The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-07-17

rivers wsre stopped up for twsrsy four hours
By Ne falling Of the mountsrs, till swelling ~, they
fosmed channels tearing Up everything 10 shsr pss
sage. general sickness ersusd, arising from the moi
vspors belcheo forth, which sweps away three
thousand people.
MARrINIQUX-cURIOUs INCIDENT.
In Martinique another Of the West India Islands, ter
rible earthquake occurred the 18th Of January 1889
The whole island was more less damaged by it. The half
OF Port Roy destroyed and nearly hundred
persons killed. We recollect remarkable Incl
dent that TRANSFERRED at Port Royal. gymnast who
formed part stroDg company then In the city, and
one part Of whose fests was TO throw his two IT.
tie children into all sorts Of imaginable pos
lures, was sitting with them in q saloon OF the
inn whom the nrst shock came Turning his
professional abilities to account in thss terribe moment
be seized one of the children in each hand, and without
moments hesistlon, jumped with them through win
the street. The feat saved their lives for in an
instant after the FELL buryirg its inmates in the ruins
OTHER GREAT EARTHQUAKES.
In the staiistcs OF earthquakes there many other
fearful tesldes these glanced In the fore
gorg account which has been confined chiefly to this
tnen the circumice islands and countries Tho first
recorded which occurred the AIS before the
Christian era which made island Of the peninsula OF
Euboa. Iivy tells of thst occurred ia Roma in the
year 3ss before the Christian era, When Curtus,
mounted and in full aSpaos, jumped into the chasm
TO propitats the gods tho oracle having declared
that would not close till the most valuable thing in the
city cast into it, Another recorded as having 90
CURED in Greece in 345 B. when Duras buried with
.;rno1 fha
ko fate Twelve cities OF Asia time four at apoth
Dr. hundred and fifty cities and town. n another aud
I've hundred at another, destroyed by the same
agency with ircacuable locs Of life. Ia 5aS A. D. there
was an earthquake felt throughout nearly the whole
world. Sicily has been always famous for them In 1ls7
CAtaniA WAS destroyed with loss Of 900 lives One Of
the cities Of Cslsbra with oil its inhabitants,
whelmsd in the Adratic In 1856 Forty thousand Of
the inhabitants OF Naples perished in l466. Another In
Sicily in 1898 overturned fy four cities and and
three hundred villages or CstaniA and It's Is 900 inhabitants
not trace remained more than 100000 lives lost
Palermo nearly destroyed in lT26 wnen 6,ooo per-
sons pershed Again, In 174o convent in the Same
city was swallowed up. Adranople nearly over
whelmed 1852 end in 1854 half Of the houses OF Grand
Cairo with 40 600 persons enguifed by the Of
an earthquake But the famous earthquake of Lisbon
the Of November 1885, perhaps the most remszkA
BILE on for the extent OF It's influence well for
tn immense destruction of human ihe In about eight
minutes os Of the houses Of that city, with of the
Inhabitants were swallowed up. me other cities Of
Portugal suffered proportionately, and some Of the
Spanish cities were Also laid in ruins. Hail OF Fee.
in Morocco, was destroyed, when more than 12,coo
Arabs persisted. The bed of the river Tayus
was, In many places, raised to Its surface. A
large new quay in Lisbon sunk to an unfatncmable
dcph with several hundreds of people upon it, n,;
IT. 0Ss,
feet almost in instant TIE shock Of this earthquake
was felt in the island Of MADEIRA the northern portion Of
which was inundated by the fluctuations of the
The southern boundaries OF earthquake unknown
II reached - far LapaDd In tho North Its shocks
ie In France England, Ireland and ever the most
OF Europe.
TazoprYs OF Tux CAUSE or EARTHQUAKES
II Is strange that Notwithstanding the Investigations
that have given 10 the subject Of earthquakes from
the days OF Plipy to own, when 40 many learned
men, including Humboldt. have formed theories the
subject no satisfactory explanation OF their gin
can be given.
Anaxsgoras supposed that earthquakes we're produced
by subterranean clouds bursting out into lightning,
which shook the vaults that confined them Des Car,es
and others supposed that .hore vast cavities uodcr
ground communicating with each other, and filed with
water and gases which In certain condition sought an
escape and produced upheavas Of the earth erupors
OF volcanoes After on earthquake q, London In 1850
Dr. stukeey rropounded the theory that earthquakes
were caused by electricity; that when after heated
term the earth is overcharged With electricity, the dis
charge OF shower from a non-eecrics cloud may pro.
duce this phenomenon and some experiments seemed TO
support the theory.
But neither on this nor any Of the other theories
the extent Of some earthquakes be accounted for;
and the matter remains 10 this day inexpcable mys
terry II was TO the ancents
In Humboldt's new work, Cosmos be makes the fol-
lowing observations, with which close this article
TIE RuMBrISa EoIsK or xARruorAKRs.
In countries where earthquakes comparatively OF
much less occurrence a for nstarce 10 South
Europe). very general belief prevails atneugn un.
supported By the authority of nductve reAeonrg that
cafn AZ expressive heat, and misty horizon are al
ways the forerunners Of this phenomenon The fAacy
Experience. but likewise by the observanons Of all
tnose who have lived many years IN districts where,
in oamsna Quito, Peru, and Chile the esnh ~ s
csrtnoupkes in clear air aud q fresh east wind
M well ss in rain and thunder ttorms. Tho regularity
OF the borary charges In the decDaon OF tho magnetic
needle ana ia the atmospheric pressure remained unds
rbed between the tropics the days when earthquake
occurred These facts agree with the observations made
harch 1921 the occasion OF an earthquake al rkusk
near The Lake OF BAks During the violent earthquake
occnaion and the niens OF the magnetic force alike an
charged but my surprise the Scnshcn OF the needle
WAS GIN ,nsbed about IS minutes There Was no ground
70 suspect an error in the ejaculation, and yet 10 the
| many other earthquakes which bsve experienced on
the elevated plateau Of Quito md Lima the iuosaton
a well a tho other Of terrestrial magnetism re
manned always unchanged. Although, in general, the
processes at work wQhiu the interior OF he erih
may not be announced by any meseorologlch
phenomena or any special appearance OF The
| sky u s ON The contrary, not improbable a. We shall
soon see thai Of violent earthquakes some eec
nav be impaired 10 the atmosphere IN consequence Of
which they always Get In purely dynamic MAJ
ner During the long continued trembling OF the ground
| Ia the PeomcnteAe valleys of Peis ard Cluscon the
greatest changes the electric tension OF the atmosphere
were observed while the sky cloudess The nsensi
" OF the hollow noise which generally accompanies "a
earthquake net increase In the same degree a. The
force oS the oscillations. 7 have ascertAned with Ger
ianty that The great shock OF the earthquake Mooamos
fsth February l7p. Of the most fearful phenoueua
recorded the phy steal history Of our paneswa mos &C
| ccmpanied by any roise whatever. The tremendoui
rolse ls crau ruido) which heard below the soil q
the cities Quito and Ibarra but not at Tscunsa and Ham
batc nearer OF the notion occurred between
|