The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-12-09

~ the Mosaic account properly says, man
was created last Tho earliest account ws
have Of any great convulsion Of nature since
the creation Of man was the Delugs in the time
Of Noah, when "the fountains Of the great
dsep were broken up" This was probably
only the Asiatic delugs; fCf though i y said in
Scripture the whole world was covered with
water, we know that the Old Testament writer's
speak generally Of Asia - all the world.
There have been, no doubt other deluges In
other parts Of the globe, for geologists inform
US so. After Noah's deluge followed the de-
struction Of the cities Of SOdom and Gomorrah.
This, most likely, was an earthquake with great
volcanic action; for 1t trained IRE and brim-
stone," and these cities sunk far below the
level of the sea- The water Of the lake which
now covers the spot, and the whole region
around about, indicate there was fearful vol
canic action.
In profane history, among the earliest
accounts OF remarkable commissions Of the
globe is that which destroyed Hcrculaneum
and Pompei in the year A. D. g. Sixteen
years after these cities were buried In the
ashes from Vesuvius Some countries are
frequently visited by earthquakes Calabria,
the southern extremity of Italy, and the
neighboring island Of Sicily are examples
From February, 1888, to the end Of
1856, less than four years, this coun-
try was in q continual disturbed state,
when nearly q thousand shocks were felt, and
most Of them of great violence. Ancient An
tiooh, in Syria, was visited several times by
earthquakes, and in A. D. 526 The most disas-
trous one occurred ofwhch there is any record.
Gibbon states that two hundred and fifty thou
sand people persisted at that time. In more
modern times that Of Lisbon in 1855, of Java
in l772, and in Chile in 1922 are the most
noted. In six minutes sixty thousand persons
persisted a. Lisbon. Humboldt estimated that
the extent of the earh's surface shaken by that
earthquake was equal to four times the area OF
Europe. At the Java earthquake one OF the
Hottest volcanoes with an area. fifteen miles
long and six broad, sunk down and carried
forty villages with it, We might enumerate
many other such remarkable disturbances Of
the earth's surface, but these are sufficient to
show that its crust is constantly subject to
unknown forces, both within and without 1t
is now generally believed by geologists that
the solid part of the earth is only about as
thick to the whole mass as the rind of an orange
is to the pulp, and that the interior is liquid
fire. We need not be surprised, then, at the
terrible commissions and eruptions which have
occurred lately, and which we have referred to
as occurring in former times.
We do not know what effect the outside
pressure Of planets or masses Of meteors may
have in producing earthquakes, hurricanes and
volcanic eruptions, but doubtless they have IN
influence. We know, however, that the gases
with which petroleum and other substances
are intimately associated are connected with
these phenomena. The Caribbean coast of
Venezuela is known to be highly volcanic,
and is frequently subject to earthquakes. Near
this, in Trinidad, is the famous lake of btu
men or petroleum. At one spot, along the
Gulf Of Cariaco, Mr.. Humboldt found petro-
leum spring bubbling through the water
with the peculiar smell for great distance
around, and after finding the place from which
It came he wsded in the salt water to examine
the phenomenon. Perhaps 1t may be some
comfort to our people that great deal Of this
material and its gases have been set tree
lately by the vast number of petroleum wells
sunk in she United States. We recommend all
with surplus cash to employ 1t in letting out
the petroleum and other gases in the bowels
of the earth, and thus save US perhaps from
earthquakes and such like terrible catastrophes
Above all, we call upon the people and poll
ticans to cease from wickedness and sectional
strife, for when "the times are out of joint" we
may expect the forces Of nature to war against
us.