The Penn's Grove record., 1895-11-15
E~ARrRouAKEs IN AMERICA.


Of 900 sanss.
There have been three great earth
aakes In the United States during
ne present century," said Professor
liiberh the geologist, TO a writer lor
be Washington Star. zone tnae
fas very remarkable occurred in 81
nd 1912 near the head of the deita
the Mississippi 1t embraced q
lumber OF severe sho ks at nor m
ervais during several months, In
act, the disturbance lasted for ABOUT
wo years. The ground was moved
Q Visible waves, by which the trees
= the forest were rocked and IN some
ases uprooted their branches being
o entangled that it was Impossible
o separate them. Grelt cracks IN
he earth yawned and closed again at
aoh shock, while from the assures
mud was thrown into the ar so VIC.
emily as 70 lodge In the branches OF
rees. Some lakes were drained DY
he escape OF their water into the
hasns which, were opened, while
lthers ueEe created by the sinking OF
he land. One great sunken area
hus produced was eighty miles long
" thirty-iye miles broad. The otner
,wo big quakes to which l refer &C.
iurred 70 lately as to he remem bered
~ the present generation. One OF
ihem happened in the Inyo Valley OF
california. 1t was caused by a re-
icwed movement on what we geolo-
lists call q great fault'Dlan at the
EASTERN base of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains In that part or the
world there Is extensive 'faulting' in
ihe structure of the mountain ranges,
zach range consisting of one or more
huge blocks OF rock bound by faults
and lifted above its neighbors. A
iauit is made by the sinking of one
mass OF rock In such q manner as 10
change the relation of its elevation
10 that Of q mass ad oining. The
creation Of such faults is often incl
to earthquakes. The renewed
movement along the great fault line
Of tine Inyo Valley In 1872 produced
, tremendous seismic disturbances.
The shocks continued for fourteen
montha Great assures were formed
along the base of the mountain range
Tor q distance of forty miles, the land
west OF the fault rising and east OF
Il falling several feet. A fence was
for a distance of fourteen feet
In one spot. Owens River was tenn.
porarilyswallowed up, and the numer-
1us other phenomena excited the as
and alarm Of observers.
THE memory Of the Charlie ton
earthquake OF 1856 is yet vivid. Tho
locus OF the disturbance was about
fifteen miles west of the city. Numcf-
rus big cracks opened 10 the earth of
surround ng country. Water and
mud were thrown up, and railway
racks were d~isIocated and buckled.
The first great shock lasted for about
! minute, others following with
.raduaily decreasing violence. Att
he end Of four weeks they ceased to
,e destructive, but tremors were felt
occasionally for several months.
rwenty-seyen people were killed out
light. The invention Of the d~elicaJe
g .ording instrument called the
seismograph' has revealed the fact
hat earthquakes are far more NUM-
irous and fire. luent than used to be
imagined. In some part; Of the
world feeble shocks occur almost
Probably there is no part Of
he earth where they cannot be de-.
ected at short intervals. One of the
most remarkable quakes OF this coun
ry took place In 1923. On that oc.
'asion several hundred miles of the
cast were lifed a number of feet It'll
las been recKoned that enough rock
vas thus elevated to make a mount.
in the sic OF Mount Etna The
h~arleston earthquake was felt dis
inctly at a distance of 900 miles. A
omparison of time showed that the
mock Travelled at the rate of IL, 0UUl
Get a second. The assures Ia the !
crust which are among the.
host terrifying of seismic phenomena,
AUST be OF great depth sometimes,
nobody has ever tried to
them. They have been
nown to swallow rivers for days
,ithout being 1lled up Severe shocks
re commonly accompanied by sounds
Ike explosions near or distant.
under the sea produce waves
n the surface like those created by a
edible thrown into a pool, and some.
ines such waves rush up on the
md, doing a great deal Of damage
There has been much dispute as
the causes or earthquakes. They
70 often associated with volcanic
henomena When the lava OF q
contains much water the
tier Is converted into steam and
explosions which jar the
'ound for miles. The explosion Of
ie great mine at He'll Gate, In New
ork, occasioned tremblings Of the
nth which were observed IFS miles
yay."