. Ind.. ... 6.13. Keukuk. Iowa .... I 6.15.
~
Hock Idand, Ill.. .. .! Observed ending 611
.. .... 11' 46'. duration
1 about &I seconds. lionxvllle Tenn.. About 6.W. Llttle Rock, Ark I 6.15.
Rtyorla by voluiitmy obazrwra of tltz Urer7ihe1* Brweau. -.
Voluntary ob- Time- Yoluntary ob- Time- servers. 90th meridian. servers. !Wth meridian.
dlabaii~a. Birmingham ........ 4.011.
Madison ............ 5.00. Tuscaloosa ......... About 5.10. Unlon ............... About 5.00.
-4 rkaiipns. I
Rrinkler ............ 5. IO. >'orest Clty ......... 5.15. La Crosse.. .......... 5.15. Osceola ............. 5.111.
Pocahontas.. ....... ! 5. m. Helena ............... 5.15. Corning. ............ Ret. 41*8" 81' L 5.10.
Ozovyia. Dalilonega .......... 5.30.
Cirifh.. i.. .......... 5.W.
Lagrange.. .......... 5.W.
Rome .............. .: 5.15.
Albion ............. .I 5.00. heavy. Alexander ........... 6.00. Atlanta ............ .' 5.15.
Atwood ............. 5.00. severe. Alwood ............. 5.00. Beurdstown ...... ../ Slight. about 5.W. Biislinell ........... ., About 5.15. ('arlinsville. ........I 5.10. severe, Carrollton.. ........ 5.12. Louisville.. ......... 5.07. McLeansboro.. ..... 5.12. Martlnsville ........I 6.15. Mattoon ............. 5.10, quite heavy, Mount Pulaski.. .... 5.16. Mount Vernon.. .... I 5.10.
111ilf Ois.
Jordans Grove.. ... .I .. Lanark ............ .i
...... Lerin ton I! ReynoTds :. Rockford ........... ........... . Tuscola .............
Anderson ...........
~
Blnffton ............
i; CambridgeCity .... i
. Wlnneba o ......... 1
Butlerville .......... I
5. 10. very heavy. 5.09. 5.10. 5.80.
5.15. 5.m.
Lttht, about 5.05. 5.12. 5.12. 5 05 severe. 5: 15: 5.09. 5.15. 5.03 to 5.08, very
5.07. 5.15. 5.10.
About 6.80. very heavy. About 5.05. 5.10. 5.15. 8.00 to 5.00. 5.w. About 5.15. heavy. 5. m.
5. in.
Bwvy.
5 b 1w 43'. 4.65. About 5.00, severe. 5.10.
OCTOBER, 1896. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 379
Mount Vernon.. .... Princeton ........... Rockville ........... Scottsburg.. ....... Seymour ............ South Bend.. ....... Syracuse .......... Terre Haute.. ...... To eka .............
Volnntary ob-
~
T i m e . I \yoluntary 01,- Time- servers. Wthmeridian. I servers.
~
90th meridian.
5.16, severe. 5 16 severe. 6: 15:
About 5.00. 5.10.
Few min. after5.00. 5.10. 5.18. 6.00.
Charlton.. .......... Dubuqne.. .......... Fairfleld ............ Fort Madison. ...... Glenwood.. ......... Grinnel ............. Iowa City. ..........
Warnego.. .... ......I 5.15.
-4lpha.. ............. I 5.10 violent. Blandville .......... I Abdnt 6.15, rery se-
hsnf#icky.
5.10. 5.15. 5.00.
Few min. past 5.00. About 5.00. 5.20. 5.07.
.. vere. Bowling Green.. . ...I Fewmin.after 5.00. Canton.. ............. 5.15.
Mooar. .............. Mount Pleasant .... Mount Vernon ..... Ottumwa ...........
Earlington.. ....... .i 6.10.
Edmonton.. ........ 5.80.
Fords Ferry ........ I 5.46 (sun time.) Franklin.. .......... I 5.09:
Fa1mout.h. ...... ....I 5.15.
