New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-19
FACTS About EARTHQUAKES.
RESULTS OF GEOLOGICAL RESEARCHES
PROFESSOR NEwBERRY's vlkws--rhE pkEchNI

RESULTS OF GEOLOOlOAL
sporrssoR NEwBERRY's vIEws-THE RECENT
CHARLESTON DISTURBANCE.
vha.is known and believed about earthquakes by
biologists was condensed into an hours tax py RIO
tessor Holm s Newberry in Hamilton Hall. Columbia
College last evening at the meeting OF the Ne~-iorA
s.udenv Of Sciences In the course of the lecture.
which took al extended range the character anu
eanses of the recent disturbances on this continent
we're referred to as likely to be better understood
hereafter than at present The speaker said that
sl,hourh the Charleston earthquake had produced
startlirc effects and killed people. as an earth
make Il was not very great affair There was noth-
inc remarkable IN its phenomena. There had oeeu
earthquakes that had carried of 10000 ana -V'Voo
and 80 600 persons at once and 100000 lives were
onor,es 70 have been lost in the island OF Java In
what might be regarded as single earthquake
An exhaustive inquiry in regard to the seat and
depth OF the Charleston earthquake had not yet been
made. he continued From all quarters inquiries
had come to him shout the Charleston earthquake,
Because be was geologist he naturally appealed
70 for information in regard to the most striking o.
earthly phenomenal and while he did not assume the
,,tla NJ Professor OF Earthquakes" be felt that he
ought TO answer the questions far as he was aoe
The peculiar inspred by these shocks va mo-
lessened by familiarity win tnem' r 49, oansAd
arising that n profound sensation nad peeh c"urou
tv the Charleston disturbance. and that the state
,nept- with regard g. 1t widely contradictory.
An earthquake is neither novel nor mysterious
occurrence Ii il among the most co nfnon OF teri e.
trial phenomena. Not an hour perhaps not minute,
passes in which portions OF the eartn are uo'
Vibrating from this cause. An earthquake Is move
,nett ,used nv the shrinking from the oss OF neat OF
the interior the earth. and falling in OF portions OF
earth is intensely hot is Indicated by wells and
mines sunk in all parts OF the world neat iAo. oa9oS
obu one degree Fahrenheit tor every tfty ieet below
the ear hs surface Dr.. Newberry gave the tempera-
ture Of different wells in this country ana huTopv d
demonstrating this, Instancng particularly wei III
Europe sunk 500 feet III VII Oh Depth NE therhon-
eter indicated ll5c ant another t.tte over mile
In depth where the temperature was SHOWN 10 oe
1872. There were some exceptions 20 1n.s roIoi -
fba abatement that below 900 i-et N certain wells IL
had beer found that the temperature declmed was
fraud Al the rate that he bad indicated the heat
would be 80 tervent that all substances ""uld no
mestec 1t vas believed that the earth crust was
thicker than this would Indicate because the increase
OF heat might be slower AT great uistaho7 IIoiu .u
Surface The heat Of the interior was constantly IS
Gaping 10 the surface Snse the outer crust had lost
It's heat il no longer coniracteh. r.
Mountain CHAINS resulted from readlustmen' OF the
earth surface caused by earth makes ne iods ana
fractures seen IN mountain belt cond not nave
taken ace without great d-t lrOahce7 anu IL 10y
mountain range evidences OF many eartRiuahoa'
l. me higb-.t mountain ranges. Ike the pmaaya "a.
the work OF elevation II constantly gong on us
placements are constantly taking place al oNe' ene
world They IN parOxys5ns. ana tue pressure
being relieve earthquakes follow As the PoPulatoH
of the earth increases the number OF observers IN
crease- ana the loss of lie - cOrrespondbG -ItdleI
Ia New En- gland during the at century there nave
boer ,,,st man. earthquakes. In 1927 the country
ebout NewburvD0ri shaken up IL the same way
that IL had been Charleston recently, put the dain-
age was small In comparison. ChimneyE ana stone
walls we're brown down. there were rup'ures OF We
surface and tets OF sand were thrown up In io3S
there was great revelation u the topography on 'ne
con- trT and a. shown bv Br -ham IN his work on
volcanic eruptons 10 New England from 1850 10
1863 there we're Z31 earthquakes worth Gu onlclng
di,rur thai period bc-i,e- many smaller ones.
At the tue Of the shock ielt 10 TINS CITY on august
IN - 80 400 the Professor wa alone in bis
4n I'd "A
OF heavy wagon in the stree -. and the pmdlnes
shook In the geological cabinet the marbles W.
thrown down in the case. In Japan where mere are
ncessaut earthquakes an extensive ysiem OF 'a-li
observatons has been instituted II VIII couoIes' oe
found that the line Of disturbance In the charleston
earthauake was parallel with the Aleghames ana Us
deptb from IL 600 20 10000 feet Il II not hkely
that the centre Of he disturbance was under me
ocean ~ some supposed for if il had been II would
have caused great wave. An eai thquake wave com
ng from below often exerted lis greatest force on the
surface in tue game played oy BOYS called snap
ping the whip. the last nov felt the effect the most
The place of disturb nee causing the earilt uahe ~
Charleston WAS IN the speakers opinion TO the west
ward that city. and NOT underneath H. ne eaI.9
quake IN tine oil crystalline rocks tnat uIueIlo
Charleston stretching from the westward II wa
reported that there slight change ID the uePtn
Of the water at that place. HE area OF NlDia1o" 10
rrohab, An eiDse with the longest line running north
and south 10 has been estimated that the max mum
kepfh Of earthq lake Disturbances was e-nt du one
falf miles and the minimum two and one-lai lilies
The nres-re OF subter anean RESERVOIRS OF wafer are
amonr he causes OF earthquakes The twisting OF
chimncvs and monuments diG not necessary indicate
rvrs'orv motion in the earthquake. An adhesion OF
5ortio of the base might account for H. Explosive
earthauaxe- probably caused by large qudh'ties
NJ rafer being brought IN contact with molten lava
and steam had played large. though generally sec
ondarv part in producing them. tarthquak are
rrcr.y nrldenrs In The process Of untaln building
The theories o. Sir William Thompson and others as
70 the great thickness Of the earth crust are now
generally considered untenaole. and II was OetleNru
that 10 WIS only about fifty miles n depth IT was
probable that the vi~cou- acted as buner ne
tween the liquid interior and the solid crust Inc
aexib, Of the crust showed tuat II was MOI 81 grea
csuses OF earthquakes. surL atmospheric pressure
and said was absurd a. some thought 10 pc
heve that phcric conditions had something 10 90
with them.