Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-18
FELT n TINS CITY
SeIsmograph at Weather Blu
reau Active.
CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE
As Given by the Scientists Of the Geo.
logical Survey.
GREAT ANXIETY FOR FRIENDS
Sole Topic Of Conversation on Both
Sides Of the Capitol - Both
Chaplains Refer to It.
GREAT ANXIETY FOR FRIENDS


varying records Of the disturbance.
Prof. Edward B. Garriott of the weather
bureau Informed Star reporter this fore
noon that the seismograph In that depart
| ment marked the earthquake disturbance
about SIS o'clock this morning. which. ow-
ing to the difference in western time, would
be about the same moment tt occurred at
San Francisco. A slow motion Nike the
| movement Of an ocean wave was recorded.
he said. The bureau has not received any
last night, which failure Is believed to be
due to the wires being down. The meteoro-
logical condition there preceding the earth
quake. as given by the last reports re-
ceived late last night. were fine weather
and temperature about so degrees
The offices of the coast and geodetic sur
vey In this city today received from their
observer at Cheltenham. Md. report
that the seismograph there showed very
great disturbances, beginning at am. to-
day. eastern time" This disturbance last
ed three hours and then the instrument be-
came quiet.
Later Reports.
Later reports from the seismograph divi-
sion of the ather bureau here were to the
effect that the second shock at San Fran
cisco was clearly indicated on the instr1-
ments at the bureau. showing that the en-
tire continent Is still affected
A bulletin issued by the weather bureau
at 12:45 O'Clock this afternoon stated that
the seismograph was stall recording VIC
lent vibrations.
In connection with the vibration in this
city, Prof Willis Moore of the weather
bureau said today that the eruption OF We
suvius was recorded during its entire pc
Rod on the magnetic instruments OF the
research station at Mount Weather. Few
miles from the city in Virginia Prof.
Moore stated. however that this was not
an earthquake record, but rather that We
suvius acted like powerful wireless trans
mitter and Mt. Weather as the receiver.
Vesuvius with its eruptions there disturb
ing the electrical potentials, which dis
turbances sent out electromagnetic waves
that encircled the earth. The records at
Mt. Weather were clear and distinct. Prof.
Moore was not prepared to say whether
the eruption Of Vesuvius has anything to
do with the present earthquake.
Scientific men here. while not being able
to directly associate the San Francisco
earthaIiake with the recent violent erup-
tons OF Vesuvius and other volcanoes still
declare that these disturbances indicate
that there IS general trouble brewing in the
eartilss crust
..It is ali a great mystery" said Prof.
Garrfott. land indicates that there is some
thing going on below the surface of the
earth
He added that this Is the first earth
quake recorded for the Pacific coast since
the establishment Of the weather service.
The only record Of another disastrous
earthquake In this country on the books or
the bureau is the great disturbance in the
south of 1856 He attributes the lack or
water for the fire department of San Fran
cisco, rendering 1t almost useless In the
face of the confagration. to the breaking
and twisting OF the water pipes by the ac-
ton of the quake.
Weather Observers Report.
Prof. Wills L. Moore. chief of the weather
bureau. this afternoon received from the
weather observer at San Francisco, Alex
ander G.. Meade. the following dispatch:
"Severest earthquake in history of city,
SIS a m. Great damage. Large portion of
city now GAO ann in flames"
No weather report has been received from
San Francisco since last night.
Cause of the Disaster.
Quite a number OF men of tho geological
survey are at work in California but. for
tunately, few of them directly in San Fran
cisco. The geological division has four men
CHARTERED in the old Appraisers building,
down near the post office, but the shock
happened at a time in the morning when
none of them would have been in the office.
and G. K. Gilbert of the survey, well known
In Washington, who is carrying on some
Investigations In sedmentation for the sur
vey, is quartered over at Berkeley. The to-
pogra phica1 division has quite a large head
quarters at Sacramento and the reclama-
ton service. which was Quartered In one
OF the newer office buildings in the city up
to year ago, has now moved to Los An
geles.
In speaking OF the general situation Mr.,
C. w. Hayes, the director of geology in
the survey, said to Star reporter today
the best calculated of any of the large
cities of the United States to stand q Sc
we're earthquake shock, as most of the res
idence section was built of wood against
Just such contingencies, while the newer
buildings in the business section were all
steel frames and less III; Die to damage
than mere stone walls. In this connection
he said: Il see by the first reports from
San Francisco that the st. Francis Hotel
has stood the shock, and that is one OF
the most modern buildings in the city"
In connection with the general subject
of such disturbances Mr.. Hayes said:
Such a shock as they had in San Fran
cisco is probably due to the slipping OF
the surface rocks to adjust themselves
to changed conditions inside the earth. The
interior of the earth is probably not in a
molten state, except in the region of some
of the volcanoes, but after you get down
a distance Of sixty or seventy miles the
rocks are practically in fluid state from
the immense pressure on top of them.
They act like a liquid and they How to ad-
lust themselves to changed conditions. But
when YOU come nearer the surface. where
the strata are hard and brittle, the slip
ming of a part of the earth's crust along
the line of a fault will give you just the
conditions that attended the shock In San
Francisco.
sarhe old earth. take it as whole. Is
very uneasy body and is In a state OF con-
stantIy changing equilibrium. When the
foundations deep down change there has to
be an adjustment of the surface like the
break up of ice on a river and read1ust-
meut of the blocks to each other. That Is
evidently what has just happened on the
Pacific coast.
would be found that the disturbance at
san Francisco had been accompanied by
Considerable changes In the level OF the
ocean of the coast But whether this will
be enough to make any practical diner
ence TO navigation will of course have to
await further soundings and surveys.
He did not think that there was any con-
nection to be traced between the outbreak
Of Mount Vesuvius and the disturbance at
San Francisco. both probably being purely
local events.
Topic at tho Capitol.
The dispatches from San Francisco tell
ing OF the severe earthquake that visited
that city this morning. the wide destruc-
tion OF property and the terrible loss of life