The Virginia enterprise., 1907-06-14


In the shaking tumbles down some of
the works of man, there is a revival
of earthquakeology: e. People are gen
orally interested in that which is most
closely connected with the startling
current events, and it is so with ref.
erence to earthquakes, for the very re-
cent destructive shocks in San Fran
cisco, Valparaiso and Jamaica have
served to quicken public interest in
what science is doing in the study of
seismic disturbances.
Few people in this country, perhaps,
know that at Shide, Newport Isle of
Wight, an observing station exists for
recording instrumentally the sensible
earthquake shocks of the globe, as
we'll as those earth tremOrs which con-
stltute what have been called the ''un-
felt breathings of our earth" Prof.
John Milne, F. r. S., inventor of the
Milne horizontal pendulum seismo-
graph, is the director of this station:
Formerly, for upwards of 20 years, he
occupied the chair of mining and geo.
logy in the Imperial college of engi-
neering, Toxic, Japan. and while in
that country conducted pioneer work
on its earthquake and volcanic phe-
nomena. With him at Shide, as as
sistant, is Mr.. Shinobu Hirota. Main
ly through Professor Mines efforts
and enthusiasm, supplemented by the
loyal help of committee of the Brit
ish association, 40 stations of SINH
lar character to his own. have been
parts of the world, the observers of
which cooperate in the general
work, sending to Shide from time to
time registers Of earthquake disturb
ances and other data for reduction, as
also seismograms.
In Great Britain, in addition to
Shide, the stations for earthquake OBJ
servations are: Edinburg (Royal OBJ
servatory), Bidston Niverpool observ-
atory), Kew Natural, Physical labora-
tory, and Paisley (the Coates observ-
atory). At Shide time is obtained
from the post office at Newport; which
receives a daily, signal from Green
wich. An arrangement is also in force
noting the time by means of the SUM-
For this purpose in the south wall of
the observatory there is vertical slit
made of two sheets of iron The image
of this is thrown by the sun on to a
north wall 16 feet distant. When this
image reaches line on the wall the
sun is due south.
Earthquake inquiry, as branch of
modern Observational science-the
new seismology," as it has been
styled-is study of comparatively re-
cent BIRTH Whereas in former times
disturbances due to sudden movements
of the earths substance formed the
the theme Of more or less highly col
ored narratives and tales, much SER
monising, by the way, being thrown
in, nowadays all that is changed, the
casual having given place to exact in
vestigation, in which the mathemati-
clan, physicist and geologist each bear
part So rapid, indeed, have been
the growth and march of knowledge
relating to the phenomena of earth
quakes, the propagation and velocities
of those speeding earth-waves. or pull
sations which are correlated with
them, and the times and places of
origin of the movements themselves,
that some leading seismologists agreed
not long since that the time was ripe
for the initiation and maintenance of
international cooperation among work.
erss in all countries in this young
science. ~ i
In 1902, the German government ask
ed whether his majesty'ss government
would be willing to engage in con:
ference with the. view. to- bringing
about an international inquiry into
earthquakes. Provisional and favora-
BILE consideration having been obtain
ed, conference was actually held at
Strassburg in the following year, when
rs countries were represented, though
France, it should be mentioned, was
| not among the number. AS an out
come, it was decided that a central
association should be constituted,
with its headquarters at Strassburg. 4
The first meeting of the permanent
commission Of this newly formed In.
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