The San Francisco call., 1906-07-08
SEEMING CAUSE or RECENT

as the building rose and sank with the
vibrating earth; my thoughts came
thick and fast 1 realized that l was
in the midst of death and I wondered
/ how all my friends would fare.
In spite of all Inc terror and real
/ ization of almost certain death there
was a wild fascination about the whole
experience which makes one respect
/ the mighty forces Of nature in their
endeavor to destroy the feeble efforts
of man. Everywhere buildings were
wrecked water mains were broken
and the streets were filled with debris.
The great city of San Francisco lay
helpless in the hands of natures cruel
and destructive forces, which spared
neither saint nor sinner, church nor
saloon; the good and evil all suffered
alike; it was one of the greatest
catastrophes the world has ever known.
There were no special providential
favors shown to any special set, for. 1t
was natures forces only at work and
she pursues fixed laws which are un-
changing and everlasting.
! Since the days of this awful disaster
/ DR.. f. A Lewis, my co-worker in sci
ence, and myself have been carefully
I studying the possible causes of earth
: quakes After gathering all the facts
concerning the phenomena we have
/ reached the conclusion that the cleo
/ trical hypothesis furnishes the most
/ reasonable basis for a solution of the
problem.
IL has been found that the area of
principal disturbance of the earth
quake may be readily traced IT ex-
tends along the Salinas, Santa Clara
I and Sonoma valleys. AS is we'll known,
I range Of mountains lies along the
coast, occupying a position between
these valleys and the Pacific Ocean.
At San Francisco the Golden Gate,
which is the entrance to the harbor
and bay, makes an opening or break,
dividing this coast range of noun
tains into a north and south wing. In
the Salinas Valley the town of Salinas
was severely shaken, while on the op-
posite side of a range of mountains the
town OF San Luis Obispo felt very lit
! tie shock. Along the Santa Cruz Noun
tains. including San Jose and the pc
ninsula of San Francisco tremendous
vibrations were felt. Near the sum-
nit of the Santa Cruz Mountains or
the Coast Range. a great rent or fis-
sure was made by the active forces of
the earthquake. Along the water
courses and in the Santa Clara Valley
there were many assures in the earth
and much damag ge was done to brick
buildings. In the Santa Rosa district
north of San Francisco, there was much
evidence of expenditure of tremendous
force
In San Francisco much of the evil
dence Of the force of the earthquake
was soon wiped out by fire, before 1t
could be fully studied; still, there IS
sufficient left to show that great dam
/ age was done. The phenomena of an
earthquake is undoubtedly of electrical
origin, and may arise from either of
two conditions. The first of these con-
ditions may be chemical action taking
place in the waters Of the ocean or in
the substance of the land. The second
cause may lie in interplanetary cleo
trical induction. The latter theory
seems the more correct. The ocean,
with its chemicals held in solution, is
a vast chemical retort, where constant
electro chemic action is taking place.
Chemical action everywhere causes
an accumulation of active electricity
which might seek to unite with the
electricity in the air. and in so do
ing produce an earthquake. The
constantly acted upon electrically
by the sun, moon and possibly
other planets of the solar system; these
influences cause a constant interchange
of circuIations between the waters of
the ocean and the land. All circula-
tions, whether atmospheric or cleo
trical, depend upon the interchange of
these forces.
on account of the evenness of tenn
perature there is very little observable
atmospheric electrical phenomena along
the sea coast, such active phenomena
being generally confined TO the valleys
and mountain ranges of the interior,
where the temperature is more uneven.
Even the ordinary observer notes the
fact that atmospheric electrical storms
follow the mountain ranges and water