The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-06-04
THE STRESS
OF GRAVITATION"
PROF. LYONS HYPOTHESIS OF
VOLCANIC AND SEISMIC
DISTURBANCE.
AT LEAST ONE ELEMENT FROM
WITHOUT.
Sun and Moon, Sun Spots and Perhaps
Even the Planets have Their Influence
On Our Unquiet Earth.

"Pele is a capricious goddess" says
Prof Curtis j. Lyons "aRd is apt to
resent any predictions as to what she
may do. Scientists, too, are apt, per-
haps, to be a little finicky about theo-
ries or deductions from observed pheno-
mena, which they fancy SAVIOR of 'popu-
lar fallacies,' weather signs, or old
wives fables SO that a man who
wants to keep pleasant relations with
his fellows in the scientific world and at
the same time express what he believes
he has observed, and his honest OPT
| mons about it, is dOubly handicapped
| when he advances new hypothesis
| about earthquake or volcanic phenO-
mena.
Nevertheless l believe that the seis-
mic phenomena now manifesting itself
in various parts of the earth, most no
tably in Martinique, and most interest
ingly to us, because of propinquity, in
Hawaii, has some definite information
| for us, if not as to what caused them
at the particular places at which they
haze occurred, at least as to the gem
| eraI relation of seismic to other natural
! phenomena.
! AT the risk of being classed by some
as an astrologer, 1 venture to express
! the belief that there is some, and in
! degree ascertainable and ascertained
| relation between the sun and moon ana
| seismic disturbances. I do not mean
| an arbitrary relation dissociated from
| the physical laws of cause and effect,
! which would be astrology, but
| relation traCeable through cause and
effect, which is an element of science.
| We know that the tides are caused by
! the influence of the sun and moon, and
| the tides vary as the influence of the
sun and of the moon are in conjunction
or in opposition. There are many rea-
sons to believe the earth's crust is not
perfectly rigid and unyieding. and may
therefore be affected in exactly the
same way and by the same influence
that the mobile waters are and yield to
! these influences in the same way If not
to the same degree.
IF that is so, take IA point on the
earth's surface where there is what
is known geOlogically as fault that
is where the edges of two strata or
formations come together without being
united, a stress of gravitation acting on
the flexible earths crust might alter the
relation of the two strata making the
fault to each other. If this alteration
had the effect of permitting volumes OF
sea water down into the heated interior
it would be sufficient to account for an
| eruption, either on the theory of che
mical action of any other theory held
hy scientists
"If this alteration in the fault did
! not ADMIT sea water the result would
be an ordinary earthquake disturbance
varying in intensity and extent with
the extent of the fault and the in
tensity of the stress of gravitation.'
by stress of gravitatiOn' is meant
such a variation of the attractive force
exercised by all masses of matter in the
universe on all other masses of matter
as affecting and influencing the some
what flexible earths crust, causes a dis
turbance of the normal equilibrium eX-
listing when there are no seismic dis
, turbances.
Now as the sun and moon when eN-
erting their influence together create
higher tides, that is affect the oceans
vsibly more than when acting in oppo-
sition to each other, so may they ar
feet the earth's flexible crust more
when in certain relations to each Other
than at other times So also at certain
times their influence may be affected
and varied by the position in relation
to them of the planets and other hea-
, Venly bodies though at this time l an
not seeking to trace a connection be
tween the position of the planets anc
, the seismic disturbances.
There are those who believe that thu
so called Herzian waves or some othel
manifesto tiOns of electrical force have
much TO do with the origin of stOrmi
and of volcanic or earthquake pheno
!. mena. We know as yet comparativelN
little about HerZian waves or of what
ever the electrical manifestations are
which we mask under that name. There
is reason to believe that these mani
festations are inter-planetary. II ma!
therefore be this influence instead o
= gravitation, or the two together opera
tes on the earths crust as l hav'
. described the stress of graVitation' a
: operating. In either case the relation
is traceable to some or all of the hea
venly bodies. This fact however seem
| pertinent in this connection, that tn
magnetic observatory on this islam
" showed distinct magnetic disturbance
= at the time of the Martinique disaster
!, indicating some relation between tn
! volcanic outbreak and the electrical o
= magnetic conditions of the earth.
whether stress of gravitation' shal
also include this possible electrical in
fuence or not, the hypothesis is equal
|, | ly applicable whether the earth has
I molten or a solid interior, two divergen
views held by equally respectable au
thorities.
MANY scientists believe there is som
relation between sun spot periods an
electrical disturbances. Periods o
minimum sun spots come in cycles q
eleven TO twelve years, though a cycl
lof nine years has been known. l believ
=, and there is good authority for believ
= ling that the equatorial temperature a
the earth is higher during the period
s of minimum sun spots. This does no
| mean that the weather all over tn
world is necessarily warmer, for high
er temperature at one place may caus
lower temperature at another. If tn
equatorial temperature is higher a
these periods of minimum sun spots,
\ may be that the earth's crust at thes
| periods is more susceptible to these in
> huences either of stress of gravitatioI
(Continued on - ayel