The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-12-24
The Earthquake.

Inc EdT LEQudkS.
The occurrence OF an earthquake in the
Atlantic region, in which Richmond Is 10.
Gated and which earthquake was felt here
severely on Wednesday night, occasions a
general interest 10 the subject of earthquakes.
The conjectures concerning the causes OF
earthquakes have been numerous. Most OF
them involve the liberation of gases. One
cid authority regarded lightning and earth
quakes as the results tthe firing OF ct the in
fammable breath OF pyrites that IS, sui
phur--and another considered earthquakes
to be due to the explosions OF any mixtures
containing sulphur and iron. sTuKELY FOUND
their origin in electrical discharges within
the earth, in which he was sustained by some
high authorities, the best known of whomin
this day was PRIRsTLY.
There appeared an essay Ia B!dck,cood
July, 1862, written with decided abii'
itv, which maintained the electric theory
ard foreibly developed II; and to that we
Shall refer further on in this article. BUF-
roS, a great man indeed, held that there
were caverus in the earth, the falling OF
. whose ceilings occasieped the initial concus-
sions and noises. HUMBOLDT and DARWIN
thought that such caverns and their tainpg
ceilings might have connections with earth.
ouakes, but not necessarily. Rev. j. MITCH
ELL, in 1850, had very symmetrical theory.
He assumed that the sudden for
nation of aqueous Vapor between
the crust and the molten interior OF
the earth and the passage of the waves OF
this vapor in between the sedlmentary strata
of the crust lifted the upper strata in waves
like those of carpet when it is gently
shaken on the floor. Very smooth theory,
but hard to reconcile With the partial sur
face manifestation of the phenomena and the
singuarity of its forces. DoLoMEU and sCRoPE
favored the idea Of the generation o! steam
in pent.up accumulations Of water by inter-
nal heat. Sir JOHN HERsCHEL had an eiaoo'
rate theory relative to generation OF internal
beat and consequent gases, and the powerful
forces producing earthquakes, and the up
heaval, OVERLOOKING, and beichines OF vol
canoes. Other theorists assumed that all
The phenomena of earthquakes and yo!ca.
noes we're accounted for by the cooling and
shrinkage Of the earth, which was once
molten body, while some there are who con-
tend that the earth Is solid, and there IS no
merit in the last-cited theory. And thus we
might extend this article to a length unreal
sonabe for daily paper. But we propose
to quote from the article ia Black,oood, above
referred TO. which contains the most rational
theory we have yet seen, and which connects
with the theory many interesting poinss that
are both interesting and instructive.
Electricity is the great and powerful agent
adduced by the Blackeoood essayist as the
disturbing element that has produced the
phenomena of which we are writing. he
bases his reasons upon very good and, we
think, conclusive reasoning. The authors
ideas do not exclude those natural things,
such as the generation Of gases by the flow
of wafer upon the heated bodies, especially
the water that has taken up the salts, &C., Of
decomposing rocks and dissolvng earths.
There is no conflict between those forces and
that mighty agent to which be mainly refers
the internal commissions. Indeed, they would
only assist to increase the violence of the
commissions.
Our author attacks especially HUMBOLDT
idea, or that to which be inclined, that
earthquakes were clused by the inburst
or utilization of the waters Of the sea into
TIE burning caverns of the earth, thereby
generating immense volumes of gas and
aqueous vapor, which force their way in ex-
plosions to the surface. In objection to this
it is answered that volcanoes are to be found
far inland, in the heart of central Asia,
more than thousand miles from the ocean,
and far from any large body of water. The
writer next attacks the idea that the central
portion Of the earth is molten mass, and
shows the fallacy of that hypothesis.
The author eXpatiates at some length upon
the manifestations which have been the Oh.
iects of wonder, such as dust.swirIs, water
spcuts, cyclones. sand-pllars, &C., &C., as
electrical phenomena. The atmosphere is
regarded commonly as the native seat of cleo
trical disturbances which give rise to hurri.
canes and thunder. storms, which convulse 1t
and cause SO many disasters; but the at
mospheric phenomena are secondary. 1t is
the solid surface of the earth that is most in
tluenced by solar action. The heat ofsummer,
in large degree, comes from the earth
where it accumulates and acts like super.
transparent gas upon the atmosphere. Five
miles IN in the air the thernometer shopys
hardly any difference when in shade and
when in sun. The electric influence of the
solar rays accumulate in far greater extent in
the earth than in the tenuots atmosphere
and the surface of the earth is the main
seat of those electrical variations mani
tested in the atmosphere. Every dis
charge of electricity between the air
and earth implies that the earth is as much
out Of equilibrium as the air is, otherwise no
such discharge could take place. Electrical
action is ceaselessly going on between the
earth and air. Every electric fash convey
ing a message by telegraph returns to its
starting point through the earth's crust or
on its surface.
Country people know that there are spots
Of the earth that are frequently struck by
lightning. At such spots the lightning
descends or issues from the earth. At
such points there are rocks which
attract lightning, being igneous in their
formation, and probably impregnated
with iron. Certain kinds of rock are ia.
IF,