The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-19
NOTHING TO DO WITH TESUVIUS.
Major Dutteu. Greatest Earthquake Expert
Says IL Was Not OF volcanic origin.

says IL Was Not OF Volcanic Origin.
WASHINGTON, April ls.-Acoording to q
! telephone message received by Supt. o.. II.
Tittmen OF the United States Coast and
| Geodetic Survey from w. F. Wallis, In
charge of the magnetic observatory at
, Cheltenham, Md. sixteen miles sout h.
east of Washington, an earthquake was
recorded beginning about 8 o'clock, eastern
time. this morning, and lasted about three
hours, or until shortly after IL o'clock. After
that time it ouieted. In connection with
this message the survey issued a state
ment that the disturbance is as large as
any thus far recorded and would have prob
ably gone beyond the limit OF the record
ing sheet except for the damping brushes,
which limit the motion OF the recording
stylus
While some OF the scientists here hold
that the Pacific coast earthquake Is related
to the eruption Of Mount Vesuvius, Major
Clarence Z. Dutton, U. 8. A.. retired, the
foremost American expert on seismic DIS
turbanoes, totally disagrees with that opin-
ion. Major button is In Washington at
tending a scientific meeting. He made an
investigation and report OF the Charleston
earthquake Of 1885. and is regarded az De-
ing better informed than anybody else IN
this country on the causes Of such things.
When he was seen to-day he asserted In
a very emphatic way that the Vesuvian
outbreak had no bearing whatever on the
Pacific coast shock.
1T is a violent earthquake for the Pacinc
coast" said Major button, Il think 1t Is
probably greater than any thqua
which has occurred there since 1888. All
reports from a region Of that sort are apt
at first 10 be very indefinite and much ex-
aggerated. But now and then there Is
some detail which is very suggestive. IL
is not very liable to be grossly wrong.
For instance, reports OF the Interrupt
ton of the water connections and pipes
being broken throughout the city is very
suggestive, but whether It Is merely the
breaking Of q single pipe or the breaking
of MANY we do not know for the present.
With regard to the falling Of buildings, II
eny considerable number has been wrecked
it would indicate a very large and a very
violent earthquake. We are for the tim
being utterly unable to form an opinion
for want of accurate reports, But a gen.
eral impression produced by the reports
we have already received indicate that 1t
ia an earthquake which has an intensity
of No. VIII. OF the Rossi -Froel scale Uhis
means an earthquake OF considerable
violence but not Of the most destructive
kind. :,
Il can say emphatically," continued
Major Button. that the California earth
Quake has no relation Whatsoever with the
disturbance at Vesuvius,'
Speaking of the causes OF the earth
quake Major Dutton said:
There Ia no immediate cause for the dis
turbanoe that We know Of except the usual
causes for all these large earthquakes. l
do not think 1t is q volcanic eruption. II is
very plainly what 10 termed q tsotonio
earthquake, not a volcanic one. 1t Ia very
liable to be followed by what are called
after shocks, which are always Of less in
tenslty, though sometimes OF considerable
violence. recurring less and less frequently
until finally they die out. They are likely
to take place In the same quarter. They
did reour In the Charleston earthquake,
| do not think there is any very terrible
earthquake to be feared as q result Of this
disturbance. The worst 10 undoubtedly
over. although, as l said. hereafter from
time TO time they may have shocks Of rather
considerable force but OF less intensity
than the shock which has just occurred
Dr. L. E. Bauer OF the Coast and Geodetio
Survey, the Governments earthquake eI-
pert, said that il would be impossible to
fix the origin Of the earthquake until the
survey had received the records OF other
o~bservatories. He thought the shook was
sufficiently hard to have been recorded
throughout the world.
On January 81 OF this year there was a
shook accompanied by q tidal wave In the
Pacific which was perhaps as great at the
San Francisco disturbance, but 1t caused
less damage because 1t was chiefly felt along
the west coast Of South America ~ Euca-
dor, and only affected several small fishing
towns. 1t was also felt In Hawaii and
sliehtly In New Mexico and Arizona. The
last great earthquake in this country, he
said, which caused great damage, was the
Charleston, 8. C., disturbance. on August
81, 1885.
In speaking OF the general situation C.
w. Hayes, ths director OF geology in Che
Geological Survey, said that he thought
San Francisco was about the bost calcu-