The herald., 1894-09-06

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A Card From OoioneI Duncan.
EDITORS HERALD My attention was
called yesterday to publication In the
HERALD from one r.. L. Malcomb.
1 inclose to you short note, pub
lished in the Phoenix OF September lat.
written prior to the information Of the
serious calamity in Texa on the night
of the 30th. II you would spend two
minutes in reading it you would per-
ceive how baseless have been all the at
tacks upon me in the HERALD, for my
understanding some things which you
have never studied.
The whole fabric OF publication res u
upon the San Francisco Chronicle. which
published early in February European
dispatch stating Prof. Falb's calculs-
rions OF great earthquake. creating .
vast tidal wave in the A-t-l-a-n-t.i-o,
which would probably submerge New
York city. At no time has any tidal
wave on the Pacific coast been STATED, or
feared, except through the liars. who
have thus augmented the fears Of many
persons 5000 miles away from the scene
where it's probability was asserted.
On the 9Th OF February gave the Ex-
press an elaborate explanation OF the
Falb theory. known to me for 20 years.
procured through Secretary of State
Gresham Falb's calender. published last
January, devoted to showing the great
snow and rainfalls and wind storms of
the coming year, and veri6cation of his
calculations for 1898. Not word 90 to
earthquakes--that came later-in Feb
ruary, through the Chronicle dispatch.
His assertions as to the Critical days"
have bsen wonderfully verified, and the
"stsrkstsr krit tag" OF August 30th has
shown o phenomenon equal to any
other. It has not been simply cloud
burst, for that would have been impos-
eible in its dimansions-shown by your
telegraphic columns OF this day.
"Ths scenes of destruction and DESC
lation in the flooded districts 100 miles
east and west of here (San Antonio) and
extending south from the Southern Pa
cifc road to the Rio Grande, 200 miles
away, is simply terrible. Thousands
upon thousands Of acres Of pasture and
farm land are under water"
Having been resident OF San Antonio
for years. know the localities we'll. The
Leona is q small stream, about like the
Los Angeles river at San Fernando-dry
at this time OF the year, and taking
water for few weeks in spring into the
Nusces, which flows into the gull at
Corpus Christi, about 200 miles from
Waldo. A body Of land 200 by 200 miles
40 600 square mileH-thus overlooked
by vast body OF water, probably 6 to 10
feet deep, could not by any possibility
come from the clouds in an hour. Our
greatest rainfalls in the United States
nowhere have exceeded or 8 inches in
"a hours.
Volcanic action-earthquake 90 de-
scribed from the assures in the land
near Waldo has been the cause. The
dry beds of the Leona and various other
localities have been rent apart, and vast
volumes OF water ejectsd from the far
distant subterranean reservoirs OF North
west Texas, several hundred miles away
under the mesa lands OF 5000 feet alti.
tude.
A precisely similar occurrence 10 de-
ecribed in your columns OF September
lat, as the result of volcanic action in
Colombia, South America. where noun
tain ridge called Cerro de Cruz Iona
suddenly cas- large portion Of its upper
levels into neigh poring rivers, carrying
death and destruction in its wake, OBJ
structing tho course of the rivers Qua
chicono. Moline and others. II ia at
tributed to the eruption OF the Sotara
volcano.
1t IL but fair that you should publish
this in reiutation of such misstatements
as have occurred in your columns. In
answer to the editorial of this date:
'Prof. Falb may have predicted with
some sort Of accuracy the earthquakes in
Greece, but when it comes to prophecy
ing sweeping tidal waves on the coast OF
California he is away off,"
Will it be necessary to repeat again
that the two latter lines are absolutely
false, so far as any assertion from Prof.
Falb or myself?
It can be shown here that even I
stated on April 10th, May 9Th. May 10th
and July 10th to numerous persons the
occurrence of the earthquakes, in sd.
vance, on those dates. And the theory
was advanced by Inc months ago, that
all these cyclones, storms and earth
quakes would occur in the western
hemisphere, close to a certain latitude
extending around the globe. On
August 3rd l published here land will
furnish you copy, ii desired):
''In the approaching seismic and
other disturbances 1t will be found
that they will be north OF the 30th par
allel OF latitude and near the 10th, which
passes between Athens and Constanti-
nople, through Spain, between Kansas
and Chicago; north of San Francisco.
through Japan and Pekin. The terri
BILE shocks late in August are to extend
southwark to take in Lower California
ana along the 3Oth parallel through
Austin, New Orleans and Florida
The qualification may be permitted
expression, that the earthquake shock
passed westward on that direct desig-
mated line. and devastated the prairie
lands south of Austin from the 2911
degree to the gulf-40, coo suqare mica.
If that earthquake shock of such terrific
force had developed over 10000 miles of
the Atlantic, between Savannah and
Charleston, northward to Philadelphia,
there would have been an appalling
calamity. such IS the world never had
seen before.
Instead of quips. and snesrs, and
smirks, there should be a heartfelt ak
preston Of gratitude to God, that in His
wisdom the lesser catastrophe was sent.
and that Prof. Falb's calculations ~ to
the locality were blessedly in error,
making it inland and not at sea. Very
respectfully, BLANToN DUNCAN.
The % September. conjunction OF Sa-
turn and moon, has been made remark
able by the terrible destruction in the