Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-20
OPINIONS OF SCIENTISTS
Growth Of Mountain Ranges on Coast Held
Responsible BY Tan,
VAN WsE NOT SURPRISED BY SHOCK
President of Upiversity of wisconsin
Says Scientists Have Known for
Many Years that Earth
quake would Occur.

NEW YORK, April 19.-The Times today
prints a statement from Ralph stockman
Tarr. professor Of dynamite geology and
physical geography at Cornell university
on the subject OF the San Francisco earth
quake.
Prof. Tarr was formerly connected with
the United States Geological survey and the
Smithsonian institution at Washington He
is considered an authority on seismic dis
turbances. He says:
1t is too early to pronounce n final opin-
ion upon the nature and cause of the san
Francisco earthquake, but from what has
been said II will be seen that IL is probable
that this shock Is the result OF movements
along one or more eault lines in the course
of the natural grUwtl. of the coast ranges,
which biologists have long known to be
stll in progress throughout the entire cx-
tent Of California. That the coast ranges
are growing is proved by numerous evil
( dences. There are appraised shore lines at
various points along the California coast,
proving recent uplift. The very bay of
San Francisco is the result of a geologically
recent subsistence of this part of the coast
which has admitted the sea into the gorge
that the Sacramento river formerly cut
across the coast ranges. This forms the
Golden Gate, and in the broader mountain
valley behind the sea has spread out to
form the bay.
Whether the center of greatest dis
turbance of the present shock IL in or near
the city cannot yet be told. though the
meager reports so far received indicate
/ InlS. II IL Is, san FRANCISCO is IN DANGER
of future disasters.
Scientists Expected Trouble.
MADISON, Wis, April l9.-President
Charles r. Van Hise of the University Of
Wisconsin, one of the best known biologists
i'm the country, formerly of the United
States Geological survey, says a disaster
at San Francisco mas long been expected
by scientists. In a signed statement he
| says:
Scientists have known for many years
! that San Francisco is dangerously located
and would probably sooner or later be sub
/ ject to severe shocks.
/ that San Francisco would be the first TO
show the effect of an earthquake upon
steel structures, for It has been well under
| stood that San Francisco mas the most
| dangerous location with reference to earth
| quakes of any large city In the United
States.
| Chicago may Have Disturbance.
| CHICAGO April 19.-There are slight in
dications that Chicago may experience an
| earthquake within a few years, according
! to Prof. j. Paul Goode of the University
/ Of Chicago Geology faculty. The presence
of certain species of rock in the earth in
side or near the city limits. he believes, is
an indication of a condition that might
result in the dismantling Of portion Of the
city.
There is no absolute geological proof
that Chicago may have an earthquake in
the next few years" Prof. Goode declared.
"One can detect slight symptoms, however.
Certain formations of certain kinds of
rock underneath Chicago might be taken
as an indication. An earthquake is as
simple as the breaking Of timber
Il believe that the disturbance 1T San
! Francisco was about seven miles below
the surface of the earth. II was quite
probably a slipping of the crust of the
earth. Generally one block of the crust
slips up, while the other slips down. The
focus of the disturbance may be noted by
! the direction of the cracks in the wrecked
buildings. r'<C.'
THE Sierra Madre mountains are young
and are growing slowly, and no doubt
their growing was the cause of the earth
quake"
Motion of Earth.
OAKLAND Cal, April 19.-Prof. Burck-
halter of the Lake Chabot observatory. this
city, has made the following statement OF
the Associated Press:
The earthquake shock this morning was
the seVerest which has been experienced
since my connection with the Chabot OBJ
| serVatOry,
1t started at 514:4s and its duration was
y
AS soon as possible l went to the OBJ
servatory and found that the trembloI
was too much for the smoked glass which
was on the seismograph at the time of the
trouble.
The smoked glass shows where the needle
left the glass because of the eXcessiv,
oscillation.
II is difhcult to state the exact direction
which the tremblor moved, but there are
indications that it took in all the fou
points of the compass.
The earthquake stopped the mean tim,
and the siderial clocks Of the observator!
at fourteen minutes and forty-eight second!
after o'clock this morning.
Observations Taken at Berkeley.
OAKLAND. Cal. April ia. o. Leusch
ner, director of the students observator!
of the University of California, today CAV
out the following record of the earthquake
THE principal part of the earthquake
came in two sections, the first series of vi
. brations lasting for about forty seconds
The vibrations diminished during the fol
! lowing ten seconds and then continued witt
! renewed vigor for about twenty-five second
: more. But even at this writing (about /
! M the disturbance has not as yet sub
sided as slight shocks are being recorde
at frequent intervals on the Ewing seismo
' graph. The principal direction Of motlo
$ was from south-southeast TO north-north
west. The remarkable feature of thi
earthquake. aside from it's intensity. was it
rotary motion. AS seen from the print, tn
sum total of all dispacements represents
very regular ellipse and some Of the line
representing the earth's motion can b
t traced along the whole circumference. TIL
I three severest earthquakes on record i
a thist vicinity are those Of October p. 1866
0 March 90 1898. and that of today. The re
. suit of observation indicates that our heay
d lest shocks are I'm the direction south
n southeast to north-northwest In this re
9 spect the records Of the three heavies
y earthquakes agree entirely. But they hav
Z several other features in common One {
4 these is that while the dsplacements ar
/ very large the vibration period is con-
d paratively slow. amounting to about on
n second in the last two big earthquakes
e SANTA ROSA HOME OF BURBANI
n Devastated City Center of Old, His
d tOric Section.
= Santa Rosa, the beautiful little cit
which has been wiped out by the earth
quake and consequent fires, is the home