The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-04-19
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EARTHQUAKES.

Fan Inv
iron m no languages the earth + The T. EN- NJ
IN I w solidity, a feeling Of trust N lts
bleln VI no SV1 almost interviewer win
human existence, and men speGiu I ~ n
iiv"s in toll to acquire possessl y. ~ " =
s lls,. which Blackstone tells Us s sS'
possc posse "ysr no 10 the center Of the 8 0be.
when therefore, 10 sudden !. c : ~ sUs
m1ES the ground beneath the Jees K ale
sn appalling noise, louder than . sDy hS SnU
AZ Az, A rpmes from unknown depths De ,'N.I
uI .nsscbless terror falls upon men, Wa. ~
AsPe shiO Sostrnction Of property and ao'
soIute personal danger scarcely auSnl smS
And hence, although tho mere uA Wy ~ nv
nnH iSsnt ftsts 81 earthquakes are trans
m;ttad 10 rs from remote centuries, care.
HI USaossStions such as are necessary ior
aoio UII reSearch into their causes, and
which must be accumulated i0r many
' Will bstnre definite results can be prcdl'
ySs oII n mon them are exceedingly few .,
'" TSerp viii doubtless be those who Will
.Ook a connection between the deploraplee
S sstH at Antioch and the more ;ex.
tended phenomenonin California. Ever
Sinoe he hypothesis, was started that the
cFSlt 81 he earth Is nowhere more than
one hundred miles thick, that within the
crust there IL o mass Of melted matter
10 which volcanoes act as safety waves,
and that when the valves are INSTRUCTED
a sudden development Of volcanic gases,
pushinR against The crust, starts alseries
II Waya ION some central point q agii
tation and thus constitutes an earthquake,
there have been plenty OF earthquake
coincidence. Sometimes the shocks on
both sides Of the globe have been sim
ultaneous, and those were supposed to
have started from It's centre. Sometimes
hours have elapsed between, and calcp:
lstonS have bean made as to the length Of
time Il should take wave in the melted
nucleus TO travel some eight thousand
miles through and strike the crust on the
other side But while the melted nucleus
hypothesis answers for few OF the facts,
il seems 10 be contradicted by others, and
there arc objections toit made by physicn
ists ofhigh standing that arc fwellnigh'
iEsnpeIa6le. - - I ] ~ b
It's improbable, to say the least, that
such an igueous mass would not have
cooled in the long geologic eras, notwith.
standing the projecting ernst. 1t has
been shown by experiment that such a
melted nucleus would be likely to meltits
shell-especially as. the shell being
heavier than the nucleus, there would be
strong tendency Of the surface to tum.
Die in. There would be tides Of the melt
ed matter due to the moons attraction
which would be visible, but arc notinac.
tive volcanoes. The shape Of earthquake
waves is not accordant with the central
nucleus theory. Prof. Thompson Of Eng.
land, man Of high authority in such re-
searches, has even demonstrated by
mathematical means that absence of
change in the figure Of the earth under
thCmOon's attraction, indicates rigidity
throughout the globe Incompatible with
anything but a solid mass.
The fact that earthquakes occur most
frequently along sea coasts has given rise
10 the theory that they are caused ,bya
sudden shifting oil an equilibrium which
has been destroyed by the immense
amount Of soil carried into the sea by
rivers. Thiswas originally advanced by
Sir John Herschel; but there are Difficult.
ties about 1t, aside from It's requiring the
melted nucleus for basis. Humboldt
demonstrated that many mountain chains
among them the Andes-were solid
beiorethey were appraised; and thai con
in upheavaE thelrstrata would
leave arched spaces and caverns, which,
being subsequently, enlarged by springs
lltering through themaand undermining
the supports Of the strata, would afford
space Tor a fall Of the masses above
them. This might account for most
earthquakes near mountains. II is
observable that in most countries where
earthquakes are frequent, caves are
numerous. But, on the. other hand,
the Romans used to select the 5neikhbor.
hood Of springs and caves, for their large
edticeS because ground thus perforated
was found lreer from earthquakes TESte
Is also IN electrical theory, which ex.
plains earthquakes by declaring that It is
not the earth that qpAkesS bpttlhe, people,
and structures upon 1T and that these are
hutteted about Sbv electric currents
Strange 10 Soy, there are Califarniaus, Who
experienced'the shocks Of 1865, and are
inclined 70 adoptthis belief Its fortunate
Tor this country that great earthquakes
here are fewer than the theories. that
propose 10 explain them. % = 9 -