The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-04-17
aBLUFFINe orrn EARTHQUAKES.
caIifornia's Policy Considered Very
Short Sighted BY Prof. Gilbert.

That policy Of "bluf-' IN regard to
earthquakes has been favored in Cali
fornia for half-century past, is assert "a
by Prof. G. X. Gilbert in his presidential
address on Earthquake forecasts" be-.
fore the American association Of geo.
graphers, printed IN Science. This policy
Prof Gilbert regards as very short
sighted. Earthquakes are in great
measure predictabIe, he says. and the
damage they do is preventablej let US
then try to foresee and prevent, rather
than pretend that there IS no danger.
Prof. Gilbert takes his descriptive phras
from "a paragraph written BY Prof J. d.
/ Whitney ia 1865. running as follows:
The prevailing tone IN that region, at
present. Il that Of assumed indifference
70 the dangers Of earthquake eaIamitics
1.-The author Of yoluminous work on
California, recently published in San
Francisco, even going 80 far as 10 speak
81 earthquakes az harmless disturb
ances' But earthquakes are not 10 be
hiuiIed off. They will come, and will do
q great deal Of damage The question
! II, How far can science mitigate the at
tendant evils aud thus do something
toward giving that feeling Of security
which = necessary for tho fun Develop
ment Of that part Of the countryfn
Prof. Gilbert goes on 70 comment on
this as follows; This policy Of assumed
indifference. which is probably not shar.
cd BY any other earthquake district in
the world, has continued to the present
time and is accompanied BY a policy OF
concealment. II is feared that il the
ground 81 California has reputation
for instability, the flow OF immigration
viii be checked. capital win 20 else.
where, and business activity viii be im-
paired Under the influence Of this fear
scientific report on the earthquake Of
1858 was suppressed. When the organi-
zation Of the chronological society was
under consideration, there were business
men who discouraged the idea. because
IL would give undesirable publicity to
the subject CT earthquakes
Pains are taken to speak Of the dis.
aster Of 1905 SIS connagration. and 80
far as possible the fact is ignored that
the conflagration was caused. and its
extinguishment prevented, BY injuries
due 70 the earthquake During the
period Of after shocks, It was the com
mon practice Of the San Francisco dali
lies to publish telegTaphic accounts Of
small tremors perceived in the eastern
part Of the United States. but emit men
ton Of stronger shocks in the city itself;
and | was soherly informed bv q resi-
Ia44A IS Aa ~ #4am& A..
Der of the shocks at that time were oc-
casioned BY explosions Of dynamite in
the neighborhood. The desire TO ignore
the earthquake danger has not altogeth-
er prevented the legitimate influence Of
the catastrophe on building regulations
and building practices. but there can be
little question that it has encouraged
unwise construction not only IN san
Francisco. but in other parts of the
malloseismis district.
eThe policy of coneealment Is vain,
because IL does not conceal il reflects
a standard OF commercial morality
which Is being rapidly superseded, for
the successful salesman today is he who
represents his goods fairly and frankly.
II il improbable because II iIiterferes
with measures Of protection against
danger which Is real and important.
Earthquake damage Is at least az
preventahle as fire damage. 1t il pos
sible 50 to construct houses that they
win neither collapse nor otherwise Be
vitality injured BY such shocks as have
visited California in the past. In a.
house SO built there will be small dan
ger from earthquake started fires, be-
cause they win be both accessible and
quickly detected. It IA wreekage that
prevents the prompt extinguishment Oh
the initial blaze. In house so built
there will be little damage 10 furniture,
merchandise and other valuable contents
With houses SO built the life risk will
become a vanishing quantity. for prae-
tically all earthquake casualties are
directly due to the failure of buildings
And in d community thus protected in
life and property, the terror Of the mys-
FERROUS uurehalded temhlora factor
far outweighing the actual personal
peril will gradually wear away.
In saying that earthquake damage is
preventable | would not be understood
to imply that the subject Of earthquake
proof construction is at all adequately
developed Competent modes 81 CON
straetion are known, bat the best modes
the most economic modes. the modes
best adapted 10 American materials and
conditions, remain TO be determined and
there IS much need Of Investigation
It should be the policy Of The people
and state Of California 70 see that the
necessary investigations are made and
that the results are embodied IN the
building regulations OF ell cities as well
as in the entire building practice Of the
state, And. in order that the methods
Of construction may be properly ADJUST
ed to the very unequal local require
ments, provision should be made FOR d
seismic survey and the mapping of
tracts of special earthquake danger
Literary Digest.