Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-01-23
ITALY VICTIM OF ROAR
OF FAR DISTANT GUNS
Continuous Pounding of Big
Field Pieces Creates Shock
Waves Which Caused Quake
in the Peninsula, Says Ger
man Chemist.

That the continual conclusions caused
the heavy guns on the Franco-German
and German ussian-Austrian borders
are probably the underlying causes of
the recent earthquake in Italy is the
opinion of DR.. Alous kaeh.in formerly
professor of chemistry at the University
of Halle and now consulting chemist
for a large New Jersey corporation.
1t is a we'll known principle gener-
ally accepted by scientists that concus-
sions of any kind produce waves similar
to those created by the wireless ap-
paratus'' said Dr.. Kaehlin THE only
difference is that the electric waves
| travel through the atmosphere while
the shock waves radiate underneath the
ground.
I'm soft or sandy soil these shock
waves travel quickly and without i'm
| pediment. while rocky layers in the
, earth's interior, break tlre waves and
| cause them to seek an outlet. according
to the principle of least resistance.
1T may be seen by referring to the
map that the shock waves travelling
! from the two war stricken regions in
France and Russia focus on the Italian
| peninsula. 1t is generally conceded that
| the weakest spot on the peninsula is in
the region bordered by the triangle be-
tween Avezzano, Solmona and Chieti,
| where the earth quakes started.
| This region is very billy and rocky
| and is full of craters, in which water
| had accumulated in great quantities.
| The thin crust at the bottom Of the
craters, separating the water from the
! seething mass underneath, was cracked
by the force of the shock waves, and the
| inrushing waters caused the formation
of gases in the bowels Of the earth,
(which exploding caused the quake.
The latest press reports of the dis
aster say that the mountain La Tevec-
CHA, on top of which an extinct vol
nano had formed a crater has been
split This proves that an enormous
explosion in the interior of the earth
must have preceded the quake, which
was felt within a radius of 200 miles.
Roughly speaking the, distance between
Avezzano and the scenes Of the heavy
| artillery shooting is between $500 and
| 1850 miles. But this distance has moth
ing to do with the radius Of the shock
vibrations, which up to certain point,
are felt more distinctly at a distance
than they are at the place where the
concussions originate.
FOR instance: l happened to be in
West Point at the time Of naval re-
view in the harbor Of New York some
time ago. when the feet steamed in re-
view before the President. Each ship
fred tho prescribed Presidential salute.
The vibrations caused by the concus-
sions from the firing of the heavy guns
was hardly felt in New York City, but
atop the rocky hill at West Point the
shocks were felt very distinctly.
| 1.-THE same experience may be OBJ
served in Union Hill, the rocky contin-
uation Of the Palisades, when the heavy
coast artillery guns at Sandy Hook are
fred. The shocks are hardly perceptible
in New York, but they frequently rattle
the windows in Union Hin and neigh
porhood." ~ -,
DR.. Kaehlin thinks shat further quakes
are very likely in Italy in the near fu.
ture, because the conclusion of the i'm.
mense 44-centin1etre German howitzers
II greater than ever before produced b,
man-made machinery and the effects
upon the naturally sensitive eubterran
can construction Of the Italian PENN.
l an1a will ho fQr rnochin0