Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-08-13

than $4,000 lives about month ago in
Japan appears, now that the details
have become known, traceable with
considerable accuracy to known causes.
1t will be remembered the people were
celebrating 'the Boys Festival" a ma
tional fete day, when the tragedy oc-
Cured. Without warning the wave,
thirty feet high, came sweeping in
from the sea, destroying all the towns
and hamlets for 200 miles along the
northeast coast Of Hondo, the largest
island Of the japanese Archipelago,
and causing the awful loss of life
among the inhabitants. There seems
little doubt that the theory Of SUBJ
marine earthquake as the cause Of the
disaster is correct Some time before
the arriva! of the wave earthquake
shocks were reported along the coast.
These shocks under the sea being COM
municated to the rocks would reach the
shore more quickly than the sea wave,
as IN earth wave Of this character Is
known to travel as fast as II 0O0 feet =
second, as computed at The time Of the
Charleston disaster. The effect Of these
shocks on the surface of the water
would be to cause the water to rise
above the point Of impact and then fall
away In circular waves. This effect Of
submarine earthquake has been COM
prehensively explained by this smile:
IF we pour water into tin dish and
then strike the bottom of the dish a
1o, o,,I ho 70
water rise up from the point opposite to
the point where the blow was struck
and roll away in waves" This un-
doubtedly is the explanation of the eff
feet Of these waves in Japan. The isl
and affected stretched far out into the
ocean, the coast line being depicted on
the map by a long curve like bent
bow. This coast was therefore more
likely to receive the full force of the
sea waves, and it appears this was the
case, as no serious disturbances are
known to have occurred on any Of the
other shores. All the conditions of the
shore of Hondo were conducive to pill
ing up the masses Of water, as the shore
line extends out almost to the edge OF
the plateau beneath the ocean on which
Japan rests. 1t has been pointed out
that from this shore line the slope to
deep water is far sleeper than along
any other nearby coast, which explains
exactly the phenomenon described in
the New York Sun, as follows: "Wher.
this wave was formed it may have
been miles in width, but it was not high.
This has been so in other instances,
and there is direct proof in this case,
for fishermen a few miles from the
shore, under whose boats the wave GER
tainly passed, observed nothing unusl-
al. An enormous mass of water was
lifted by mighty impulse two or three
feet above the general level, and the
wave movement, thus induced spread
rapidly from the center, but without
increase in height, until it encountered
a steeply sloping bottom. But upon
entering this rapidly shoaling water
near the land the wave was crowded
into less space, piled up, and grew con-
stantly higher until it dashed upon the
shore towering and irresistible mass"
Waves of this character have been
known to rise to great height, some
times as high as 200 feet, and subma
rine earthquake waves are believed to
have even crossed the ocean, meeting
on the western coast Of South America
conditions similar to those that prevail.
ed in Japan and causing great devas-
tatiOn.