The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-24
WHERE EARTHQUAKESSTART
PREHISTORIC MOUNTAIN RANCE
 IN DEPTHS
Of the Atiantic--Fragme of the Old Bridge That Once Formed Eastern Garb of Verdure and Bloom and a Careless, Happy People.

Careiess, Happy People.
 Physically there is no more interest
 ing section of the earth's surface than
 the surviving fragments of the bridge
 of land that once connected the eastern
 side of the two continents of America It may be even that the deep basins or
 the gulf of Mexico and the Carribean sea were in past ages above the surface of the oceans. but it is certain that the now submerged plateau upon which generations of polyps have built the Bahamas was connected with the shore of South America by strip or lana
 through which ran a range of volcanic mountains. This was probably connect ed by lower bridge, of which the
 Greater Antilles are a part, With Mex ico at the peninsula of Yucatan. Oh either side of the latter was either a. broad, deep valley or an island sea.
 The chain of small islands stretching from the Virgins, a little south of Porto Rico, in graceful curve and almost connecting with the coast of Venezuela in the island of Trinidad is what IS lett of the old volcanic ridge of prehistoric times. It's base is now far down in the ocean depths Its valleys and gorges, its canons and caverns, and many or it's canons and peaks are beyond the reach of human exploration, covered with submarine growths and peopled with monsters of the deep
 The summits, which have remained for centuries above the surface, expos ed to the vivifying forces of the atmo- sphere and tropical sun, from Saba to Grenada, are broken and jagged with here and there old craters and soufreres, reminders of the cataclysms of the ages when continents were made and unmade by the convulsive throes of nature.
 More startling reminders come from the lingering forces of internal heat be- meath the peaks through which they found vent so many ages ago, and from which they still break forth at long in- tervals to give man an exhibition Of the primal energies of the earth.
 Over these islands has been woven a most allurfng garb of verdure and Of bloom, and the rich soil, wrought by the alchemy of sun and air from re- mains of the elemental work, produces in luxuriance the vegetable forms and r,ourishes in profusion the animal life of the torrid zone. Differences of alti- tude within small areas give marvel lous variety and richness to the exter- nal aspect of these dots of land amid the shining waters.
 The forces that have given these isl ands their enticing charm, and made +hero the homes of careless and happy with appalling calamities. In the depths of that mountain range now mostly sunk in the ocean, the shrinking of the eartll's crust in the process of cooling has probably left vast spaces filled | with gases and subjects to enormous [ pressure.
 Here is where earthquakes are bred, ! such as sank old Port Royal in Jamaica | under the sea and shook Caracas into | ruins, and here is where the clements still rage that break out In volcanic | eruptions such as has swept St. Pierre out of existence, and perhaps repeated | the experience of St, Vincent 90 years ago, when contenporaneously within the Caracas earthquake it's old | Soufriere belched fire and smoke and the whole region was covered with pail of darkness for days. At that time the volcanic dust was thrown in huge volumes above the trade winds and carried by the counter current to Bar hundred miles away, where It covered the surface of the island as with black snow and frightened the nha bitants with it's mystery.-New York Mail and Express