The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-03
written for The Herald.l

written Tor Inc Herald
The earthquake of Thursday, togeth-
err with the electric storm that accom-
panied and followed it, the latter being
so serious as to seriously disturb tele-
graphic communication, are specific
examples of the effect of molecular vi
bration of which reference was made
in this department of last Sunday S
Herald. It has long been observed that
serious seismic disturbance, electrical
storms and the magnetic disturbances
that accompany the aurora borealis,
are Immediately preceded by peculiar
eruptive disturbe noes on the sun, Of
ten times of prodigious energy; recent
advances in the observed phenomena
of dynamical physics, and many Oh
served phenomena afforded by meteors
and comets, together with very clear
proof of an inter-planetary atmos-
phere, have established the relations
of the cosmic or solar origin of terres-
trial disturbances.
1t has been calculated from the
known laws Of gravitation that the
velocity Of a body coming from infinity
would be about thirty miles a. second
ct the surface of the sun, and hence
that an explosive energy developed at
at the suns surface of thirty miles a
second would project a body to infin-
ity. But the solar explosions often de-
Celop much higher VelocitieS, and some
have been measured that exceeded the
prodigious velocity of 500 miles a sec
ond, and the inference of a solar ORR
gin of meteors and some comets is
very conclusive. and is supported by
the physical characteristics of many
meteors, which often present evidence
of having been generated under an in
fluence of pressure so enormous as TO
be beyond the reach of laboratory ex-
pertinent, in the conditions of a planet
like the earth.
1t is not the direct explosion that
effects the earth, but the Migratory
induction of the energy transmitted
that produces the striking effects of
earthquake eS and electrical phenomena,
where the reactions belong more to the
domain of chemical physics that to as
Economical dynanics. although in fact
the separation of the two is more a
matter OF habit and convenience than
of fact. All chemical reactions result
from disturbances Of atomic motion,
and these reactions are Immediately
induced through the vibrations of SIM
ilar atoms which compose the solar
material. the latter being, however, in
a state of complete disassociation and
prodigioUs repulsive energy.
There are three states Of matter
commonly known. solid, liquid and gas
eous; in the first or solid form the
atoms are endowed with the attractive
property of cohesion- the liquid repre-
SCENTS a property of Indifference, while
the gaseous exhibits atoms in a condi-
tion of mutual repulsion, called disas-
ISOLATION.
1t is the latter state that is charac-
teriStic of the solar surface, especially
in its equatorial regions, and tremend-
Gus atomic velocities must be produced
by its extreme energy, as an atom Of
hydrogen under the normal pressure Of
the earth's atmosphere. at a tempera-
ture of sixty degrees, has a, velocity Of
three miles a Second-that is, the re-
pulsive force between the atoms of by
drogel are equal to this velocity. What
the solar atomic energy must be may
only be judged through the prodigious
dynamic forces produced and the al
most infinite distances the energy is
transmitted.
The effect of this atomic vibration
is to induce similar atomic motions
to other atoms, however distant, and
the transmittance is accomplished not
by transmission of the material atoms
but by the transfeTence of the force
Of an original atom, analogous to the
common experiment with a string Of
billiard balls placed IN row, and
touching each other. If the experiment.
be nicely conducted the original ball
viii stop completely as it touches
the first of the series at rest and none
of the series will be displaced. except
the last, which viii take up the i'm
pulse of the original ball and proceed
onward precisely as the first one would
have done had no other been in its
path, less a certain increment of resist
ance. It is clear that the stronger the
original impulse, the more resistance