The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-12-28
Earthquake Depicted.
PRESIDENT JORDAN. OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY.
GIVES THE cLEAREsT VIEW.
Strained Sections Of the Earth Instantly Became
Msfits, Some Portions Sinking and Others
Rising as They We're Disturbed.
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DR.. David Starr Jordan, president
OF Leland Stanford, Jr., University
lectured at Swarthmore College on
the subject, THE Earthquake Rift of
California" Dr.. Jordan enumerated
the causes of the great earthquake
and described his own experiences
during the shock
The lecture was illustrated, show
Ing, among other things, views OF the
destruction OF buildings at Stanford.
The speaker said. in part:
1t is wise provision of nature, so
Goethe tells us, that trees shall not
grow up into the sky. The wisdom
OF this arrangement is obvious, and
It is clear that its spirit applies to
many other things than trees. It is
also obvious that, in order to point
the moral property, there should be
some part OF the earth i'm which the
limit is off. TO that end California
was created. In California the trees
do actually grow up into the sky. IT
was in California that the Sierra
Avalanche, according to Bret Harte
treferring to the March floods on the
Sacramento) observed, with pensive
local pride, "An area as large as the
State of Massachusetts, under water"
So it is proper that in California the
most vigorous earthquake of it's class
should be recorded. that the most de-
Structiye conhagration in history
should take place; that the greatest
wreck Of human effort should occur
and all that in region in which,
more than in any other, human effort
Is joy in itself.
It is also characteristic of Califor-
MIA that the people should not look
on the disaster of the fire, nor on the
sickening loss of half Il century OF
struggle and upbulding. They note
rather that no great wooden city be-
fore ever went for half century
without conflagration. In the Wis
fon of every Californian San Fran
cisco is not the old city, sitting desc
late on its bones, but rather the new
city of steel and concrete, which shall
defy shock and fire alike.
IN bttp.
AS for the earthquake OF April Is,
The first question is, naturally: What
was 1t? 1t was a crack in the earth
crust about 200 miles long and four
or five miles deep, or as deep as the
crust is stiff and brittle. More exact
iy. it was the sudden opening and
closing of an old crack, or, in geologi-
cal language, fault.
The cause was, primarily, the slow
shrinking OF the earth, by which all
mountain chains, with their accom-
folds and faults, are formed.
Secondarily, the cause was GER
tain strain on the mountain chain on
one side of the fault
This strain was doubtless slowly
cumulative. 1t was resisted for years,
until finally, for some cause or for no
cause, the rocks gave way. The old
scar was reopened for an instant the
strain was repressed and the two
sides of the fault came together with
grinding strain, which reduced the
rocks on either side OF It to dust and
fragments for perhaps a hundred
feet. In this case the two sides no
longer fitted perfectly. The west side
of the fault was left some three feet
lower in the Santa Cruz region, and
ss much higher in Marin County.
All this was the earthquake pro-
per, and it was practically instanta-
neous. But the giant, having
stretched himself in his sleep. the
creaking of his bones went forth to
the rest of the world In this case
the disturbance went out as short,
@wift and violent waves in the rocks.
and in the soil and houses which were
over them. First TO any given point
went the straight waves from the
nearest part Of the fault. Such
waves are interesting and mostly
harmless. however severe, and of
such waves alone most California
earthquakes are formed. Later, but
on the instant, came waves from
points farther and farther away.
These came at an angle with the FIRST
waves, and at a broader angle with
each other. Some OF them would
partly neutraliZe others; some would
reinforce others and at a different an
gle.
Everything Was Wavy.
The result when the waves from
below and the waves from various
distances were received was a series
OF twisting motions OF great violence
and OF every conceivable kind.
They were OF such intense swift
ness that the ground made daze be.
fore the eyes. They were of such
extraordinary variety that all things
which an earthquake could throw
were tossed in every direction.
Jars standing side by side woulC
be thrown i'm opposite directions, ot
not thrown at ALL Trees would benz
to the ground as under a high gale