The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-23
The Tidal Phenomena of the Earthquake.

The Tidal Phenomena of the Earthquake.
One of the most striking of the phenomena
attending earthquakes is the effect produced on
the sea by these convulsions especially when the
earthquake is near the shore. In an earthquake
there is an undulation OF the solid crust of the
earth and the influence OF this earth wave being
communicated to the sea, causes the latter to
swell and retire from the beach, and the great
wave rolls In upon the shore. This is frequently
the case in the immediate locality of the earth
quake; but it sometimes happens that the inhu-
eDce OF the disturbing agencies upon the sea
extends to considerable distance from tn place
where the earthquake occurs. The late terrible
earthquake furnishes some curious and highly
Interesting facts bearing upon these points
facts well worthy the attention OF scientific men:
In this earthquake the sea was terribly agitated
along the whole western coast of South America,
and along the northern coast of the
same side OF the continent, as well as
the disturbance of the ocean consequent
on the subterranean convulsions was sensibly
experienced. In Peru several of the ports were
submerged by mountain waves rolling in from
the Pacific with terrible violence, sweeping
away away everything before them. Onthe Southern
distant fully fourteen hundred miles from africa,
at about IL O'Clock on the night of the 18th of
August, that is about six hours after the catas-
trophe in Peru and Ecuador had taken place, a
great tidal wave swept into the bay, submergng
a greater part of the town of Talachuana and
Tome But more remarkable still, tidal phe-
nomena of similar character to those which
showed themselves on the coast of California at
a distance of nearly four thousand miles from
Peru. Thus letter appears in the Los AngetOs
Star from Mr.. E. Hewitt, describing tidal
phenomena witnessed at Wilmington, Southern
California on the 14th of August, at about
O'Clock on the morning of that day. He says:
THE tide was observed to be running IN with
unusual velocity for about fifteen minutes, and
then to suddenly turn and run out for about tho
same length of time. with the same unexampled
rapiditY. 1t is now O'Clock in the evening,
Al ,s,,er -. a,,I -
intervals of from Is to 25 minutes for each
direction, has been going on since it was first
observed this morning. Captain Polhamus of
the steamer Cricket, informs me that in crossing
the bar to-day he observed the water fall five
feet in eight minutes, and TO Immediately rise
the same number of feet in the same space of
time. Another unexplainable peculiarty of
this never-before-heard-of tidal freak is that the
water from the sea would run upon one side of
the channel and down on the other side at the
same time" The same day irregularities in
the tides in the Oakland creek were noticed by
several persons. The tide alternately
rose and fell and IT was observed at the foot OF
Washington street, in Oakland, that while drift
wood floated toward the mouth of the creek the
water was gradually rising On the morning of
the 18th, according to a telegram from San
Francisco, which appeared at the time in the
tribune, series OF waves commenced flowing
upon the coast off San Pedro, causing the tide to
rise 63 or "a feet above the ordinary high water
tide an equal distance below the usual low
water-mark. The rise and fall occurred every
half hour for several hours. Tnus it appears
that the tidal upheaYing produced by the earth
quake Travelled nearly 1000 miles in about thirty
six hours.