Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-09-27
VARIOUS KINDS OF OCEAN MOVE
MENTS BRING DESTRUCTION.
TROUBLE AT GALVESTON
Tidal, Hurricane and Earthquake Up
heavals OF Rushing Water-Low
Lying Land Always in Danger
Brief Account Of Historical Disas-
tiers Similar to GaIveston's Fate.


Of death-dealing waves-sea waves ana
tidal waves. There was, for good rea-
son, no mention Of the third variety
| earthquake waves. Now it is certain.
from the evidence Of all the facts. tLaC
there was no tidal wave in the case.
The destructive agency was the sea
waves, the cause Of which was the
wind And the wind was hurricane.
J. E. HilgaTd, who conducted the
coast survey of 1871, reported on the
several sorts Of waves. Those occ3-
stoned by the wind did not REQUIRE
much explanation, but sea waves are
occasioned also by earthquakes. which
Mr.. Hilgard showed originate with an
impulse at one definite point, and de-
pending, to use a mathematical term,
upon the square root of the depth OF
the sea. The only difference, therefore.
between earthquake waves and hurri-
cane waves is that the former are
driver freely in every direction, where
as the latter are driven only in one di-
rection-straight before the wind.
The movement of the ocean desig-
mated by the name Of tidal wave does
not partake of the nature Of a wave
in the common acceptation of the term,
but is rather to be conceived of as
general movement of the water toward
a point under the attracting body and
again away from it. Its periodicity is
strictly dependent upon that OF the at
hnHJ- Tho Of
movement differs according to locality.
It is about 1000 miles an hour on the
equator. 1t extends to the bottom Of
the ocean, but it is not attended by
sensible elevation of the water in mid
ocean and, in this respect the char
acteristic Of a wave is absent
The waves and sWeIIs produced by
the hurricane winds are a most import
ant feature Of nature in convulsion.
They are the largest and most form
liable known to sailors They form
with great regularity at points direct
ly in advance Of the approaching
storm center; at other points they form
a confused mass Of tossed sea; in the
neighborhoOd of the land the cOnfu-
sion is increased by the waves re-
fected from the shores. Such is the
equality of the contest Of opposing
waves that near the central region
these sometimes lose their progressive
movement and become stationary, py-
ramidal waves, simply rising and fall
ing. The smaller waves that are prop
tie sWClIs that Outrun the storm in its
progress and announce the presence of
its arrival.
Was there ever such a horror before
as that at Galveston? is question
that hundreds have thOughtlessiy asked
during the last week, not remember
Ing for the moment their readings Of
history. The destruction of life and
property at Galveston was the great
est that has ever happened in North
America, but it was slight if compared
with similar calamities that have oc-
cured in other parts of the world in
former times JOsephus tells of an
earthquake in Judea which swallowed
up 0,000 persons and destroyed pro-
portionate amount of property. Gibbon
states that at Antioch, A. D. lis, a de-
structiye earthquake occurred, and
three others at later periods, in the
years 485, 526 and 587, respectively, in
which the aggregate loss of life was
$4,000. The earliest recorded disaster
Of the kind was the earthquake at
IN, n ivtO -
before the volcanic eruption which de-
stroyed Herculaneum and Pompeii. III
CaIabria in 1888 the number Of per-
sons destroyed in a single district by
earthquake was 100000.
The greatest calamity of the kind
that ever happened in Europe was at
Lisbon, Portugal, on the morning Of
Nov. l. 1855. The rumbling sound that
precedes most earthquakes was imme-
Giately followed by the great shock,
which threw down the principal por-
lions Of the city. The sea retired,
leaving the bar dry, and returned in a
minute as a great wave or breaker,
fifty feet or more in height. 1t is re-
corded that $4,000 persons persisted in
the space of six minutes. A part of
the city was permanently engulfed 600
feet beneath the waters of the bay.
The portion of the earth that was
shaken by this earthquake was esti-
mated by Humboldt as equal to four
times the extent of Europe. Even so
far away quarter as New England,
on this continent, felt the shock.
The earthquake that destroyed New
Madrid. Mo. in 1911, and left great
marks of itself on a section extending
for 800 miles south of the mouth of the
Ohio river. would rank in history as
one of the greatest earthquakes of all
time had there been there cities and
inhabitants to be destroyed. In South
America losses of human life by sim
liar happenings have in individual
cases amounted to 10000 or $4,000
The earthquake at Charleston, S. c.,
in August, 1886, by which forty per-
sons were killed by falling buildings
and S5,OOO.OOO of property was de-
stroyed, is still wildly remembered by
surviving sufferers from it, as also is
the earthquake at San Francisco, by
which an immense amount of damage
was done to property, though but few
| lives were lost.
AMERICAS CONCESSION.
Adjoins That Of Great Britain in the