The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-09-04
THE EARTHQUAKES.
Other Shocks in the Western World
A City in the Depths of the sea-

An New England, with the exception oi
Connecticut, seems practically to have es-
caped the earthquake shock. Tuesday nlghl
Professor n. S. Shaler, the well-known geo[
oeist. being questioned concerning the state
ment made in reference to the origin ol .ue
shocks by Major Powell, U. 5. N, superin-
tendant of the Geological Survey, sald tna'
while he had not received the latest details
of the shocks, he perfectly agreed with Ma
| jor Powell as to the origin of the quakine'
all the indications, especially the overture"
Of the bridge of the Charleston ColuhiDi'
Railroad. showed that the scene OF tiie sun
terranean trouble was near Charleston II IL
began under the floor of the Atlantic tnere
would be more or less Of a tidal wave upon
the South Atlantic coasts. This was almost
certain to follow shock having its origin
under a sea bottom. If the tidal wave was
absent the cause was on the land. While
violent. doubtless, and possibly more severe
than has ever been felt on the Atlantic coast
of North America for years, still 1t was no
sign that this part of the country was going
to develop into an earthquake region.
1t would take only slight movement Of
the earth's crust to cause an earthquake
fully as violent, indeed more so, than the one
Tuesday night. A settling or displacement OF
the lower strata one-tenth of an inch would ef
feet trembling of the ground that would be
felt over an area much larger than that OF
the United States. Last nights shocks were
noticeable more because they were a rarity
in this part of the country. Habit been ex-
perienced in Central America or Southern
Italy, where such phenomena are frequent, it
would scarcely have attracted attention. AS
the houses in those sections are built espec-
tally with reference to such tremblings of
the earth, it would have taken much more
violent shock to affect them.
The immediate cause of this shock, like
that of any other similar shock, except that
attending volcanic eruption, is uncertain.
During volcanic eruptions the explosion Of
gas forcing its way through the crater from
the interior easily accounts for the shocks,
but these, like the results from any local ex-
plosion, gunpowder house, for instance,
would affect only a limited district around
the disturbed centre. Earthquakes, he said,
are not a rarity; there are over thousand
of them in different parts OF the world daily,
but very few are ever felt. The most disas-
trous shocks were not always the most vio-
lent, they were shocks that came continuous
ly from one direction, impartlng Swaylng,
vibrating motion, like that OF pendulum,
which caused the building first to rock, then
to fall This earthquake seemed to be OF the
latter nature, and was due to slight settle
ment of the lower rocks along the line OF
displacement, alluded to by Major Powell,
having its beginning and most violent shocks
near Charleston. This settling of the ground
was the result most likely of continuous
irregular contraction and expansion OF the
crust in winter and summer, finally resulting
in a slight giye-way along the entire crack.
Such shocks, he said, were OF daily occur
renee, as stated, many being so deep under
ground as not to be felt on the surface, and
they need not be source of alarm to. any
person residing in the eastern portion OF the
United States, especially New England This
part of the United States has long ceased to
be possessed of volcanic energy, but there
was once time when such was not the case.
Although it is not generally known, Con-
necticut was, ages ago, the scene of the most
violent volcanic action that has ever been
felt in North America. 1t was during the
triassic age, Immediately following the age
of coal or the carboniferous period, over
ten thousand centuries ago, that Connecticut
teemed with volcanoes which poured forth
rivers of lava, and the whole region was
an inferno on earth. The chain of v0lca-
noes extended as far south as Virginia and
to the northeast as far as Nova Scotia, but
all traces of it have long since passed away.
The ice age ground down the rugged peaks
and filed up the extinct craters, and what
once were blazing, roaring tunnels OF the
earths interior fires are now rounded, grace p
full and verdant hills.
Although generally free from such vista
tions, the United States, at different times
since the advent of the white man, has ex-
perienced some severe shakings. The first
was the tremendous convulsions that over
whelmed Jamaica in 1892, and buried the
beautiful town Of Port Royal fathoms under
the sea. with its unlucky inhabitants. For
years, mariners sailing over the spot, could
see down in the clear depths this wonderful
city of the dead. This shock was felt all
along the Gulf coast within the United
states proper. There are only three regions
that have ever been visited by shocks of
great violence. One of these is in New Eng
land, another in the Mississippi Valley just
below the mouth of the Ohio, and the other
is on the coast of California.
In New England there have been three
pretty strong earthquakes-thcn FIRST in 1856,
the second i'll 1927 and the third in 1855. OF
these, the two last were the most violent
That of 1927 lasted for several years, and
buryport, Mass. A quaint account of this
strange phenomenon is found in the library of
the Royal Philosophical Society in London.
1t is the account written by Rev. Matthias
Plant, the pastor of Newburyport at the
time. 1t was very curious disturbance, for
while the shocks, of which some hundred
were felt in the course of years, were at first
violent, they soon became slight. The
came from the earth wonderful thunder
ing or believing noise, loud enough to starte
people from sleep, even when they had been
long used to it, Many believed that it was
the evil one himself raving in his empire be-
meath the earth, and threatening to burst it
asunder in his rage.
In November, 1865, happened the great
earthquake, as it is called, whiehis supposed
to have been part of the great shock that de-
stroyed Lisbon. The shocks felt in New
a
of Canada, so some doubt is entertained il
the New England tremOrs were in any way
connected with those felt in Lisbon. In Bos-
ton it came as one violent shock, and for
moment was so strong people could not keep
on their feet. Many chimneys were over
thrown in this city. New England had then
mostly wooden buildings, so that its des-
truction OF property was small, but such a
shock at this day would have caused terri
BILE loss of life and property.
The Mississippi Valley had but one great
earthquake, succession of shocks that be-
gan in November, 1911, and lasted until 1913.
The first of these quakes was so strong that
it probably made more than half the conti-
nent n n tremble. The shock was felt in Flori-
da, New York, Michigan and the West In
dies The worst effect of the movements
were felt in the region of one hundred miles
south of the mouth of the Ohio river. In the
first shock large parts of this region sank
down several feet below the level. Into
these Sunken lands, containing many thou
sands of acres, the Mississippi river poured
such flood that for hours it ceased to flow
into the Gulf of Mexico, but ran backwards.
The ground opened in many places, spout
ing up jets of sand and water above the tree
tops. The low, strong cabins were shaken
to pieces, and to save themselves from being
swallowed up by the crevices continually
opening in the ground, the people cut down
trees so that they fell across the path of the
rents, and on these they built shelters, in
which they lived for months before the
ground became steadfast enough to be trusted
again. To this day the lakes of Reel Fort
and ObiOn remain monuments of this great
shaking They were formed at this time.
The earthquakes of California have been
violent and very numerous, but the onlv one
that caused great destruction of life occnrred
at Santa Barbara in 1911, about the time of
the Mississippi shocks.
The most violent volcanic eruption known
in history was the great Outburst three wears
ago on the island of Kraktoa. Java The
tremendous explosions of gas created at
mOspheric waves that went around fine earth
three times, as shown by the barometer hnt
the shocks OF earthquake were hardly more
than local. --'-0
SUsuRBAN NEWS.
SACCARAPPA