Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-25

the north to Nagasaki in the south. over an
area of 90, 900 square miles. Hills form the
margin of the devasted plain which was
covered with rice fields, dotted with wood
lands and hamlets, and streaked with four
large rivers. The Nagoya-Gifu plain was
one of Japan's great gardens Ten thousand
people lost their lives, and 1000 houses
were leveled with The plain.
A Sudden Drop Of Fifty Feet.
The particular cause that precipitated
the calamity is now probably revealed.
This cause is illustrated by one of the very
interesting photographs made for the Uni
versity of Japan, from which fine photo
gravures have Just been published in Yoko-
hama under the superintendent OF Prot.
Milne. The entire Western side of the Neo
valley suddenly sank from 20 to so feet
below the east side. Our picture shows the
line of dislocation. The vertical displace-
ment here is 20 to 25 feet DR.. B. Koto has
traced this fault for more than 40 miles.
The mountains on the west side of the
valley seem to have shrunk proportionally,
and points beyond them which were invisi-
BILE before the earthquake are now in view.
There is little doubt that it was this sudden
falling inward of the country on the west
side of the Neo Valley which caused tho
terrible disaster. The vibrations produced
through the surrounding districts, and
other rocks in q state of unstable equilib-
rum gave way.
Mountains Are Still Being Formed.
This sudden sinking of q large surface
area was probably brought about In this
way. We know that the coast line of Japan
is rising. We know this may mean that tho
process of mountain formation is still in op-
Grafton. We know that in this crushing to-
gether of the earth's crust the upper strata
have in some cases been crumpled up to
one-thlrd their original length. On account
of the variety of materials constituting the
earth's crust we cannot suppose this action
to be uniform and now and then the strsta,
refusing to be further bent, collapse with
crash and possibly slip which shakes the
earth. This was the probable cause of the
displacement in the Neo Valley and of all
the trouble that followed it.
Whether science will be able to triumph
SO far as to predict the time of earthquakes
and forewarn the people, is . question.
Prof. Milne and his assistants are indus
triously working to this end. It Is known
that earthquakes have been predicted.
Earthquakes Have Been Predicted.
In 1S43 q bishop of Ischia observed q
change in the character of the mineral
waters, torewarned the people of the COM
ing earthquake and thus saved many lives
The Capuchin Fathers saw that lake near
their door had become frothy and turbulent,
and predicted the shock of 1851 at Melpi.
A prisoner at Lima heard underground
noises which led him to predict the de-
struction of that city, one OF the worst
earthquake catastrophies ON record. Tho
inhabitants of Iquique were terrified by
loud subterranean noises before the earth
quake of 1868, and underground sounds led
farmers to predict the earthquake of St.
Reno In 1881.
But all these premonitory signs of oom-
ing earthquakes arc inconclusive and unre-
liable. Witht che aid of microphones and
telephones in Japan, the observers have
listened - many aeiss4 and spsnt Jssrs