The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-03-24
Natural <sas-The Earth n Gas
Ometcr.

What the interior Of this globe Of ours holds.
whether it is solid. void or vacuum. or =
seeihinr mass Of molten rccks. = globe Of
LIQUID fire. We DO not really know. The phe-
nenena Of earthquakes. volcanoes. boiling
sprinrs. etc. the Increasing heat as the earth
IS penetrated the fact that the temperature Is
greater at the surface Of the earth, OF the sea
level, than above it, and the escape Of innana-
be gas from artesian wells. seem te point TO
internal infsrse Of fre Centuries ago. these
phenemenA were noticed. and their existence
used as an evidence Of hell. the locality Of
which was The ccnter Of the earth. still. No
enc Of these. nor all taken together. is ALSO
lutte proof Of an incAndescent interior.
We have never yet penetrated the crust Of
the globe. nor even prohed the crater OF = vol
canO and reached the great internal cavity
If the crust OF the earth is. as has been esti-
mated. about thirty miles thick. the amount
Of force necessary 70 raise the tuns Of liquid
lava TO the orisce Of = mountain is simply in
conceivable. aud its effects on the Surrounding
walls and the surface would be Sufficient to
materially change the physical characteristics
az the country for hundreds Of miles around.
So. If the earthquake receives its impetus Of
motion and IFS almost inesleulable power from
the agitation Of an internal sea Of liquid igne-
Gus matter. confined within a crust Of thirty
miles in thickness, and the throes Of this sea
are transmitted and communicated through
this mass 70 the surface, would the most disas-
trous earthquake known to history or tradition
be sufficient to account for the exercise Of such
a pOwers Tho force that could move, or
break. or shake the crust of the globe would
be sufficient to turn our continents into bot
tomleSs seas and our oceans into mountainous
deserts. At most, We have = shaking Of the
surface superficial disturbance Of the ocean
but ne disappearance Of the sea through some
cavity reaching the molten center Of the globe,
and no vomiting forth Of consequent mass
Of steam, vapor. and lava sufficient to destroy
all animal life. and TO make the earth desert
Volcanoes and earthquakes may be accounted
for without descending to SO great depth.
If the earth's surface is thirty miles thick.
there is ample room for the reservoirs Of all
the power-generating materials necessary for
the production of errptions and earthquakes.
Tia; this crust is not solid or homogeneous is
not only proved by theories based on analo-
gous truths, but is actually demonstrated by
mining. well-bOring. and the existence of i'm
mense caverns. with plains. and hills. and
lakes-a suhterranean landscape. The inereas-
ing heat Of the earth below the surface no
more demands a vast internal furnace for its
existence than does the superior temperature
al the earth's surface over the inferior temper
ature of the cloud line or the mountain tops.
Both may be assigned 10 the same, or a SINH
lar cause, that Of weight or pressure, or both
combined. What other ocult or unknown
causes, as electricity. magnetism, gaivanie
agencies, the nature Of which we do not IN
derstand. it Is MINISTERIAL now to inquire.
Suffice it to say. that We know that the earth's
crust Ito use familiar term without asserting
TO the theory Of the believers in the igneous
Nh ukr-Af = -oss N fhat - tain
explosive and inhamable gases which may be
sufficient in quantity and powerful enough in
explosive and dangerous quality to produce all
the phenomena Of volcanic eruptiOns and
earth shakings. The difficulty Of accounting
for the extended character of these latter phe-
nomens-esrthquakes-i no greater than If
the theory Of an internal globe of liquid FIRE
be accepted, as Is evident BY the statements
made by the supporters Of that theory Of the
thickness Of the earth's crust.
That the earth mot merely its interior, but
the crast Of the globel is gas holder, it
would be nonsensieAl TO deny. All our coal,
whether bitnminous or anthracite, contains
iniamable gases coal mines are infested with
it, and many Of the delivers in their depths
annually lose their lives BY its explosion,
either from accidental causes or spontaneous
ignition
No one who is at all acquainted with the
business Of boring for oil viii deny that ennis
sioas Of infammable gas are necessary con-
eomitant to well boring. In the oil regions
this gas is frequently and extensively used as
fuel for driving the engines, or rather for gen.
Grating steam. A notable instance is one We
mentioned tWenty-one months ago. In that
article We spoke of large mandatory in
Erie, Pa. the machinery Of which was driven
and the buildings lighted BY the gas from an
unpr0dactive oil well. The establishment is
that Of II. Jsrecki 4 Co., brass workers. For
more than two years they have led gas by
means Of three-ineh iron pipe from an unsuc-
eessful oil well, ,200 feet distant from the
mandatory, and used It as fuel for their boil
ers and as lights for their works. The flow is
never stopped, never changed in amount Of
pressure the gas is Of good lighting proper
ties, and when at night or on Sundays the
works are stopped. the gas still comes, at
night being lighted At the mouth OF pipe, Of
two or two and q half inches diameter, stu
ated near the top Of the main building. The
light Is sufficient to illuminate several streets
and squares in every direction, and the eseaP-
ing gas makes noise a. Of escaping steam,
that may be heard at a long distance. while
the gas fame is not less than four or FIVE feet
high.-Seiendfe 4ReTieaH.