Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1858-04-24
EARTHQUAKES.

EARTHQUAKES.
The frightful disasters in the kingdom Of Ma
pies will render the general reader curious to
know something of the terrible phenomena of
earthquakes; and We extract the following from
the first volume of Humboldts "Cosmos -
In order to give general dclineation of the
casual connection Of gcognostical phenomena,
we will begin with those whose chief character
istic is dynamic consisting in motion and in
change in space. Earthquakes manifest them
selves by quick and successive vertical, or hori-
zontd, or rotatory vibrations. In the very con-
siderable number of earthquakes which | have
experienced in both hemisphereS. alike on land
ahd at sea, the two frst-named kinds of motion
have often appeared to me to occur simultane-
ously. The mine-hke cxplosion-the vertical
action from below upwardS-was most striking
y manifested in the overthrow of the town of
Nobamba, in 1877, when the bodies of many
of the inhabitants were found to have been hurl-
ed to Cullca, n hill several hundred feet in
height, and on the opposite side of the River
Lican. The propagation is most generally ef
icctcd by undulationS in linear direction, with
velocity of from twenty to twenty eight miles
in minute, but partly in circles of commotion
or large ellipscs, in which the vibrations are
propagated with decreasing intensity from a cen
tire towards the circumference. There are dis
trctS exposed to the action Of two intersecting
circles of connection la Northern Asia, where
the father of history. and, subsequently, Iheo-
ply ylactus Simocatta, described the district of
Scythia as free from carthouakes, | have OBJ
served the mctalliferous portion of the Altai
Mountains under the influence of a two-fold To-
Gus of commotion. the lake of Baikal, and the
volcano of the Celestial Mountain Crhianschan)
When the circles of commoton intcrscct one
another-vhen. for instance. an elevated plain
lies between two volcanoes simultaneously in a
state of cruption-several wave-svstems may
exist together as in fluids and not mutually dis
tnrb one another. We NAV even suppose in
reference to cxi,, here AS in the intersecting
waves of sound The extent Of the propagated
waves of commotion will be increased on the
upper surface of the earth. according to the gem
eral law of mechanics. by which. on the trans
mission of motion in elastic bodies. the stratum
living free on the one side endeayors to scpar-
ate itself from the other strata.
Waves of commotion have been investigated
| by means of the pendulum and the seismometer
with tolerable accuracy. in respect to their di-
recton and total intensity. but bv no means with
eN'0"s% ., ''" '"'"r,,"i '-'~'s Of dSi' "lte',;a-
uoHS ana tiie'r pcIiouio lli'uiiesoehce' IN inc
ci'Y oi 'sulto' WhGh Hes AT tle ioot OF sun ac-
1--WE volcano ('he hucu ilchlhGha' ana AZ an
eleNa'ioil oi '''t" ieet aooNe ihe ieVei oil the
sea winch mas beautiful cupolas, hgh-'aulted
GnurcheS, anu massive eoliices OF several store!s
nave oiieh oeeh astohlsheu 'hat ,ne Nolehce
VI 'ic "o0'u'"uI earthquakes ~ seIuoih causes
assures III 'he "aiS'W whist IN the feruNiah Pialhs
1SciHa'i3hS' apparently much less intense Wlufe
~" rec" 'o''"ScS' inc h"'NCN' WHO hHNV fN'
P'richceu man! hui'ured earthquakes; GtHo,
'ha' inc ulnerehce depends less upon the length
or SnpTllltNs OF Inc waves anu tIc SlOMlltSS Ol
rapidity oi the horizontal vibrations than on
the uhh9Ihi'l oi the motoh III opposite ulrec-
uohS' ne HrcHhg ro'a'oI! cohihotiohs arc
'hc 'os' uncommon, pu'' "' 'l'' same ''h'' I''
mos. ual,EerouN' vans were observed 10 Dc
W4S'cu, o"' hot thrown uo"h rows oi trees
turheu from their previous paraileu uirecuoh
ana heid>' covered With Inherent KINDS oi plants
found 10 be displaced IN the great earthquake
OF lnonamba' IN the province oi oulto, on th'
ith OF February, l'9', and IN that OF OalahTia'
ne'wteh tlie 'th 9i ftoruar! ana th9 -o'h o
March i'o2' Inc phenomenon OF 'he inNer-
SION OF ui>Piacemehl OF heiuS anu pieces Oh lahu
ny winch one Is made 10 oecuP! inc place oI an
other' Is connected with trahslatory motlon OF
penetration OF separate terresuial strata, hei
l maue the pan oil the ruined town OF hooam
pa' one particular spot was pointed Out 10 me-
where all the furniture OF one mouse had peer
iound uhGer me runs oi ahother' me looS'
earlh hah' evidently, moved iiNe nulu Ill cur
rents, winch must be assumed to nave neeh al
rected' first downwards, then horizontally and
| lastly upwards; 1t was found necessary to ap
peal to the AIdlencia' or Couucil OF Justice tI
decide upon the contentious Ihat arose regard
ing the proprle,torship Of objects that mad beer
removed TO a distance OF many hundred toises
In countries where earthquakes are compar
ativeiy OF much less frequent occurrence las lol
instances IN southern Europe) very genera
belief prevails although unsupported by TN
authority OF hductiye reasoning that calm
an oppressive heat and misty horizon are al
ways the i0rerunners of this phenomenon INT
iallacy oi TINS popular opimon Is not ohly reiut
ed by my own experience, but likewise by th'
observations OF all those who have lived man!
years IN diStrGts where as IN Cumaua' ouito
Peru and Chill, the earth is frequently ana Vio
lentiy agitated' nave ielt earthquakes IN clea
ar ana ireSh east wind as well as IN ram ant
= thunder-storms' Inc regularity OF the horar
changes IN the aechnanon OF the magnen
needle, ana III the atmospheric pressure remain
ed undlsturbed between the tropics on the day
l when earthquakes occurred These facts agre
5 with the observations made by Adolph Ermal