The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-12-18
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A few days ago there was an earthquake
IN Massachusetts, and on Thursday night
at 1890 o'clock severe shock was felt i'm
the Palisade region, in Wcstchestcr. in the
confines of Connecticut in upper New
York and in Wlliamsburgh The shocl,
was OF unusual severity for this region, was
attended by a rumblng roar, and. as re-
ported by various persons, was supposed To
be powder or steam explosion, the rum.
bling of heavy wagon, the moving of
heavy furniture. etc. Articles were yio-
lently shaken and in some instances thrown
down. General confusion prevailed over
the whole region, and the people generally
were LETT in perturbcd and unsettled con-
ditlon Some describe series of bumps
and jars. others speak of wave move
ment, and all are clearly of the opinion
that one earthquake is all that they care TO
experience during their span of life.
Among the dumb animals there was a sin
gular consonance of opinion. They were
evidently sure that the earth beneath their
feet was in conspiracy against them. and
while men, women and children marvelcd
and gosspped, the beasts and birds gave nj
terance to their views. The cattle lowed,
the horses neighcd, cats mcwcd, dogs bark
ed, the birds began TO sing, roostcrs crowed
and hens cackled their regrets that they had
been spared for Christmas.
1t is comforting to know that we live in
an earthquake region. In one part or
| another OF America they are Of frequent
occurrence, and the scientific authorities
tell US that among the regions remote from
active volcanoes, yet specially subject 10
earthquake shocks, are the Mississippi
! valley, New England and the st. Law
| renee region. Two of these points are in
rlOcn Nip1itV n ( apl
| Long Island and Manhattan Island might
furnish suitable "terminal facilities for
| these seismic disturbances. What the pro-
bable effect upon the value Of real estate
| will be remains to be seen, or how far men
| will be inclined to forbear the clcYcn-storV
| architectural mOnstrositics with superim-
| posed towers that pierce the sky. Already
| an earthquake-proof architecture has been
| created, and applied to the construction of
| lighthouses in Japan, and of custom
| house in Valparaiso. Whether the New
| York custom house was created on that
principle we cannot say, but it bore I'M
| harmed the shock of the November earth
| quake. When one calmly surveys the
| Palisadc region of the lower Hudson and
| examines the rocky ridges that enclose the
| great river, and finds on either side, cast
and west, within easy reach, low lying
| hulontS anu SINglSH lltlul llDN. hC ttllHNl
| doubt that this typographical formation re-
suited from some tremendous tclluric con
vusion. The Mohawk the Genessce
and the Niagara exhibit the action
| of similar agencies, and the great rocl
at New Hagen raise the question Of q like
derivation. Ages ago this work was donr,
but it is slowly comprised as the centuries
pass. Mallet, IN expert mechanical cngi-
| neer, is the best authority on earthquakes,
and his views are generally accepted by
| modern science. lie ascrbcs the origin OF
| the earthquake to the cooling Of the earth
| during long progress Of time and the crush
ing in of the shell. Away back in the
| formative period, the geologic cycles, the
crust was thin, and the convusions were
| frequent and violent, thus causing the mar
velous notifications of the carth's surface
here great ridges and volcanic rocks up
heaved 10 the clouds, and there deep de-
| pressions both on land and in the sea.
Mallet regards the function of an earth
| quake as conservative and not Destructive
a thought highly consoling to our friends
| within the area of Thursdays disturbance.
ltsis the instrument by whose agency the
solid crust of the globe is kept in a state
to follow down after the shrinking nucleus,
accomplishing by degrees in each localitya
| work that otherwise would involve par
oXysm which might shake the whole earth.
The near approach of New York aud West
chester to the shrinking but hot ru-
cleus is another comfortable reflection,