The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1898-02-05
EARTHQUAKE INDICATOR
Telephone to Be Used in Mexico
for That Purpose.


Senior Francisco Estrada, prof essor
of physics in the state college Of San
Luis Potosi, Mexico, has submitted an
original plan to the government Tor
foretelling earthquakes in the volcanic
zone of Mexico, by means of the tele-
phone, says the st. Louis Globe-D Demo-
crat. Since the strong earthquake
which visited the Valley of Mexico on
November last, killing eighteen per-
sons, he has made special study Of
this class of disturbances and their
preceding signs. He has been making
a long study of means Of prediction for
these destructive disturbances, and is
sure he has made discovery of value,
which value can only be 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 more
recent invention, the microphone, and
with daily simultaneous observations,
taken in the volcanic zone, which COM
prises Vera Cruz, Puebla, Mexico and
Guadalajara, 1 believe it possible to
definitely prognosticate earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions, Us the result Of
the great interior changes Of the earth,
which change the geological construc-
ton of our land. The noises that
trouble our long-distance telephones
that use the earth to complete the cir
cults, noises hitherto unexplained, 1
believe from my repeated observations
are originated from two principal
causes, atmospheric electricity and
underground electrical currents, which
come from depths more or less great.
In the first case they are easily dis
tinguished by exterior signs, such as
storms, thunder, lightning, etc., but
there are times when, the air being
perfectly still, singular noises like
murmurings, sand storms, blows or the
rubbing of rough body upon the in
strument are heard at the telephone.
As this instrument is the most sensi-
tive known, judge it is suitable for
the recognition of tho approaching
chronological phenomena, which>cause
such great terror to the inhabitant Of
volcanic zones propose the rational
study of these phenomena by the fol-
lowing plan: :
CONSTRUCTION Of various tslephone
lines; let one connect the central gov
ernment meteorological observatory
with the bAse of the volcano Popocat-
apetl. being grounded in one of the
deepest cracks or crevasses, selecting
among them one containing thermal
spring, connecting the other end of the
line at the observatory with the metal
lie tube of one of the deepest artesian
wells in the city. Another line should
run from Puebla 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. I would place at least two
telephones and one vertical gaivanom-
eter at some convenient spot midway
in the telegraph lines from Vera Cruz
to Puebla, from Puebla to Mexico City,
to Guadalajara, and Guadalajara to
San Bias, or some other Pacific port
that has q telegraph 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 plac-
ing in the observatories at Mexico, Pu-
ebla and Guadalajara Of a simple
microphone composed of a carbon PEN
dulum suspended on q tin spiral wire
so arranged that it will close an elec-
trio 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 vol
cano and earthquake might be foretold
manv days in advance"