The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-02

I trOphe In California. II 1t Is true, as re-
disastrous along the Chilean coast from
Conception in the south to africa In the
north, the north and south extent Of the
more serious effects was at least 1900 miles.
In California, on the other hand, the north
and south extent Of destructive effects
was approximately only 400 miles.
II it IL true, as reported, that severe
results were felt on August 10 as far inland
al Mendoza and other towns in Argentina
to the east Of the Andes ranges the breadth
OF the destructive area was in places about
200 miles, while In California the average
width Of the severely shaken region was
only about fifty miles. We shall doubtless
hear later that the Chilean disturbance
was perceptible to the senses over a far
larger area than that In which damage
was caused, just as the California shocks
were felt in Oregon, In eastern Nevada
and at Los Angeles.
The chief reason for believing at this
time that the shocks in Chile were Of a
sharper and more destructive nature than
In California Ia that greater damage pro-
p~ortiOnally was done In Valparaiso and In
other coast towns and some miles in the
interior parallel with the coast than at San
Francisco and along the California coast,
though many OF the destroyed Chilean
buildings, especially In Valparaiso, were
only from two to four stories In height
and constructed Of solid masonry, with a
special view to securing immunity, II DOS
sible, from seismic disaster.
There Is no reason whatever for attempt
ing to connect the Chilean disaster with the
California earthquake or the April eruption
Of Vesuvius as in some way or other the
resultant OF those far distant occurrences.
The place Of origin Of the California dis
aster was In the Coast n Far 70 the
east Is the Rocky Mountain system, Of which
the South American Cordilleras are the
southern ~prolongation.
The northern shocks originated In one
mountain system and the southern in an
other. After the California earthquake one
or two seismologists argued that the erup-
ton OF Vesuvius might have had something
10 do with producing the American disaster,
but this view met with no favor from most
students OF the subject: and when our
commission made their Investigation they
found that the trouble was caused by the
reopening OF an old line Of weakness In
the rocks which extenis through the Coast
ranges in California for at least BIS miles
and is marked by an almost continue us
breaka 60 In the rocks, n side 81 the break
age being higher than the other.
In the long period that may have elapsed
since the original rift was formed stress
and strain were accumulated In the rocS
till they found relief, at times, in other
Tuptures and the latest one came this year.
The new rupture has been traced thus far
for IsS miles, and the movement Of tho
rock is found 10 rave been chiefly hori-
zontal, the amount Of the displacement
being from six TO sixteen feet, the mean
amount OF the displacement along the rift
line being about ten feet.
In some places also there was a vertical
movement not exceeding four feet, . that
the ground on one side OF the rift IL now
higher than On the other side.
Now this was q movement along an
ancient line Of weakness, which reoccurred
in the natural operation Of the physical
laws 30 which our World IL subject. Il In