The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-02-03

u
with a distinguished slvant, who recently arr
| we'd from Liverpool, Ell route 10 San Francisco
Japan, Suinatra and Borneo, and the Phillip
pine Islands. NJ. Victor IIerault prior to the
days Of the Commune was a member of several
| Europeon Scientific societies., and was (iistin
| guished alike for the daring originality Of his
views and for his cold blooled sinsoucianee in
expressing them. A jealous crenatienist, an
indefatigable student, a pupil of Robert Mallct
1.-THE greatest living authority upon earth
guakes-M. Hefallt took part i'll the coup
d'etat of 4S, and Since then has resided prin-
cipally in London. He has long held peculiar
views respecting the future of the planet we
| inhabit, as we'll as the whole solar SYSTEM
maintaining with NJ. Pillet and other members
of the French Academy Of Sciences that within
| a comparatively short time, the sun, with all
its planets, welded sto one mass, will roll a
cold, black bal! thro' infinite space. The sa
vant received the Mercury representative with
| empressment and the conversation soon turn
| ed upon the recent shocks of earthquakes, the
hurricane in the PHILIPPINES, and the threatened
eruption of Vesuvius.
sit is with the planet we call our earth as it
| is with the human race who nhabit it" said
the philosopher, energetcal.y !; "a state OF I'M
consciousness is a state Of health" Perceiving
the surprise Of his listener, NJ. II eraut pro-
| ceeded
| Eyes. state Of Inconsistencies is state of
health. When man first becomes conscious
OF the existence Of his stomach, he probably
has dyspepsia. When he feels particular
tooth, it aches; when an arm OF q LEG forces
attention, rheum atism has probably entered
the system; and so on. Now, the earth is a
great animal; it is alive; vital fluid circuates
in it; every particle Of it is alive it has in
stilct and volition, even to the most elemental
ry molecules, which attract and rpel each
other according to sympathies apd antipathes.
Every mineral has the power of converting nl-
| mense masses into its own nature, as we COIL
vert food into flesh and blood. The noun
| tans are the respiratory organs of the globe !;
the schists are the organs discretion; the min
era veins are assesses, and the metals are
products of disease, for Which reason most Of
| them have repulsive smell. The carth's all
ments are occasioned by the expansion OF sub
! terranean gases, and are manifested to man
\ kind iii the rear of the hurricane, the crash Of
( the tiiunderbolt the believing OF the volcano
and the hideous groaning which forms so ter
rible feature in the earthquake. These plie-
| nomenas are all due TO the effervescence of the
central fire. The crust OF the earth is simply
i the shell of Il boiler, and such q she'll under
the pressure Of steam, yibrates like a soloTous
plate.''
lie spoke with exquisite facility Of language
anu Illustration, and for over all hour fairly
cor,iscateh as he rapidly enunciated his singn-
eiiCol Inc StttiiSll
! our common ''nothcr earth.' Without pre-
tending to verbal accuracy, the path Of II. Vic
tor Hera'llt's remarks are given below
''Before disclosing the disease and lltimle
death of our planet let lis e(leavor to realize
the thickness CT the crust compared to the III
terrified mass From repeated observations
made in the English and Belgian coal fields it
is ascertaincd that the temperature OF Tie earth
is constant at abo'n fifty feet and the increase
of temperature observed is aho' one degree
fthren!ltit for every fifty feet Of descent. U:.-
QUESTIONABLE, however, The Increase "o;.,v. Do
found to be III geomeir:cal progression II tie
investigation could be extended, i'll which case
the present crust would BE- fuilid much thin
ncr than it is calculated to he Eat taking as
correct the present observed rate OF increase
| The temperature wonld be rs fo,lows At 1903
feet water bos; at Is, 200 feet lead melts; at
seven miles there is real-heat; at 81 miles gold
metts; at a miles cast-ron melts; at 100 miles
| Il tenperture car able Of fl,sing platina, porcc
lain, and every refractory substance we are
| acquainted with Bear in mind that the equa
torial diameter Of the earth is about 1925 miles,
and you will perceive that my comparison OF
the crust to a boiler plate is not exaggerated.
Now let.us glance alta few OF the recent mtia-
dies which have appeared on this crust, and
by them enceavor to form Il prognosis OF what
is likely to befa!l our planet in the immediate
future. First OF ALL there were the terrible
floods that devastated portions of France and
England, followed more recently by earth
quake tllroes iii Porto Rico, and the series OF
| formidable shocks Which extended on the At
lantic coast from North Carolina to Washing
tom Then few days since came the cable re-
port of the terrific hurricane which swept over
the Philippine Islands: and every two OF three
days we are Informed Vesuyius is preparing
for what will beyond question be an astound-
ing demonstration, with disastrous co-ordi-
n q IN and rpoinrnoa1 mo ifnS ia at
New York, as shall eudeayor to explain t.
you.
"Great Internal disturbances OF the earth
can almost always be predicted by the atmos-
plierc conditions Of deep Goa. mines. The la
rOmeter becomes unusually low, and even with
safety lamps it is almost impossible to avert
explosions. Now look at tile coal-lnine record:
In the early days of December there were three
explosions reported in Great Britain from Lam
cashire and South Wales. Immediately fol-
lowing came the Barnsley explosion and the
loss Of one hundred and forty lives ; and to ex-
hibit the reciprocal action, we learn OF re-
cent explosion and the loss of hundred and
forty lives; and to exhibit the reciprocal ac-
ton, we learn Of a recent explosion at Wilkes
barre, Pa, i'll the Hutchinson mine. All these
fatally destructive phenomena are connected.
The eruptions of Vesuyius are invariably pre-
cedcd by the coordinate action of which have
spoken; and the earthquakes in their turn are
preceded by sinking barometer and snbterra-
mean pulsations easily observed in the deep
mines Of England and Belgium by means CT
the Seismograpl. But Oh no previous occa-
sion has there been presented for orr studious
consideration such a formidable series of TN
healthy phenomena as the present condition OF
the earth's interior presents. They unques-
tionably Indicate overwhelming catastrophes
-explosions whose sublime horror in Naples
and New York will surpass all human power
of description.
Scientific men all anticipate with awe the
impending calamiEy-altlough there are varl-
GUS opinions as to its probable extent. Prof.
Palmeri watches high up on the slopes nj We
suvius, and may not improbably, like the
younger Piiny, be made a martyr to his devo-
ton to science and humanity. NJ. Robert Mai
let is studying the wave movements and inter
nal connections of the earth, by means OF q
newly invented instrument, consistin. Ut Il Sc
ries Of delicately adjusted magnets in the deep
est mine in Belgium. near Namur, where he
pursueS his researches at q temperature OF LUZ
degrees Fahrenheit, in atmosphere saturated
with gases and carbonic acid, mingled with
aqueous vapors. Wood, Forster, Lloyd, and
other renowned English mining engineers are
| making similar observations in the Durham
coal-feld, England, and one and all agree that
| the crust of the earth is at present subjected to
! a frightful pressure, consequent upon the in
explcable expansion Of subterraneal gases.
''Over and above all these startling facts, we
have the record of that most cmnous Stellar
disaster If last summer, when a star in the
constt llation OF the Crown suddenly and APP
| 81. :to.