5.05. 5.16. 5.18. 5.0%
Henderson ........ .! 5.12, very severe. Padncah. ........... 5.13.
Pleasure Ridge P'k.! 5b Bm 46'.
Princeton. .......... 5.08. Wrhinnr. I
C:reenville .......... i Betweena.00&F:.00. Han ing Rork ..... 6.15.
I Hllls%oro.. .......... Littlesft.5.00.
I Lei sic ...... ........I 5.28.
BattleCregK :'.... . .I 5.15.
Berrien Springs .... I 4.00 or 5.00. Grand Ranids ....... About 5.00.
1~888isslppi. Aberdeen.. ......... Austin .............. French Camp.. ..... Fulton ............. Hernando.. ......... HollyS rlngs ....... Louisv1i.e. .......... Mayersville.. ....... Pontotoc.. .......... Water Vallev. ......
About 5.00. 6.00.
About 5.00. 5.00.
About 6.00. 5.15 heav Abdut 5.08; 4.45. 5.00.
5.02.
m8SOr&. j Birch Tree.. ......... 8.10.
?luffton ............ 5.05.
hdgehill. ............. 5.85.
Eight Mile. ........ .I 5.30.
THE GREAT S T O N OF OCTOBER, 1896, IN THE GULF OF CALIFORNU.
............ 5.15.
I 5.00.
........... .; About 5.00.
............. 5.18.t
....... 5.15.
........... 4.w. Hermann ............ 5.12.
and continued uiitil 5 p. m. of Octoher 1. This storm totally
destroyed the city, and did niuch damage to the shipping.
~~~~~~
Houstou ........... About fi.%l.
Honstonia ...... ....I 5.12-5.15.
Ironton.. ........... 5.15.
Kidder .............. I 5.10. I Lamonte ..... ......I 5 15.
I Lebanon ........... 1 5'15. :. Lexinrrton ......... .i 5:l.I.
I Liberty ............ Fewmin.before5.14 McCnne Station .... 5 12.
I Marcelline .......... I 6:OO.
. Maryville. .......... I fi.15.
I Mexico.. ............ 5.10.
New Haven. ........ 5.15.
1, New Madrid ........I 5.!$Jmarlest sincr
I Mine LaNotte.. .... I 5.M.
1011.
New Palestine.. .... ! About 5.00. Oakfield ............ : 5.18.
Oak Ridge .......... : 4.00.
Ore n.:' ............
~
5.00.
.............. 5.15.
Palmyra ............ j 5.15.
Poplar Bluff ........ 5.10.
St. Charles ......... .: 5.14.
Shelbina ..... ......I 5.15.
Sikeston ........... 5.06.
SteEenville. .... ....I 5.10.
Trenton.. ........... 6.10 to 5.15.
Uniouville .......... i 5.10 to 5.13.
Vermont.. .......... 5.10.
Vilas.. .............. 6.20.
Virgil City .......... About 5.W.
Warrensburg.. ..... , 8.00 and 5.W.
Warrenton ......... 5.08 to 5.iM. Wi!low Sprhgs. ... .I 5.00.
Zeitonia ............ 5.W.
Potos1. .......... ....I 5.10.
.
Nebrarka Burchard ........... i m. North Oarolina. '
Lenolr ............. .! About 5.00.
Skyuka ............. i Hetween 6.00 L 6.00. Waynesville .... ....# Abont 5.10. Ilhln. I
I' Bellefo~&&e.. .... About 5.15.
1, Camp nennison .... i 5.10. Cleveland. .......... Ahout 5.15.
Dupont .......... ..: 5.15.
I
I Favetteville ........
~
5.00.
' 1 New Bremen .......I 5.30.
i! New Paris .......... 5.W.
. Ottawa ............. 5.20.
1 1 Portsmouth ........ 6.12.
Vanceburg.. ........ 6.15.
Van Wert.. ......... j, 5.05.
