The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-05-01
The Earthquake, In Greece.

There are some facts about the earth
uuakes In Greece which seem peculiarly sig
niflcsnt. As soon as one reads the story OF
them with q map before him. q certain order
and method begin to manifest themselves in
the display Of the destructive forces. They
evidently acted nlong two lines running
across Greece nearly at right angles to one
another. These lines follow depresslons In
the face Of tho earth. the deepest portions
OF which are occupied by water. Ono. ex-
tending roughly In north and south d.
rection, Is marked by the channels separat-
ing the island OF Eubpa from the main
land. and the other. running nearly east
and west. is indicated by the Gulf OF Corinth
and It's western continuation. tho Gulf OF
Patras. 1t is to be remarked that neither
OF these earthquake lines stops al the coast.
but each continues acrose to q neighboring
island. The north and south line. beginning
at Larissa. In Thessaly. passes through
volo, LAMA. Atalanti, Thebcs. Chalcis, and
so on to the Island OF SYRIA, one Of the
Cyclades. The other line follows the north
ern side OF Peloponnesus. and bending some
whit southwark, reaches the island OF
Zante. of the western coast. Tie reports
do not indicate any precise junction OF
these lines. but the point where they would
meet, II the east and west line were ex-
tended, would DO in the neighborhood OF
Thebes, the spot where the greatest de-
strucuon occurred.
Earthquakes commonly happen whore
there is slow elevation OF the crust OF the
globe going on. When the tension becomes
too great the rocks crack. assures are
oil
other, and tho shock OF these sudden and
violent internal movements Is COMMUNE
Gated to the surface Of the earth. Sea water
leaking through assures to the heated In
terror rocks and there expanding into steam
Is one OF the suggested local causes OF
earthquakes. It will be noticed that the
Grecian earthquakes have followed the
shore lines.
Another interesting fact Is that the first
shocks were felt on April 20. at the time
OF full moon. The hypothesis that the sun
and moon may play part In the produc-
ton OF earthquakes has more than once
been advocated. and 1t forms the principal
basis Of the earthquake predictions Of RU-
DoLPH FALB. the German theorist. who
won fame by foretclling the destructive
earthquake OF Belluno In 1873. and an erup-
ton OF Mount Etna in 1874 This hypothe-
sis has been several times carefully investi-
gated. and its truth or falslty still remains
an unsettled question. although statistics
seem to show that there Is slightly great
err number OF earthquakes when the sun
and moon combine the effects OF their tidal
action upon the earth. as they do at the pc
RODS OF new aud full moon. But while the
occurrence OF tho first shocks In the recent
earthquakes at the time OF full moon might
be taken as lending support to the hypothe-
sis Just described, vet the later shocks, be-
ginning on the Goth. occurred when tho
moon was fast approaching her last quarter.
and when. moreover. she was In apogee.
or at her greatest distance from the earth.
1t has sometimes been asserted that 1t
ought to be possible to foretell earthquakes
with as great degree OF certainty as
storms can DO predicted but experience has
not yet lent much encouragement to those
who entertain so optimistic an opinion OF
the science OF seismology.