The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-06
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| special to Tho journal. - ." rs 10y
London, May 6.-There is one man in
niles from the 81 scene q the disaster,
ran. away from the San Francisco
earthquake. To be strictly correct it
was not the earthquake that caused him
to hide himself in London, but the
horde. Of reporters who besieged him in
his. peaceful home in the Isle of Wight
and bombarded him with questions con-
corning the cause Of the catastrophe.
l. Professor John, Milne knows more
about seismology than any other man in
England, or probably in the world,
unless it be some Of those wonderful
Japs who have! not yet caught the
western habit of telling all they know.
Professor Milne is here regarded as a
species Of consulting physician for
information can be obtained without
payment Of fees: He is one Of the best
naturedA Of men and ordinarily cheer
fully submits himself to the inter
viewer. But when it comes to telling
1 the same thing over and over again to
i long procession of tinterviewers he
kicks and 7skips until things quiet down
4 again. Thus it happens that he always
runs away when big earthquake
His Work Fascinating.
Professor Milne is an earthquake
!, hunter. ire For nearly twenty years he
; pursued them in Japan, their native
: earthquakes for breakfast, dinner and
! tea. It was facinating and exciting
| pastime, but it had it's disadvantages,
one of which is that it debarred him
from getting an insurance policy. on his
life. So after he had made seismic
, survey Of Japan, and married dainty
r little Japanese Wonan,o he invented q
Bqe sRf fgE R fe EGagissd a ann
4 settled down g del delightful old-fash
e Toned, rosezclad5 s.: house, IL the Isle OF
. Wight, Here, out of the. danger zone
: himself, his machines give him a record
q Of every. earthquake on the globe that
y amounts to. anything, no matter how
a. distant. the seat Of the disturbance
= may be. r.t..:~r ,.,t:ss : ~ -
= He has several of these instruments
!, The largest of them is made from {
y Istreet lamp post. This rigid pillar O.
y. = iron is built into block of masonry
? which in turn rests on. deep sub
: stratum Of chalk. Near, the base 0:
h the, lamp post, projecting at >righ
: angles from it, is. a weighted steel boon
;, from the end of which depends a needl
! that writes without ceasing on an ,eter
2 nally revolving cylinder covered with
:. sheet of. paper; blackened over lamp
n When the old earth is behaving itsel
= properly the lines the needle traces OF
r the smoked paper. are steady an
!. straight. But when there is, an earth
J. quake cutting up didos anywhere tn
: needle makes Jagged marks, and tn
greater the deviations from the straigh
line the more violent is the earthquake
e .s.>.,.r Diagram Of a Quake. ~: .
d The seismometer, to give. the record
' ing angel of the earthquakes its scien
i. tifc name, makes, in fact, three sepal
e ate diagrams of each earthquake. TIL
4 first records the vibrations transmitte
thru the earth's interior, and this, mas
u sage travels at the, rate Of ten miles.
E. second The second is on a large seal
a. and records the slower moving vibrs
g tions which have travelled round tn
ID surface of the globe in the most direc
r route, and the third those that hav
E. been transmitted round the earth in tn
o. other direction by the longer route
z The clock which keeps the cylinder n
le volving also registers the time upon i
a. BY the. aid of: this, and calculation
le based on the various rates Of speed tn
y able to locate approximately the spc
d where the earthquake broke loos
lt, When; the needle begins to make jas
ne ged tracks, the tinkling of a little be
o warns the professor that 1t is writin
g. the story Of some great convu1sio.
as It rung him up when the San Francisc
as earthquake occurred hours before an
7 tidings. Of it reached the London new
j paper offices. 49,
i There is nothing of the scientific r
ng cluse about Professor Milne. He has
n rugged, open air face. with a big, bros
ny forehead and piercing blue eyes. I
NJ roughed it in many parts Of the wor
le, before he took to earthquake huntin
n "a His Japanese wife is a bright, winson
II little lady. She has surrounded h
"a n. scientific workshop with quaint al
ut picturesque eastern relics, and burns j
!. cense before the chief of them, an il
ste passive majestic Buddha, whenever 81
ma wants some dream of hers q to cor
~ true 81.
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