New-York tribune., 1902-08-31
RECENT EARTHQUAKES.
THE SERIES OF PHENOMENA WHICH
HAVE RECENTLY OCCURRED-DO
THEY FOREBODE MORE
DISASTERS?
DISASTERS

The volcanic outbreak in the first week OF
May last in the West Indies. when Mont Pelee
on the island of Martinique and La Souffriere on
ST Vincent sent forth death and destruction
on terrific scale, has taken place in human
history beside the catastrOphes Of Hercuaneum
and Pompeii, and has brought the menace of
instability in the earths crust strikingly to
mind that the series Of reported disturbances
since in various parts of the world has given
many persons an unpleasant impression Con-
sidered together, there would seem TO have been
an unusual number of shocks and disorders.
Mont Pelee gave signs of activity on April %
Some days before in the AIeutian Islands the
underground world was making itself vaguely
felt For on April 10 at Oonalaska there were
earthquake shocks and rain of fine volcanic
ashes, and it was reported from the island of
UnimaIl that whenever the wind veered to the
west it brought volcanic dust
week later, on April IS, the town of Quezal-
tenango in Guatemala, Central America, was
visited by a shock that cost five hundred lives
out of a population of forty thousand and did
great damage to buildings and plantations.
Yawning crevlces were opened; n stream nearby
disappeared and the bridge that spanred it was
telescoped Damage was also done at the ad-
iacent towns of San Marcos San Pedro. San
Juan. Ostancalco, Tacana, Mazatenango and
Cuyotenango, and at Ocos and Chaperico on the
coast coffee plantations were ruined. News
come later that the volcano Tacana broke INTO
eruption afterward. destroying one thouSano
lives at Ratalhuten and half demolishing the
place The next disturbance in the Pacific.
where Kilauea developed more activity than
it had known in some years. Smoke and flame
began issuing from the crater, accompanied by
the usual monitory rumblngs.
The next appearance of insecurity was on IN
eE. vrhar on
village of Cambulata, the city of Vladi-
kavkav. was destroyed by a landslide caused
bv sudden fssure in the mountainside. Dur
ing this time the troubled regions in the West
Indies were still in action. Mont Peee being de-
cidedIy vigorous A month later on July D.
and Z Salonica, in European Turkey, sustained
severe shocks, which caused great alarm to the
inhabitants, who took to living in tents but
happily did not result in loss of life. Two days
later it was reported that deep sea fish were
coming inshore in great numbers in the Gulf
of Mexico. and on July II Captain George
Perks. of the British steamship Istrar, reported
soundngs in the Gulf not in accordance with
the charts in the New Orleans photographic
Office. He had found twenty-five and one-half
fathoms for instance where he should have
had eighty-fve 1t was suggested that this
might indicate a buckling in the bed Of the
Gulf such as took place at the time of the earth
quake of Charleston.
On July 8 a giant geyser of fifty foot spray
broke out at Salina Cruz on the Pacific side
of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Three days
after this there were shocks at Caracas and In
the interior of Venezuela, considerable damage
being done at Guarenas, Valencia and La Quay
ra On the same day severe shock did
damage to all the chief buildings Of Bunder-
Abbas, Persia. This was laid to the door of the
island OF Kishm, Which had been subject to
earthquakes in years before, and from which
loud detonations were heard at BunderAbbas.
The amazing report came 10 hand on July 20
that during shower pumice stone particles
the size Of pea ana of a sulphuric odor had
fallen in the city of Baltimore.
On July 81 occurred the 'twister' shock in
the district in Southern California. between
Tompoc and Santa Maria. This is still too