Waverlv ............ , 5.12.
oh?nhOllkU
I Pond ('reek. ..:. ....I In the a.m., rliyht.
4 , Trraesx~e.
I ash wood^..;;;:: ...... 5.20.
Bolivar.. .......... .! 5.16.
Covin ton .........
~
About 5.00.
I Dyers&irg .......... 5 08
Franklin.. .......... ! 6: 15:
1
~
Hohen wald ......... I McKensle. 1.. ....... McMinnville ........ II Mllan ............... I: Mount Carmel.. ..... 1 ' Palmetto. .......... I Riddleton ........... !
sewanee ........... .I Trenton. ........... I f t 3 C O n 8 h . i De Pere .............. i
Ahout 5.00. 5.10. 5.11. 5.09 to 5.10.
About 5.00. 4.00.
Between4.Cnl Ahout. 4.00. 5.15.
5.15.
a 5.00.
~~ ~~ ~~
*As recorded ou the t.hermograph sheet. tThe Observer, C. W. Prltchett, is director of the Morrison Observatory at Glasgow.
B y A. -1. HENRT Chief of Dl~lalon of Records and Meteorolnglc~al Dat.a (dated January, 1898).
It is a coiiimoii observation hy those who have closely
watched lightning flashes of the linear zigzag type that, the
flash soiiietinies appears to repeat itself in substantially the
sum8 path, or to pour forth a coiit.inuous streaiii from cloud
to earth for an appreciable time. A.s long ago as 1835 Dove satisfied himself that single flashes of lightning often con-
sisted of a number of apparently instantaneous discharges.
Frequent attempts have been ninde, principally by Prof. Rood,
Iiy the aid of a revolving disk with colored nr numbered sec-
tors, to determine the duration of flashes of the several types.
The duration of the complete act has been found to vary
from less than of a second to a whole second, although
the individual flashes occupy but a few thonsandths of a sec-
ond.
Photographs of lightning flashes have been made by many
persons during tlie night time. Iwt, so far as known, R flaeh
has never been photographed during daylight hours. Con-
sidering that flashes of the mu1 tilde-discharge character con-
tinue for nn appreciable time, i t has often occurred to nie
that iinder favorahle conditions i t would he possihle to make
a negative of a flash of this character.
On September 19, 1895, the conditions long looked for
occnrred. The heavens were completely overcast, and al-
though i t was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the actinic
power of the light was so reduced that it was possible to ex-
pose R sensitive plat,e of a slow emulsion for half a second
with full aperture of the lens without serionsly "fogging" it.
The caniera was pointed toward that particular point of
the heavens whence n flash was expected, the dark slide drawn, and, the moment a flash appeared visible in the field
of view, the shutter was opened Ily the observer and held
open possibly for a quarter of a second or longer. Four
plates were thus successively exposed, three withont results,
hut. on the fourth trial a flash wa.8 ohtained.
The inia.ge secured was sharp and distinct, but the re-
mainder of the plate was of such density that i t would IN!
exceedingly difficult to reprodiice the flash Ratisfnctorily by
iiiean8 of the lialf-tme process.
The negative shows four distinct flashes, while a fifth is
faintly visiljle. These, no doubt, are r~iily a portion of the
whole number of separate and successive discharges included
in the complete act. The total duration of the succeesive
discharges, as est.iiiiated hy the uiin.icled vision, was not fsr
from two-fifths of a second.
The niost st.rikiiig feature of the flash is the width (.If tlie
path of discharge. A conipnrisoii of the size of the image
with that of the Washiiigton Monument in the same field of
view, and whose dimensions are known, enables us to deter-
mine with a fair measure of accuracy the angular width of
the flash. The only uncertainty as to its linear diiiiensions
arises from the fact' that the distance of t.he flash from the
camera is not known. If it occurred at the same distalice
as the Monument, the wiclth of the hottoni portion of the
path of discharge would be abont 20 feet. It is believed,
however, that the flash was at some distance beyond the
plane 2f the Monument, and that the width given above is
too small.