The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-09-04
Earthquakes and Volcanoes.


The terrible earthquake of Tuesday
night, which laid Charleston, South Caro-
lima. in ruins. and sent a tremor all over
the western continent, has started afresh
an inquiry into the causes of these violent
commissions of the earth. Scientists have
assigned various causes for them, but it has
been generally supposed that they were
closely connected with, if not actually the
result of volcanic influences. Humboldt,
Sir Humphrey Davy, Professor Maury,
and others who have shed light upon the
subject of physical geography, have agreed
that both spring from internal fires, and
that volcanoes and earthquakes have va
rious and important offices to perform in
the terrestrial economy. The earth owes
much of its geographic character to them.
They are the manifestations of its central
heat, and by them the upheayals of the
earth's surface form hills, valleys and
mountains and beds of rivers and the great
basins of the oceans, whose waters would
otherwise overflow the whole surface of the
earth. The elevations and depressions of
the crust of the earth are caused on one
hand by the forces which produce earth
duakes and volcanoes, and reduced on the
other by the action of water and the
weather. The earth shows that from the
earliest period to the present time 1t has
been subject to earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions These forces act in obedience
to natural laws and according to design.
By them mountains and watersheds have
been lifted up, and the channels of rivers
created to give drainage to the land and
make it habitable for man.
No part of the earth is wholly exempt
from earthquakes, though they are more
frequent in some regions than others.
They are more frequent in volcanic coun-
tries, and along the sea coast, and have
generally been attributed to internal fires.
Most of the active volcanoes stand on
islands or near the sea shore. From this
circumstance it has been held that volcanoes
and earthquakes are caused by the expan-
sive power of steam, the waters Of the
ocean finding their way to the internal
fires of the earth, and exploding with ter
rible force Sir Humphrey Dayy once
advanced different theory, which he sub
sequently abandoned. He attempted to
account for them on the principles of chem
istry. When he discovered the metallic
bases of the earths and alkalies he supposed
that those metals might abound in an un-
oxidized state in the subterranean regions
to which water might penetrate. When
this occurred gases might be evolved sufi-
cient to produce the earthquake, the metals
would combine with the oxygen of the
water, and heat enough would be produced
to melt the surrounding rocks. This
theory was subsequently conceded to be
more fanciful than real.
The internal molten mass being taken
for granted, it is generally supposed by
scientists that the generation of immense
quantities of gas, through the influence of
this vast source of heat, is sufficient to ac-
count for the occurrence of earthquakes
This theory seems more probable and
rational than that of Dayy.
In the presence of a calamity like that
which has befallen Charleston, man realizes
his own utter insignifcance. and to some ex-
tent the illimitable power of the hand of the
Almighty, who not only upholds the uni
verse by the fiat of His own sovereign
will, but who is able to crush, as an egg
shell, this earth on which We live, and to
blot it in moment oat of existence, Such
a visitation is calculated to inspire every
rejecting mind with awe and reverence,
and to fill every breast with the profoundest
humility.