Evening star., 1915-01-24

7N the midst of the catastrophe that
has overtaken Italy-the blind,
slaughtering. devastating force that
q has taken lives and homes by the
thousands terrified, questioning peo-
pie turn once more to science and ask
for an explanation. rs this not Wis
itation of God?'' ask some. rs there
not some terrific force compressed
within the earth which will some day
explode and blow the world to atoms?
Can nothing be done to halt this colos-
sal destruction"
Science tells what she has learned
and leaves the rest to the imagination.
Fifty miles beneath the earth's crust is
some hard substance. but no man
knows what it is. Coming nearer to
the surface. science has found series
of folded strata. moving uncertainty
Occasionally there is a slip-then chaos
follows
Two terrors are in the earthquake
First. there is the damage of the shock
itself, which may be little or great
Then follows the danger which may be
more destructive to cities than the
shock itself-fre.
Italy. il seems from reports, was VS.
ited by both. San Francisco maintains
to this day that the earthquake was
nothing. but that the ensuing fire was
the cause of her demolition. Tourists
come back from the Pacific coast with
the same tale.
We asked to see that section of the
city which was destroyed. and we were
led through the locality. We expressed
our regret. and concluded by remark
ing that the earthquake must have
been terrible. Immediately we discov-
cred drop in the temperature.
You mean the fire. the residents
replied.
No. the earthquake.
The fire did this damage. they said
And something in their voices warned
us that a prolongation of the argument
might lead to something unpleasant
Howbeit, the earthquake undeniably
caused the fire.
Centers of population visited by
earthquakes of any force inevitably
must suffer great loss from the ensuing
fire Gas pipes are broken, burning
Goals are thrown broadcast as furnaces
and stoves are overturned. Great heaps
of dry wood. ideal material for hoio-
caust, are cast about. waiting only the
touch of the flame to burst forth into
life.
Since 1850, when the University of
Toxic began the first exhaustive re-
search in seismology, following the ter
rifle upheaval which shook Japan. those
who have gone deeply into the subject
are almost unanimously of the opinion
that subterranean steam or gas ex-
plosions do not cause EARTHQUAKES Be
meath the upper crust of the earth are
faults layers of rock. insecurely
placed. These shift endlessly. some
times causing mere tremor. some
times engulfng a city.
1t is only when they are tremendous
IN their extent or when they happen to
occur in or near q town, that an earth
quake breaks extensively into print.
Undoubtedly there have been disturb
ances in the remote places that never
were heard of. save for the marks left
by distant seismograph.
Where will the next earthquake oc-
eur: Isn't there some way by which
scientists may warn population in
advance? II is usually after the earth
quake has occurred that terrified in
habitants learn they have been living
atop moving ridge which might have
slipped at any time. One recalls the
slight shock that disturbed New York,
Philadelphia and other cities along the
eastern Seaboard.
After the earthquake the residents
of the cities were informed of a great
fault in the rock formation, which
ran from New England well into the
southern states Articles were written
at the time. asserting, with other
things. that il might be possible for
lower New York to slide bodily into
the harbor.
The weird pranks of the earthquake
surpass the eccentricities of the Kan
sas cyclone. 1t is recorded in the Ital-
ian disaster that the tower of Marcus
Aurelius was twisted as though giant
hands had gripped il. Also. there was
the story of the house which was
hurled on its side.
In the San Francisco earthquake
many things, almost supernatural in
their nature. occurred. In one house it
was reported that a picture swung
forward. Topped and fell against the
wall back foremost. One house was
sliced as evenly as though cut with