Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-02-07
Earthquake Puzzles Men of
 Science tor an Explanation

pr0acned m uestfuCtlOn tue parOSysm of February ,, l7s3, which practically began the siege.
 In that quake at least 10000 people were killed and 10000 more perished from lack of food and in the epdemics which succeeded the catastrophe. The upheaval was so violent that the con fguration of the shore line was altered Previous 10 il the shore at Messina was almost level, but since then it has risen at an abrupt slope. The deep Assure opened has left scar which has given the geologists opportunity to study and speculate on the fault made here in the earth g crust
 Never has the surface of the earth been more peculiarly twisted since sci eRtifc men have been observant of na- ture s phenomena. In Calabria the Ap- ennine mountains were somewhat dis turbed. In the gradual landslides which took place in the period of adjustment consequent to the violent wrenching, whole farms were slid into the plain for q distance of two and one half miles without any material damage 10 crops and trees. By the blocking of rivers, etc, 2l5 inland lakes were formed
 Mountain Slide and Tidal Wave
 After the first shock on that 5th of February the Prince of Scilia and his vassals embarked in boats and deter. mined to spend the night sleeping on board in the harbor. People who had no boats slept in the level places near the waters edge. During the night came a violent convulsion of the earth. The side of the mountain rolled down into the plain, while great wave twen- ty feet or more in height rose from the sea and rolled toward the shore.
 The prince and his men in their boats were hurled among the people and to. gether they were swept again into the sea. When the wave swept back again it cast hundreds of corpses on the shore. The prince and 1,43O people lost their lives.
 Along the western coast line of both the North and South American conti. nents there is fault in the earth s crust. When disturbance occurs at ore point it is likely to repeat itself at another. On August 16 of the same year the earthquake in Valparaiso, Chile, followed with a much heavier casualty list than San Francisco.
 In both these instances, though the shock was felt for great distances, the destroyed cities were the focus for the blow The shock in California spread far a'ross the earth s surface, register ing i!.ef at Calabria. Successive to the Valpa.aiso quake shocks were recorded in many parts of the world, proving that there is a readiustment of stresses on the earth s crust.
 There are probably sixty heavy earth quakes each year, but fortunately the main shock of few of them is focused on eenters of population. In the valpa. raiso quake, though the property loss was not so laRge there were nearly 1000 people Killed.
 theory of the cause of earthquakes that has obtained considerable credence among geologists is that through Assures in the earth sea water pours down upon the molten interior, and exploding steam disrupts the ground above. It is figured that the center of disturbance is any where from ten to thirty miles below the surface As most severe quakes come from under the sea, or on sea coasts, the theory has much circiimstantial evi- dcnce to support it.