The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-04-26
Earthquake es---An Electrical %nF"''ss-
The Heyden Gar Theory.


IN the Es,lo, Of DE Brooklyn Edy'e:
viii you please publish 4 new Sarml se
oncnt earthquakes "-vague, Dul not NOR
% ,han any now eXtant? There are QUITS
ing" and "non-quaking lands. Inc lol-
mer are not distributed by latitude norappa-
rently bv any set law. small laichrS VI
ouakinc lands exist in W!de noll-lu;'N IL,
areas. I surnisc that the strata beheath nv :.
U,laking lands form natural Leyaeh )als'as i"
ware-not perfect ones. but tha' hosi-,oH-
ductors are so interpoSed Ill currents oi t'o>i,
tive electricity as that the conouc' Is u'i'l.E''
to the charge hence, acc'lmuia'l'e >'uen',I -
and discharge. The explosion OF L"yden
iar il startling, but comWratlIei! n','!i.eS>
nevertheless there is q CONFUSION. ana II inc
,ar were very fragile ii would break under the
,hnct while if il were surrounded bya hight
crust of matter, that crust would Ike more ~
less demolished, So the earthquake l. com
n,ratiyely harmless, for the overthrow "l |"
.ity like Lisbon Is comparatively aS TRIVIAL IL
wonId be the shaking OF some dust >ptrk>
from the Tower of London by Salvo OF Ill
its r,,nS, II there be spot i'll the jar tI'il
Offers n much better conduct than any other
or where the non-cond,lctor is much more
a,tenuated. that will be the spot OF the grand
discharge but as the jar Is not perfect. per-
hans n chain of lars, there will be many MINOR
discharges. or the shock may break mp ana
tumble about the jar, and 30 cause numerous
minor discharges. # the jar remain Intact.
This spot continues to he the spot OF The PERI
odjcal grand discharges: hut if the jar he bro
ken the land becomes non-qlGikng. some 81
tho discharges are directly upward or ont
ward from the earth; the force OF the dis
charge throws up the opposing strata III a
firm more or less conit.l: hence the NOUN
lain, II the L.r be broken by the shock ne
land becomes n0n-l,laking and the malhtaln
-till mountain. But il the jar remain IN
tact this mountain continues to he Tie spot
OF the periodical discharges. The apex OF
the cone marks the line OF discharge, wllch
backward il along II vertical line from the
apex downward through the cone. The
force of the discharge looScned and pilve-
lized the matter along this line. which by
the laws of el.lvitation hmncdEtei! Logan |"
resettle and recondenSe. In the still noun
tain this settling goes on without Interrupt
zion. but in the volcano ii is interrupted and
undone by periodical discharges. The force
OF the discharge casts up some ot tins loose
matter, in the form Of dust. stones, and other
Debris. Ii will also. in the electric fashion,
heat and fuse some Of the matter. ana Sonr Of
this heated and fused matter Will also De east
ND; hence the tr,lption> from clseiS OF Vol
canoes. The eruption is OF long continuance:
the discharge, having easy coildlct. Is not
Ike that Of the Lcyden jar, but rather like
That of the electric machine to the Levdcn
lara stream of minor discharges. Some OF
the discharges are lateral and downward, or
toward the centre Of the earth hence. lateral
aliakeS. land shifts, risingS and >inkings of
land 4 directly upward discharge would
not lift plane, but would throw up II cone.
4 directly downward discharge would mol
produce funnel OF inverted cone. for the op-
posing matter downward o. toward the cen-
Ire Of the earth j. vastly more and denScr
than that Of the few strata outward. :.
Son-tuaking lands have their QlakeS-
rare and slight. Their jars arc either very
small or their conduct is very grcat--hence
accumulation is slight, surcharsc rare, and
discharge easy. / take ii for granted that
positive electricity is in constant generation
in the earth, which is huge electric ma
chine. offer this only rs a surmiSe; yet it
seems to explain all the known circumstances
of earthquakes. volcanoes, land shifts, and
tidal waves. The discharge OF jar beneath
the ocean would cause a tidal wave. You see.
II my surmise be correct, there. Is hothihs
very terrible in M earthquake i'll world
wide sense no portent of doom, nor dis
closures of hidden forces secretly working
the destruction of the world. If all the
ouaking countries were to quake simultane'
ously and necessarily for a million years, ii
would not injure the earth Il whit, however
disastrous it might be to the people Of tlo>r
lands. 1t would only loosen andtumblcabout
the soil Of those lands, While il would be apt
to prove its own cure by breaking all the jars.