Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-03-23
GIVES WARMING OF PERL.
Telephones Used in Mexico to Herald
the Coming of Earthquakes.


Telephones Used in Mexico to Herald
the Coming of Earthquakes.
Senor Francisco Estrada, professor
of physics in the State College of San
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-Dem-
ocrat. Since the strong earthquake
which visited the Valley of Mexico ON
Nov. 2, killing eighteen persons, he has
made special study of this class of
disturbances and their preceding signs.
He had been making long study of
means of prediction for these destruc-
tive disturbances, and is sure he has
made a discovery of value, which value
can only be appreciated by the fnhabit-
ants of the volcanic regions. In the
course of his very interesting report
the author says:
'With the telephone and the more re-
cent invention, the microphone, and
with daily simultaneous observations,
taken in the volcanic zone, which COM
prises Vera Cruz, Puebla, Mexico and
Guadalajara, / believe it possible to
definitely prognosticate earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions, as the result of
the great interior changes of the earth,
which change the geological construc-
ton of our land. The noises that trou-
BILE long-distance telephones that use
the earth to complete the circuits, noises
hitherto unexplained, | believe from
my repeated observations are origin
ated from two principal causes, atmos-
pheric electricity and underground
electrical currents, which come from
depths more or less great In the first
case they are easily distinguished by
exterior signs, such as storms, thunder,
lightning, etc, but there are times
when, the air being perfectly still, sim
gular noises like murmurings, sand
storms, blows or the rubbing Of rough
body upon the instrument are heard at
the telephone. AS this instrument is
the most sensitive known, l judge it is
suitable for the recognition Of the APP
preaching chronological phenomena,
which cause such great terror to the in
habitant of volcanic zones. | propose
the rational study of these phenomena
by the Following plan:
"Construction of various telephone
lines; let one connect the central Gov
crnment meteorological observatory
with the base of the volcano PopOcata-
petl, being grounded in one of the deep
est tcrackS or crevaSSeS, selecting among
them one containing a thermal spring,
connecting the other end of the line at
the observatory with the metallic tube
of one of the deepest artesian wells in
the city. Another line should run from
PueDla to the same mountain and then
connect Guadalajara with the volcano
of Colima, and later lines should be run
to the peak of OriZaba, the Cofra de
Perote. and the Jorutle volcano. l
would place at least two telephones
and one vertical galvanOmeter at some
convenient spot midway in the tele-
graph lines from Vera Cruz to Puebla,
from Puebla to Mexico City, to Guada-
lajara, and Guadalajara to San Bias, Or
some other Pacific port that has a tele-
graph office to take daily observations
with the telephone In each one of these
branches or sections, and with all the
lines connected as often as possible
without interfering with this service
of the wires, the placing in the obser-
yatories at Mexico, Puebla and Guada-
lajara of a simple microphone COM
posed of q carbon pendulum suspended
on a tin spiral wire so arranged that 1T
will close an electrical circuit at the
slightest motion, and set an electric
bell to ringing, in order to record the
slightest movement of the earth. If
properly handled by these means the
eruption of any volcano and earth
quake may be foretold many days in
advance.