The New York herald., 1870-10-22

"a NoAnHtDcAOnzL OSuuru Pruauo snO -" "
Its only effective point 1t leaves II as null
and void as the most enthusiastic ally of the
rowdy democracy could wish.
Tho Late Eaxthquaks-A Plain and Csusoling
ExplanafIon.
The late earthquake, as we make it ont
from reports received at this Office. extended
from the latitude of Cincinnati, covering, az
Pat would say, on the underside, the breadth
of territory from that city northward to Detroit
and northward to an unknown distance
beyond Detroit and thence the subterraneau
fiery wave rolled along at . speed, say Of a
thousand miles an hour, northeasterly towards
the Atlantic Ocean, embracing Quebec and
the whole State of Maine in its course. Over
all this region, and, indeed, over all the Com
tinent east of the Rocky Mountains, the earthts
crust is comparatively thick, excepting that
section of the Mississippi valley proper
between Cairo and Memphis. Hence, with
this exception, the whole Continent east Of the
Rocky Mountains may be pronounced safe
been any very thin place in the earth's crust
over this passing wave of internal lava there
would have been at that point an ugly fracture
and lively volcanic eruption. Real estate
investment, therefore, over all the region indi-
Gated, may be considered perfectly secure
against depreciation from earthquakes. A
comet or aerolite is different customer, and
may strike anywhere
The exceptional section of the Mississippi
valley proper, Of which we have spoken,
between Cairo and Memphis, was visited in
1911 by succession of earthquakes running
through several weeks, and some of the results
in the lakes created along the river bottom
near New Madrid remain to this day. 1t is
seldom that destructive earthquake occurs
at any great distance from volcano. That
markable exception to this rule but then the
whole Mediterranean is only volcanic basin.
This earthquake of 1911 in the Mississippi
valley, we think may be traced to that vol
vanic centre known as the Hot Springs Of
Arkansas, which are only a volcano in differ
ent form from that Of Vesuvius and the other
dry volcanoes. In Mount Hecla and in the
Geysers of Iceland they have the dry and the
wet volcano and plenty Of earthquakes, as in
all other volanic regions. {
From the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific
Ocean we have region which, in geological
sense, has only recently cooled down. Fre-
mont describes it as "a region Of fracture and
violence and fire." What were volcanic craters
may be found now as mountain lakes in many
places in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra
Nevada. The State Of Nevada and all that
inland Great Basin was but the other day,
geologically speaking, the bottom Of the sea.
1t was, at a comparatively recent date, lifted
up by The pressure Of the volcanic elements
under the earths crust from four to five thou
sand feet above the sea level. When we get
to the Pacific coast Of California we come to
region where the earth's crust is thin and the
hot springs and slumbering volcanic craters Of
that section will account for the frequent earth
quakes at San Francisco.
This earthquake Of ours of Thursday last
was one of that exceptional class which we
cannot trace to any volcanic source. How,
then, are we to account for it? We know
that in volcanic regions, just before an earth
quake, there is supernatural haziness and
sultriness in the skies, often accompanied with
trical elements of attraction between the
atmosphere above and the fiery liquid under
the earth's crust. We had these phenomena
in the atmosphere the other day, and we sup.
pose their attraction was 80 great upon the
sensitive lava under the earth as to cause the
trembling Of the solid ground over all the
region affected, without the assistance of
wave of lava from the basin Of any volcano.
This is wonderful, when we consider that the
shell of the earth under our new city Post
Office is, perhaps, not less than thirty miles
in thickness. Such are the incomprehensible
and stupendous forces Of attraction, gravita-
ton, electricity, gases, sulphur, &C., and fire,
nitro-gycerine and steam combined; for all
these expansive and explosive elements entel
into the composition of an earthquake. We
see, too, in the distribution Of the earth's
volcanoes, that where they do not exist az
escape pipes Of earthquakes they are really
not wanted, and that where a volcano is most
active it is most useful in letting off the gases,
steam and lava which otherwise would throw
whole continents into chaos. We congratu-
late the people Of the Atlantic slope, however,
that they have no volcano, because the
absence Of this safety valve may be accepted
as proof that we are in no real danger from
earthquakes. AS for the people of San Fran
cisco, we would still recommend to them, as
the safest dwellings, frame houses Of one
story, with good strong ground floor.
Senator Morton.
The Pail Mall Gazette betrays no less igno-
rance than malevolence in its reference to the
ax,xaoirtnaant of Sanatnr Mnrton Minisfar ia