The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-03
HEAR EARTH SHAKE
Telephone TO Be Used In Mexico
for That Purpose.
N Original Plan Devised Whereby ~
People OF the Volcanic Zone Aay
Bs Warned Of Approach
nag Peril

Senior Francisco Estrada. profess
Luis Potosi, Mexico, has submitted an
original plan to the government for
foretelling earthquakes in the volcanic
zone Of Mexico. by means Of the tele-
phone. says the St Louis Globe-Demo-'
crat Since the strong earthquake
which visited the Valley OF Mexico on
November 3 last. killing eighteen per.
sons, he has made . special study OF
this class of disturbances and their,
preceding signs He has been making
long study of means of prediction for
these destructive disturbances, and Ia
sure he has made o discovery OF value,
which value can only DO appreciated
by the inhabitants of the volcanic re-
gions- IN the course Of his very inter,
esting report the author says
with the telephone and the u,oru
recent invention. the microphone. ana
with daily simultaneous observations
taken in the volcanic sone, which com.
prises Vera Cruz. Paebla. Mexico and
Guadalajara, believe 1t possible to-
definitely prognosticate earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions. as the result. ct
the great interior changes of the earth,
which change the geological construc-
zion OF our land The noises that
trouble our long-distance telephones
that use the earth TO complete the cir
cults, noises hitherto unexplained. Z
believe from my repeated observations
are originated from two principal
causes, atmospheric electricity and
underground electrical currents, which
come from depths moro or less great
In the first case they are easily dis.
tinguished by exterior signs, such as
storms, thunder, lightning. etc, bus
there are times when. the cir being
perfectly still, singular noises like
murmurings, sand storms, blows or the
rubbing of a rough body upon the in4
strument are heard At the telephone.
AS this instrument Is the most sensi
tive known, Judge IL is suitable fol
the recognition of the approaching
archaeological phenomena, which cause
such great terror to the inhsbitant Of
volcanic zonea I propose the rational
study OF these phenonepA by the fol>
lowing plan:
Construction of various telephone
lines; let one connect the central gov,
eminent meteorological observatory
with the base OF the volcano Popocat.
apetl, being grounded In ons of the
deepest cracks or c-evssses, selecting
among them one containing u thermal
spring, connecting the other end of the
line al tho observatory with the metal
lie tube Of one of the deepest artesian
wells In tho city. Another line should
run from Puebla to the same mountain
and then connect Guadalajara with tho
volcano of Colima, and later lines
should be run 70 the peak of Orizaba,
the Cora dc Perote, and the Jorutla
volcano. l would place at least two
Telephones and one vertical galvanom-
eter at some convenient spot midway
in the telegraph lines from Vera Cru1
TO Puebla, from Puebla to Mexico City,
TO Guadalajara, and Guadalat lara ID
San Bias, or some other Pacific port
that has q telegraph Office TO take daily
observations with the telephone. In
each ono Of these branches or sections,
and with oil the lines connected a
often as possible without interfering
with this service OF the wires, the plac4
Ing in the observatories at Mexico. Puy
ebla and Gusdalajara Of simple
composed of carbon pens
dulu1n suspended on a tin spiral wire
80 arranged that IL viii elose sn cleo
trio circuit at the slightest motion. and
set an electric bell TO ringing, In order
to record the slightest movement OF
tho earth. II properly handled by
these means the eruption Of any void
rano and earthquake might be forstol5
manr ia ra In advanca.