The Hickman courier., 1877-07-27
4 YEARS. Earthquakes.
Their Arera0e Time of Occurrence-Ihe
Record of 1872.

GA II - EA In IHU OA hES.
Ahetr Arerd0e Time of Occurrence-Ihe
Record of 1872.
Manifestations of internal force beneath
The earth's crust, in the shape of either
earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, occur
on an average three times week in
greater or less intensity in some part of
the globe. Such, at least, is the conclu-
sion to be arrived at from the compila-
ton of all the recorded phenomena of
this kind in the year 1875, lately pre-
pared by Prof. Fuchs, and printed in
German scientific journal. Out of the
three hundred and sixty-fve days of that
year one hundred were marked by ter
restial disturbances, of which authentic
records exist, while there must have been
many shocks of more or less violence in
unfrequented portions of the globe where
volcanic forces are known to exist. The
most serious of these observed phcnom-
ena occurred at Cucuta, New Grenada,
on the 10th, 18th, and 18th, of May,
when several towns and villages were
destroyed at San Cristobal and Guada-
laxera, in Mexico, on Feb. II at Lifu
island. i'll the North Pacific, on March
2S; at Lahore, in the Punjaub, and at
Porto Rico, on the 18th and 2lst of De
cember All these places, it will be OBJ
served. are in the torrid zone, with the
exception of Lahore, which is only a
short distance north of the tropic of
Cancer. 1t is estimated that no fewer
than twenty thousand persons lost their
lives during the destruction caused by
these earthquakes while the damage to
property was enormous. In these dis
tricts which are liable to disturbances of
this nature the buildings are usually and
on purpose of very frail nature, but
! the losses occasioned are nevertheless
very severe, especially as when in the
/ case of the earthquakes of Feb, IL and of
( the 10th and 18th of Nav the shocks are
/ felt over far wider expanse than is in
/ dicated by the central outbreak. These
distul Dances, which threw San Cristobal
and Guadalaxera and Cucuta and many
neghboring villages into ruins, were felt
over a considerable portion of Central
America and the adjoining parts of the
northern and southern continents. Be
sides the earthquakes which are felt by
the inhabitants of the land, there are
many disturbances in the depth of the
ocean which arafprobably never observed
and never recorded and similar manifes-
tations of volcanic forces exert them
selves beneath the sea, such as that re-
Gently observed near Hawaii. The great
centres of volcanic phenomena are Italy,
Iceland, New Zealand, Java, Mexico, the
Northern Pacific, and Greece, and all
these localities exhibited signs of activity
during the year of 1875. The most i'm
portant outbreaks occurred in Iceland,
where, though no great calamity like
those to which Vesuvius has given rise
occurred, there were several outbursts on
one occasion, viz, in March, the ashes
emitted by Vetina were carried on as far
as Norway and Sweden, and so dense
were the clouds of dust that the sun was
obscured and wide districts thrown into
darkness. Loud reports and severe
shakings accompanied this display, and
were felt throughout the island. On six
OCCASIONS huge streams of lava were
poured forth from the different craters
opened, lasting, in some instances, for
many weeks-nOtably on the occasion of
the eruption of Vetina, on Jan. >, when
thered- hot matter continued to flow till
the end. of February. In April several
eruptiOns occurred, during one of which
matter was elected to an enormous
hight, and streams of lava, mile and a
half wide and fifteen miles long, flowed
mall directions. Vesuvius and Etna were
noz nearly so full of life during that year.
The Sicilian mountain only gave three
or four signs of activity, which were un-
accompanied, save with two slight ex-
ceptions, by any outward manifestations,
though in January some damage was
done by sharp shocks of inward labor.
These phenomena occurred in January
and December, and were accompanied by
simultaneous earthquakes and subterra-
mean noises in the sister volcano, Vesu-
vius, which gave forth clouds of smoke
at intervals In Java there was a serious
eruption of Kloet at the beginning of
1875, whereby the settlement of Bilkar
was destroyed and other damage done
/ The New Zealand geysers, or springs of
boiling water, similar to the celebrated
4 fountain of Iceland, were unusually ac-
/ tive, and toward the end of the year the
volcanoe of Tongariro was in eruption,
eiecting lava and stones, and about the
same time an outbreak of Mauna Loa
occurred in the Sandwich islands. This
locality has since shown frequent signs
of considerable commotion. Perhaps the
most interesting Of volcanic phenomena
was the sudden eruption of Ceboruco, in
Mexico, on the}i1th of February, at the
same time as the earthquakes referred to
above at San Christobal and Gauda-
laxera. This mountain had been thought
to be extinct, no eruption having been
recorded since the discovery of America
till, in 1870, it awoke from its long sleep.
Tt is hoped that the vent thus found may
serve to relieve the country from the
earthquake plague by which it is par
alyzed. The Grecian archipelago-the
third great seat of volcanic force in
Europe-was visited by several eruptions
in 1879 The island of Sautorin is espe-
cially referred to by Prof. Fuchs as be-
ing in constant agitation, though no
damage was done.
MISTIKEN COYOTE.
Rv tho eenotor which arrival 1-as+ar