The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1869-01-20
EARTHQUAKES.

A4C AtuAot4llC oOtAItlAt lOulAlAlc Tue lOll0 Nv
ing interesting article on the subject OF
Earthquakes. As from the force Of circum-
stances, in the way of constant gentle re-
min6ers, the attention Of our people is parfic-
ularly attracted 10 this subject, the statistics
therein collafed viii be read with interest:
The great earthquake Of 1865, on the coas:
of Peru and Ecuador, by which 81 600 lives
were lost, and $500, 000, 900 of property were
destroyed, is announced as the greatest af-
fair of the kind that is recorded. This Is a
great mistake.
The law of earthquakes is that they are
least potent in the neighborhood of active
volcanoes. This earthquake at Peru and
Ecuador is no exception TO the law. The re-
cent violent eruption at Hawaii, about ten
days sail from San Francisco, saved Califor-
mia from the earthquake which visited Peru
and Ecuador. The proximity of the eastern
coast of South America TO active volcanoes
saves that region from the terrible derassa-
tions that assail the western coast. Those
who would see q well-written, instructive
account OF .sthe greatest modern battle
field of cosmical forces at Hawaii, will find
a very accurate and philosophical account Of
it in the September number of HaEPer's Aag-
dziJss
There are over 500 volcanoes on the earth's
surface that have been noted, but they are
not universally distributed. But there is no
part Of the eartlis surface exempt from earth
quakes- Between the years ga and zS41,
there were Ill earthquakes in Great Britain
recorded, and more than one hundred sep
arate earthquakes have displayed themselves
along the eastern coast of North America in
the past two hundred years These invariably
run southeast or northwest The great earth
quake in the interior valley, commencing In
1911, which submerged a. acres Of land, east
by west, in the region of New Madrid, did
not obey the law of earthquakes on the At
laDtie coast. That of the interior valleys ran
southwest BY northeast. Louisville felt that
shock severely, but not disastrously. We
had one here about 9 O'Clock at night, Jan.
4th, 1s43, which was pereeptible 70 people
sitting in their houses, but was not perceived
shock extended from Iowa and Ohio to
Louisiana in one direction, and from the
western frontiers of Missouri and Arkansas
TO the Atlantic coast. 1t lasted but few
minutes, and was not destructive.
The great earthquakes Of Calabria occupied
an ares Of destruction to the extent Of 500
miles From February, 17SS, 5ntil near the
close Of 17S6, the country was almost con-
stantly eonyulsed. In the first year, 949
shocks were felt, Of which sol were severe;
200 towns and villages were destroyed, and
100000 people persisted.
By the great earthquake in Syria, in the
year sc. recorded by Gibbon, 550, 900 lives
were destroyed in a few minutes.
The great earthquake in Chile, in lS22, ele-
waited all the land between the Andes and
the coast, about 100000 square miles, from
two to seven feet The earthquake in the
same region, in 1885. destroyed all the towns
and villages between the ATTITUDES IS and IS.
The Lisbon earthquake, Oh the first of No
yember, l775, was in the form of an ellipse.
II Travelled at the rate Of 20 miles minute,
and occupied space four times the area Of
Europe, or nearly one-twelffh Of the globe.
Il extended from Aogadore, on the coast of
Morocco. along the west coast Of Portugal,
10 Cork, In Ireland From Lisbon, the centre
Of devastation, it reached Oporto, and south
ward, 1t reached AyomOnte, where the Qua
diana enters the Bay Of Cadiz. 1t was felt
from. Madeira to Finland, and from Scotland
TO Sardinia, and severely in the Antilles. An
tigua, Barbados Guadaloupe and Martinique
were overlooked. A vessel at sea, 40 leagues
from St. Vincent, felt the shock so severely
that the seamen on deck were thrown up
perpendieularIy IS inches. This great earth
quake was felt over a space Of 2, 200 miles,
and the oscillations Of water were seen over
q space of 1900 miles. A wave of 60 feet at
Cadiz, overdowed the land, and at Lisbon, a
wave fifty feet high aided the other deTasta-
tons ofthe earthquake. Sixty Thousand lives
were destroyed at Lisbon in six minutes
The largest diameter Of the ellipse Of destruc-
tloll vas CQo lniicc- llt ulO1Cmtllc Ol luis
earthquake were visible at Lake Ontario, and
along the coast of MASSACHUSETTS. At Seif-
uate, number Of springs were made, which
flow to the present time. As the houses 10
Lisbon were falling, the unhappy inhabitants
rushed to the new marble quay, which had
just been erected at great expense 1t dis
appeared beneath the water, and not body,
nor boat, nor a fragment Of wreck re-
appeared on the surface.
In 1852, an earthquake at Jamaics sunk
the capital, Port Royal, beneath the sea.
More than ], 900 acres of land disappeared in
less than one minute e
The earthquake at Guadaloupe, in 1913,
extended from New York TO Marajo, at the
mouth of the Amazon, distance of 1000
miles. The Antilles were devastated, Qua
daloupe and Antigua being nearly ruined
Quito, the capital Of Ecuador, has escaped
the recent earthquake, but, on the 22nd Of
March, 1859, il was nearly destroyed By one
& number of towns north of Ii were utterly
ruined at the same time.
Professor Mallet, Of the University Of Ala
bama, published in 1855 a very interesting
volume on earthquakes, Of which be had
collected record Of nearly 5000.