The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-02-11
WHAT IF THE EARTH
SHOULD BLOW Up
The Cause of Earthquake and Tidal
Waves.

If scientists could only sink a
test tube down into the center of
the earth they might be able to
ascertain more accurately Just
what is going on in the far interior
and might more nearly tell what
Is going to happen on the earth's
crust. The appalling disaster in
Italy has forced home again the
fact that the earth is really high
pressure boiler, with intermittent
eruptions and earthquakes which
carry destruction to man and the
works of man. With volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes and tidal
waves occurring in some places,
what is to prevent similar uneX-
Dected outbreaks in others? Moth
ing at all, under similar geograph-
iCal conditions.
These and many other questions
and answers have probably arisen
in the mind of every speculative
man and woman since the dawn of
the new year, when the full extent
and horror of the Italian disaster
began TO be fully realized. And
it is scarcely to be expected that
very much consolation will be de-
rived therefrom, or even from the
statements of some scientists re-
garding this earth's internal trou-
bles, their alarming causes and
probable disastrous results.
1t is not very comforting for in
stance, to be solemnly informed
that we are living today on the
outer shell of high pressure boil
er, which leaks badly in certain
weak spots and elbows out" with
alarming frequency along certain
weak plate which is geographically
known as the Earthquake belt"
If you take map of the world
and draw a broad line straight
across the Pacific ocean, from the
Philippines islands to Panama,
thence across the Atlantic ocean
through the the British West In
dies to Spain and Italy, thence
continuing across Europe and Asia
to Japan, and on to the starting
point in the Philippines, you will
see exactly where the earthquake
belt lies.
There are other minor belts, one
OF which passes southwark along
the coast of California and Mexico
and the west coast of South Amer
lea. There are evidences observ-
able today in practically all parts
Of the world of other earthquake
belts in which tremendous geolog-
iCal changes and upheavels were
wrought in prehistoric times.
Even New York city is in an
earthquake belt. At some time,
probably thousands and thousands
of years ago, mighty earthquake
split asunder the rock that united
what is now the Island of Manhat-
tan to the Palisades of the New
Jersey coast. That earthquake
formed the Hudson river.
Earthquake belts are admittedly
weak spots in the outer crust of
the earth-the high pressure boiler
on which we live-and there is no
evidence that any of them were
ever permanently repaired.
lOl' l|uN az ouCSS, TIC chill
nent Vienna geologist, predicted a
few days ago that eruptions would
follow the earthquake and tidal
wave in southern Italy. He attri-
buted the earthquake to the sink
ing of the earth's crust, otherwi Sc
buckling of the boiler plates, in
the zone of which the Lipari is
lands are The center. He declared
that as the process of sinking went
on the Calabrian and Sicilian high
lands on either side of the Straits
OF Messina would be submerged.
only the highest peaks remaining
above the sea. The strait, he
said, would thereby be greatly wi
daoad