The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-03-12

m~ try. An earthquake is the
one thing about which 4
cannot be said that one can become
used TO anything ...
The Italians and the japanese have
had personal experience with earth
quakes FAR beyond most peoples The
frequency Of earthquakes. considering
those OF all amplltudes. Is not. how
ever generally realized
The globe. indeed may he said hard.
ly ever to be free from seismic dis.
turbances OF some kind somewhere,
according TO DR.. Edmund Otis Hovey.
the well known authority OF the Amer,
ican Museum Of Natural History.
The average Of all recorded shocks
Is more than fifteen a day.
There are between fifty and sixty
heavy shocks a year.
The bare enumeration by de Mon.
'tessus de Ballore of those occurring
In 1908 alene fills a book of GOO tabu.
lated pages. This author has compiled
the data and plotted the position OF
1921 earthquakes that had been re.
corded up to the end of 1918.
Charleston, San Francisco, King
aton and Ayezzano came TO mind as
Doctor Hovey gave the above informa.
tion, but they left unaccounted for so
very many earthquakes that, even add
Ing Messina and Pompeii. as was done
after another moments searching into
the past, the writer ventured to sug.
gest it was fortunate thing for us
along the eastern coast OF the North
American continent that we we're com
parauvely so free from this sort Of
attack.
We are in the habit of thinking of
eastern North America as a region
free from earthquake Shocks" agreed
Doctor Hovey. but that impression
is erroneous, since New England has
experienced about $50 recorded shocks
since the Pilgrims landed at Ply
mouth.
ALSO, there have been at least four
geat earthquakes in the eastern half
Of the continent within the last two
and a half centuries. One on the
9th of February, 1868, affected the
st Lawrence valley over an area
more than coo miles long and 800
miles wide
In 18l1-l2 heavy quakes occurred |
in the central part of the Mississippi |
valley, Strong shocks continued for (
more than a year, and evidence OF |
the sinking still persists in lakes and |
submerged trees.
The southwestern part of the |
United States was the center of an
earthquake shock January 4, 1S43, the |
waves of which were felt at points |
at least 500 miles apart. In 1886 |
occurred the Charleston earthquake,
an event still fresh in the minds of
most Of our population"
Doctor HOyey was on the island Of
st. Vincent, 100 miles due south OF
Pelee. when the great eruption of
June 6, 1902, occurred and he men,
toned it the other day in connection
with the former general belief that
volcanic earthquakes we're by far the
most numerous and destructive of all.
"On the other hand" he said, some
of the most violent of historic erup-
tions have been unattended by Sc
we're earthquakes or have given rise
TO shocks Of merely local significance.
THE island Of Martinique, in the
French West Indies, lies within a
markedly seismic zone, but during the
great eruptive activity of 1902.03 was
Tree from earthquake shocks. This fact
Is of particular interest, because the
7ruptiOns were Of the most highly ex-
plosive character.
Although no vibrations were felt
Upon the island of Martinique and no
5ubterranean noises were heard there,
iull sounds like the booming Of dis 1
ant cannon were heard the morning {
)f the great eruption of May 8, 1902,
1t Caracas, Venezuela $50 miles dis.
ant. southwest, where people feared I
hat naval battle was in progress
)f their coast. Similar booming was {
from st. Kits, 200 miles
northwest OF Martinique, and from {
,ther regions. /
81 myself was on the island of st. 2
Vincent, and felt several dull thuds, s
Is if some heavy object had fallen In
/ neighboring room. l
The noises seemed to come from 7
beneath the ground. and they were S
lue, In all probability, to subterran- 1
an explosions or to the pushing Of t
ava into underground cavities, some s
What on the principle of the water
lammer" /
On the island of st. Vincent some e