Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-11-04
IN THE EARTH'S INTERIOR.
Prof. Van Benthusen Says It's Very
Warm and Would Makea
Hottentot Perspire.


Talking about earthquakes, said
Prof. Van Benthuscn to a reporter Tor
The New York Mail and E1preSs, calls
to mind a question, which, stand ng
alone, is of startling significance to the
people of this continent. 1t is one
that has been under discussion Tor
many years, but believe that the prob
lem was solved when the shock occur
red in 1884. The particular place
where that earthquake originated III
fords little room for speculation. The
fact proved by that shock was d rectly
to the point that the interior OF the
earth is in II highly heated state
There are no facts to dlsproVe OF
this assumption, but many to support
it, II it not in 4 fluid condition so
largely as to interfere with It's rlgldity.
which is counted equal to ball OF
steel, this is SAID to be because of the
great weight with VIII oh the exterior
presses toward the center. Notwlth-
and no the facts already mentioned
Il cooling process is steadily go ne on.
Geologists claim that It has requ red
twent, five millions of years to acquire
Is present external form OF soIidlty,
and that during this PERIOD the noun
tains where formed and the hollows OF
tie seas made by sort OF WrlikIln@ ol
the surface us the globe of llquld hre
and heated gases contracte to It's pres
ent shape. According to this idea Inc
solid crust of the earth extends down
| from ten to forty miles, there being be-
| meath that Il greater or less thickness
of plastic mater al, from melted rocks,
etc, under high pressure, while the
crust of the earth IS all the time IN
high state of tension from the gradual
cooling of the interior, causing caVl-
ties and allowing the superintendent
earth 10 crowd down closer to its heat
ed core
Another theory propounded By the
professor. and one which admits OF
| very little criticism, is to the effect
| that the access of water. also by percO-
| Iation from the earth's surface to these
subterranean ovens it is thought. may
in some cases cause explosions. disloca-
ting vast quantities of material and
/ perhaps b. opening communication
with the still hotter portion yet lower
| down be the cause of some of the most
| destructive volcanoes. These eXpla-
nations, while being to small extent
hypothetical. accord with all that IS
| known by acknowledged authorities.
Another significant point is that they
afford the best theory yet advocated to
account for the earthquake which is now
apitating the minds of the people all
| IL IL or W. a
warm to his subject, insisted that we
have hardly made pin-scratch upon
the crust of the earth. The further we
90 down the warmer it is. An illustra-
ton of this is supplied in the fact that
the artesian wells supplying the city of
Paris from Il depth of nearly eighteen
hundred feet yield water of 80 degrees
Fahrenheit, and the lower levels Of the
Comstock mines have an almost uni
form temperature of 49, degrees
Fahrenheit 1t is estimated that the
heat increases at the rate OF one de-
gree for every fifty feet, and this would
give a temperature to melt the hardest
rocks in less than ten miles. On this
theory the present volcanic and earth
quake regions of the globe are located
along the axis of those supposed
wrinkles or cOrugat ons from the con-
tract on of the crust, thought to be at
present in the state of greatest tension.
The most marked of these are down
the east coast of Asia, including the
Japan and Philippine islands, and ex-
tend NO to Java where the great earth
quake of 1888 occurred. Another also
extends down the Pacific coast of North
and South America, the man festations
OF VIII CHI have been very light in the
northern part since the commencement
of historic times but of whose presence
IN South Amer ca we have had many
striking proofs