Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-04-18
ELECTRICAL CURRENTS.
Railway Tracks as Earthquake COnduc
tors.

From the san Francisco Chronicle.l
w. f. Stewart, of San Jose, on Mon
day evening, i'm the Assembly Chamber,
delivered scientific lecture INVOLVING
theories of earthquakes, geological for
nation, light, motion and electricity
For many years Stewart has closely OBJ
served and studiOusly reflected upon
earthquakes and, their causes. The re-
suit of his reading, study and Observa-
ton is an opinion that they are caused
by the meeting of electrical currents
which move, one upon, the earth's sur
face, the other in the region of the clouds,
and that they are brought together by
those natural conductors, VapoF and rain
clouds-the meeting of the two currents
upon the surface of the earth causing
an earthquake. Stewart also main
tains that these terrible nheAomeRa are
contr0llable by the same means that we
control the tightening and prevent il,
| through an iron conductor, from de-
struyinQ ollr houses He says tho iron
rails of railways are logically conduet-
ors of the electricity that causes earth
quakes as hghtning-rOds are Of that
electricity which comes from the clouds
during q thunder staFm, He maintained
! in his lecture that by means of these and
other conductors il is in the power of
man to so distribute the foEoe of the
ieleotrio currents which cause earth
| quakes that they will be as harmless as
! the lightning conducted down light
! ning-rod into the earth. He SAYS the
trans-eontinental iron track and wires
are already doing this valuable service
for California, in sending part of our
earthquake forces far and wide into the
heart of our continent, by which dis
ltribution the danger and Intensity Of the
shocks are lessened here, els1r
Commenting upon this, the Union re-
marks; .HThe earthquake that hap
/ pened here about twenty minutes past
two yesterday morning furnished the
most opportune and assuring proof OF
I the soundness of SteWartls theory. Ex-
actly the atmospheric condition which
: his theory requires to bring the two cleo
trie currents together then sxlsteEis and
what traHspired upon their meeting was
precisely that which his Theory called for.
\ The shock was felt all along the line OF
the railways from Oakland to Winnie
muees, being most seYere AZ points
nearest 70 tnat point Where the op-
posing electrical currents may be
assumed to have been first brought to-
gether. Off the line Of the railway any
Il Considerable distance there was no per,
eeptible shock, or at least only a slighi
one. At San Francisco, hitherto
supposed to be standing on the mos
4 quslyy ground, there was not shoch
enough te cause alarm, though at Oak
land 1t lasted over minute and wa'
startling. In this city It lasted not les
! than 0 minute aud q half part Of th'
/ time severe enough 20 shake the plastel
: from walls, and everywhere TO drly'
E people ID alarm from their beds, and
5 number out Of their houses. At Gait
: directly on the line Of the railway, thir
ty-hve miles west of here, the shocl
1 was strong enough 70 throw cone persol
!, out of bed, and It was also heavy on tn
/, line Of the road eastward from here q
( far as heard fFpnl, In addition to tn
! proofs furnished by this last trembiel
= we may add that, since the railwa
n track has been laid down, there hay
\ been, to our knowledge, four other eartl
], quakes, all following the very sam