New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-04
WHAT CAUSED THE EARTHQUAKE.

| A NEWSPAPER THEORY AS TO ITS oRiGIN-rERRoR
OF THE NEGROES.
| CHARLESTON, S. c., Sept. 3.-The Ners and Courier
will publish tomorrow the following explanation
| of the recent earthquakes:
There can be no doubt that the various earth
quake shocks had their origin in the islands of the
Mediterranean and in Greece aud Italy
| On August 20 was reported the
occurrence of destructive earthquake
throughout Greece and Italy that there had been
| two cruptions of Vesuvius and that the
| volcano was still active These erup-
| tions gave vent to the internal COM
| motion, which had produced the QuakiDg Of the
| earth In that vicinity, but the shocks being
| communicated to the earth have travelled
in various directions, in some with
more violence than in others they were felt the
same day throughout Egypt. but doing little dam
age.
The shocks seem to have extended westward with
more rapidity and violence than in any other dl-
rection the vibrations of the PARTICLES of the
earth's surface being transmitted under the sea at
the rate of about one hundred miles hour. occu
pying about seventytwo hours In travelling dis
tance of $500 miles before reaching the Western
shores of the Atlantic, travelling as it did almost
due west. One of the first points on the shore line
which it could reach the coast OF South Caro-
lima, but that 1t was felt along the entire
coast as far north Boston, and spread across the
continent with diminishing force as the various
more solid aud rocky portions of the surface crust
retarded the vibrations, until it seems to have
been almost entirely stopped by friction in the ex
treme Northwestern States. The reason why the
shocks violent in the vicinity of Charles
ton and Summervile is that there is more of soft
yielding nature in the superficial upper strata
which conducted the vibrations, and the forward
movements of the earth waves meeting with less
resistance than from the hard substances further
in the interior were more rapid and Jerky, ana
shook the surface with more violence. Inc pres
ence of the innumerable assures observable
In the city aud country as far as Summer
vile and beyond is accounted for by
this same soft material yielding readily
to the pressure of the earth-waves which pushed
up the thin crust and squeezed out, it were. the
water aud sand subject to the pressure. The blue
sand and the yellow sand thus eJected are found
in the upper strata and that it came from the
surface is proyon by the fact that mari is found
in it and that begins at from sixty five TO eighty
feet below the surface and extends TO nearly LOO
feet deep. To show still more conclusvely that
the wave motions were confined to limited depth
beneath the surface 1t is only necessary to state
that none Of the shallow 400-feet arte-
sian wells are at all affected. nor is there
any change noticeable in the flow or
quality of the water from the two deep
artesian wells as would have been the case If the
cause Of the earthquake had been local or deep
seated. This statement of the communication OF
land waves to enormous distances is fully verified
by the observations of previous earthquakes since
and even before the Christian era The absence OF
a tidal wave proves conclusvely that the cause OF
the disturbance was confined to the land aud the
jerky motion communicated to vessels. as reported
by their officers was caused by the vertical vIbra-
tons intermediate between the rapid forward
transmission and the slower backward jerks
AT joint meeting of the Charleston Exchange
and the Merchants Exchange to-day the following
was unanimously adopted:
| To all Exchanges and commercial bodies:
Our bangs warehouses, cotton presses, wharves rail-
roads, rico mills and everything olso necessary Tor
banding business though damaged are In working or
der wo fear further disturbance The desIruotloa
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