Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-04-10
Earthquakes I'm Two Hemispheres.

Closely following the account of the earth
quake in California comes the story by cable of
a far greater calamity of a similar character at
the famous old city of Antioch, in Syria. BY
which nearly fifteen hundred of her six thou
sand inhabitants were instantly killed while
thousands were injured, and nearly all were
deprived of their homes. Founded about the
year eco Il. c., the city has been we times pros
trs'cd by earthquakes before the present vista
lion, which has laid about half of il in ruins. In
the year rs, il was entirely destroyed by an
earthquake, and in the years i3S, $50, and So,
IT was again ruined by the same terrible agency.
In the cOnyulsIOn in the last mentioned year.
according 10 Gibbon, 90 900 OF the population
IeTisltd. IL recovered in a great measure from
tiese disasters, but in 1s22 another earthquake
leyCitd!t to the ground, and since that date it,
ToI u!ation has never reached beyond six thou
-and. 1t was here that the followers of the Sa-
yIcur were FIRST given the name of Chri tiaus
Unfortunately. the cable does not give us the
date Of this last earthquake; but following so
Immediately after the series of shocks along the
Pacific coast, one is apt 20 connect them, parti-
CulaTly as Antioch is situated between parallels
50 and 81, which Is precisely the latitude OF
Owens lake, Nisalia and other places in Califor-
MIA where the shock of the 18th ult. was seyerest
The coincidence OF two such phenomena one
the most serious earthquake that has occurred
in California since 1872, and the other the most
destructive that has befaIlen Antioch in centu-
Ties, happening only few days apart and on
the same belt Of latitude-along the center OF
what has been called the earth1uake zone
seems to indicate a connection between the two
simultaneously with the accounts of the Cali
fOrnis earthquakes came the report that the
volcano OF COlima, in Mexico, was in a
violent state of agitation, and now the cable
brings intelligence that Mount Vesuvius is
also in a state of violent eruption. A column of
flame shoots several hundred feet above the era
ter, and stones, ashes and cinders fall in dense
showers around the summit. OF course the
newspapers cannot let such an opportunity pass
Of trOtting out their several pet earthquake theo
Ties again, and most of the prominent journals
in the country devote considerable space to the
subject The New York Herald sticks to the old
dictum Of - a rolling sea of fire within the
eaTth," affected by electric and atmospheric
charges. The earthquake philosopher of the
Tribune, on the other hand, thinks that there
are objections TO the a." melted nucleus hypothe-
sis" which are well nigh insuperable. As he
don't advance anything more reasonable how
ever, and makes such a grave mistake as to
assert that ''the shell being heavier than the
nucleus, there would be a strong tendency of
surface to tumble in,' his speculations don't
amount to much. Astronomers have demon.
stTateG beyond a doubt that the specific gravity
OF the earth is several times greater than the
heaviest rocks upon its surface, which is in
strict accordance with natural laws; for, were
the globe again in fluid state, the heaviest
matter would settle about the center, as the
TIiJUne philosopher or any other man can prove
by putting little oil and water in tum5ler.