The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-06-20

|
they expected.
Wonderful man, Bismarck wonderful ac-
tor! One who has done many great feats in
the world; but still an actor.
Another Little Earthquake Around New
York-Anoiher Warning to San Francisco.
At ten o'clock last Sunday night shock Of
a little earthquake was distinctly felt at vari-
GUS places on Long Island, Staten Island and
over in Jersey. From various accounts
it appears that at Staten Island 'sfrst there
was rumbling noise and then a throbbing
of the earth, which lasted quite two seconds"
in one house In Brooklyn, "about three miles
east of Fulton ferry, rumbling noise, like
low thunder, was heard little before ten
O'Clock" At Jamaica and thereabouts the
people ''were first awakened by . noise as if
made by team of horses and wagon going
over cobble stone pavement, and then ''the
quick vibrations of the earth, shaking the
houses and rafting the windows, almost
frightened the islanders out of their wits"
AT Roslyn ''the noise preceding the shock
was like that of distant thunder, but seem ed
to be directly under foot" And the shock
was distinctly felt at Hoboken, Weehawken
and other places in Jersey. Doubtless the
shock extended to this city, but 1t was too
light to be noticed.
Now, the question arises whence came this
little earthquake? The day had been very
stormy in these parts, and the sky, in the
clearing up at night was strangely illumi-
mated. Was this earthquake the result of
some mysterious attraction between the
electrical forces of the atmo sphere
and those in the bowels Of the earth or was
it the bouncing up against the earth's crust in
the localities mentioned of some tidal wave of
the liquid fire with which the shell Of the earth
is filled2 After thoughtful consideration Of
the subject 1t is our opinion that this little
shock was from the bouncing up against the
| earths crust Of subterranean tidal fiery
wave, all the way, perhaps, from the late
tremendous upheaval which shook down towns
and cities over an extensive district near the
bordering mountains Of Western China. Still,
we are reminded by Professor Eaton that this
earthquake of ours of last Sunday, like that of
last October, was preceded by stagnant, sui
try atmosphere and remarkably copious rains,
and that in each case period of unusual calm
III the air attended the shock. We think too,
that this is always the case with the visitation
Of an earthquake. And this would appear to
justify the other theory Of a sympathetic action
between the electrical forces ia the air and
those deep down in the bowels Of the earth.
/ Dukxu hol; hok hath
the subterranean tidal fiery wave and the mag
netic attraction between it aud the electrical
forces in th e atmosphere.
| Let us look into this matter little further,
for it is very interesting subject. The earth,
in the form Of little ball, rolling round the
mighty and glorious sun, is body Of liquid
fire, covered by thin shell Of solid matter,
over which are our seas, lakes and rivers, and
over and around all is the soft blanket of forty
miles Of atmosphere, more or less The out
side surface of the earth's crust Is full Of Inc
qualities, under the seas and over the dry
land, and the inside surface is doubtless
marked by similar inequalities. Assuming
that the average thickness Of the shell is about
forty miles, We can form something of an idea
of the stupendous uplifting power of an earth
quake which topples down cities and noun
tains and makes great assures on the earth 8
surface. PROFESSIONALLY our shaky planet
would explode like an overcharged steam
boiler but for those safety valves called vol
canoes. They let of the surplus lava, gases
and steam, and they are wisely planted over
all those regions where the shell Of the earth
is thinnest. Hence, If we have no volcanoes
east Of the Rocky Mountains, it is because we
do not need them; for We dare say that the
earth's she'll over all this section Except
New Madrid and thereabouts, on the Misss-
sippi river) is at least hundred miles in
thickness. 1t may be two hundred but in
the absence of any measurement we have to
guess it.
West of the Rocky Mountains, however, we
get into a region of great danger from earth
quakes; for there we have sufficient evidences
| on every side that the earth's crust is very
thin. And this leads us to think that the back
| action of that recent Chinese earthquake, If
| not yet felt, soon may be in San Francisco.
With all those boiling springs they have in
| CaluOrnla we JuuSe tuat InoSe people must De
dangerously near to the boiling lava down be-
low. 1t is probable, indeed, that at San Fran
| cisco the crust Of the earth is not more than
ten miles thick and this may have much more
to do with the dry climate and the wonderful
products of California than most men are in
clined to believe. We have heretofore warned
the people Of San Francisco against the folly
of building lofty houses. In New York we
are safe enough. A long, long time ago
thousands and thousands of years before the
time Of Adam-a channel for the Hudson
river was ripped by volcanic action from the