The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-09-17

The lsmen5atIe failure Of scientific
men 20 prov de "A satisfactory solution OF
the earlhuuake phenomena. leaves the
most of mankind quite free to flame
their own theories concerning them, IN
entire confidence that they are as likely
as ANYBODY to be right about 1t and also
about as certain to be wrong. We seem
to be going backward in our knowledge
of the world and its movements, IN these
days. or learning, at least, that we know
less than we thought we did. Professor
Rush. of our county, finds that the ac-
cepted laws of celestial motion are
wrong and the Russian, KrapOtkln,
claimed to have made discovery AKIN
to this, before he committed SUICIDE.
We used to be taught in our schools,
and probably the same thing is yet gen.
eralIy taught, that the earth was once
molten mass. and that it IS still molter
in the centre, the lapse of ages having
only cooled down a matter OF htty or
hundred miles of the crust. This molten
centre was supposed to have the VoIca-
noes for Its chimneyS, and earthquakes
we're the result of the slOwness OF the
chimney5 to let out the confined gases.
There was no particular reason that we
know of why the earth should be consl@'
cred molten, save that the lava that the
volcano emits is so and there seems TO
he no greater reason for believing that
the lava comes from the eaTth's centre
than there is for supposing that the gas
we have comes thence and no one has,
ever vet suggested that gas, bursting out
of the earth with great force, may from
its nature be more nationally supposed
/ TO bave come from its innermOst bowels
than the volcanoes solid lava. If the
earth was ever a molten mass 1t Is Tea-
sonable to conclude that as 1t has cooled
on the surface it has cooled all the way
through and there is no trouble about
giving it all the time 1t needs FOR the
cooling process. Men of science take
all the time they want for the work OF
the worlds creation. A few millions or
/ billions of years, more or less, are of no
. no possible consequence to them. And
as it is conceded that the earth is cooled
( off for hundred miles down, we can
affirm that the cooling process is done
with, and that there is polar cOldness
down at the centre and we find 1t get
ting cooler as we 90 down. 1t may be
even that icebergs are floating through
it from pole to pole, as the author OF the
famous hole theory declared. There is
no denying any theory about it, as we
do not have any knowledge with which
to knock it down, though that doubtless
seems eXtrdvagant enough.
The earthquake used to be the strong
argument for the molten centre theory,
since it seemed to need something ex-
traordinary of that kind to account for
the commo.ion; and it was a plausible
explanation that the pent-up gases
caused it in seeking their way out tho
she volcano exit though it has never
been satisfactorily explained why they
do not keep on coming out after they
had once found their way, and conduct
! themselves quietly into the outer all
through their chimneys, as the gases OF
our hearth fires do. The molten centre
!, would keep up a constant gas creation
if it kept up any, and the vOlcanoe:
should be always active while this con
ditiOn lasted. Our present earthquake
experience has given a severe, if not {
finishing blow, to the molten centTe-vol
; ; cano-chimney idea, since there was M
. volcano to IL. We had the earthquake
and it passed away, and we have had NJ
: volcano eruption as a tender to 1t tha
: we know of. TIE earth this time ap
7 pears to have quaked without the aid o
! central fires. And it did not disturb
the ocean either. as is the wont of earth
quakes to do, but spent itself upon th
land. which felt it in distant and wdel.
separated places, the regions between
DelDg WNDllN uHfDISClOuS bl il.
a scientific gentleman undertook t
: explain the thing by saying that siic
J of the lard bad slid of into the water
L along our coast, or words to That effect
, but when be took a closer look at tn
:, region chiefly affected, he said that th
facts and his theory seemed to be a
right angles, and he has not been hear
from since, but is supposed TO be gettin
them into line We should think tha
, the facts would prove pretty stubbor
e when mustered into the support of sue
: a theory, if for no other reason than ths
the ocean showed no disturbance an
= the land no severance.
" The fact IN the situation is that sb
u shook a reasonable suggestion, IS tha
u it was due to some change in the earth
equilibrium, from soma tTanspOSitlOn {
It's gaseous OF solid matter but whf
that transpOsitiOn was remains to
discovered, if there was any such. An
we ought to find it out to stop it frOI
\ doing so any mOTe, since earthquake
! are not comfortable. If we are dOin
= anything in the way of disturbing til
&c earth's pOise by letting out its gases v
? need to stop it and it is just possib
a that this may have been at the bOttOl
r of the cOmmotiOn.- INTEL
f. gencer.