Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-28
SEISMIC DIZZINESS.
Eeasickness Produced by Earthquakes
Cases Of Nausea Due to Tremors.
From the Literary Digest.

From the Literary Digest
That not infrequent result of earth
quakes. even slight shocks, is to make Its
victims ''seasIck" is an interesting discov-
cry made by DR.. Charles Dawson from a
study of certain earthquake records. Says
DR.. Dawson, writing to The Lancet:
in studying the earthquakes of Great
Britain, my attention has not infrequently
been drawn to feeling of nausea expert
enced during the comparatively slight
shocks which visit this country. /"
THE British earthquakes referred to in
this note are the Hereford earthquake of
December II, 1895. and the Doncaster earth
quake of April q, 1905 Some interesting
observations were also made during the
great Charleston earthquake of August 81,
1885. The Hereford earthquake occurred
at 5:32 am. The shock, which last
ed on an average for nine or ten seconds,
was strong enough to cause slight damage
to buildings within an area of IA square
miles. AS rule the feeling of
nausea experienced during this earthquake
was only temporary, though with one OBJ
server at Worcester (twenty-one miles from
the center) 1t lasted all day. In two cases,
one seven and half miles and the other
fifteen miles from the center persons are
said to have been actually seasick but
have not this information from the suffer-
ers themselves. The feeling was noticed
at considerable distance from the center
for example, at Weymouth Q06 miles),
Richmond, Surrey Clio miles,, London G13
miles, and Bradford Q25 miles,, the move
ment at the last-named place being SO
slight that nothing more than a weak ire
NOR was felt.
The Doncaster earthquake occurred at
1877 am. on Easter Sunday. 1905, and also
originated nearly simultaneously in two
foci, one about half mile north of Baw-
try, the other about four miles east of
Crowle in Lincolnshire. The disturbed
area contained about 1000 square miles,
and the shock was strong enough to make
doors. windows. etc, rattle to an average
distance of seventy-hve miles from the
principal focus near Bawtry. There was no
injury caused to buildings in any part of
the disturbed area A feeling of nausea was
rather frequently experienced (by about one
in every fifty observers),as often by those
who were asleep as by those who were
awake. and by men as much as by women.
1t was felt as far as Rippingale, near
Bourne in Lincolnshire, which is thirty-one
miles from the principal focus. With some
the feeling was only momentary, with the
majority 1t lasted for a few minutes. while
one or two felt sick for an hour or more
afterward- Two observers, at five and
eight miles respectively from the center.
inform me that the shock made them
sick.
More remarkable stu is the evidence
furnished by the disastrous earthquake OF
Charleston in 1856, which was felt to an
average distance OF $50 miles from the CEN
ter. In the central part of the disturbed
area the leellng OF nausea was seldom ex-
perienced, or, at any rate, recorded, and IL
Is not improbable that 1t passed unnoticed
by persons in their wild hurry to escape
from falling buildings. But outside the
area, in which the shock was strong
enough to overthrow vases and ornaments
or make pictures swing. records are some
what common. and it is noteworthy that
they come from two places more than 500
miles from Charleston. where the movement
was too slight to make even doors and
windows rattle, and, indeed, was only Just
perceptible to the unaided senses
THE observations described above thus
show that a feeling of nausea may be pro
duced in some persons by an earthquake
seconds and consisting of vibrations of
which the total range Is only small frac-
ton of an inch and OF which the period is
little. IL at all. more than half a second