Evening journal., 1922-02-01
EARTHQUAKE
Under THE SEA
Bed of Pacific Has Slipped,
New York Scientist
Believes
SAYS SOME ISLANDS
HAVE DISAPPEARED

NEW YORK. Feb. The earth
in its dizzying whlrl through space.
got Off center for few moments
yesterday and shifted It's "poies" or
axes to III the new center OF rota-
tion.
Then that It might not be travel
ing on a "hat-wheel." so to speak. a
few million tons Of solid rock. some
where Off In the Western Coast OF
the United states. I'm the bed OF the
Pacific Ocean, Slipped" a hundred
feet or so to even things up. The
seismograph record showed a devil
alton Of a millimeter and half.
Observers here said they could not
be certain whether the displacements
we're horizontal or vertical In the
great san Francisco shock Of 1906
the horizontal displacement amount
ed to about 20 feet
This is the manner In which pro-
Z fessors Of geology and seismographic
observers account for the violet
earth vibrations which demoralized
instruments in observatories through
out this country yesterday. Thus far
the exact location OF the huge slip"
has not been determined, although
observers from Washington. d. c., to
Berkeley. Cal. agree that it prob
ably was a few hundred miles of
the mouth Of the Columbia river.
The absence OF a recorded disrup-
tion Of the visible surface OF the
earth or OF the huge tidal waves
which usually radiate from the scene
OF an earthquake. led the observers
90 believe the "slip" occurred miles
below the bed OF the ocean. It's vio-
lence was attested by the quivering
soismograph. which in some in
stances were thrown from the re-
cording rolls, while a 'strong ma
chine" at Berkeley was set in mo-
ton for the first time in many years
NO doubt the earth was readiust-
ing itself" said Prof J. J. Lynch
seismographic observer at Fordham
University. here.
About every so often the earth
becomes upset, goes off center
changes its axes and, usually. about
|. the same time there is violent
earthquake, a slipping OF miles OF
strata, and we go merrily alone
: again"
The Andes. along the Pacific
Coast I'm South America. and tn,
chain Of rocky deformations which
Join the two continents. disapparin;
into the sea Off Southern California
: are continually lifting. falling ant
Slipping" according 10 the seis
molog.st and the geologist
Many OF these disturbances take
place in mid-ocean, the only visible
evidence being the sig-zag line
fraied by a seismograph hundred
=. of miles distant.
One Of the most notable example
OF such a paroxysm occurred in De
. cember, 1920, and scientists stll ar
cudgeling their brains TO accoun
for the "lost" earthquake. Its sourc
OF origin never has been defnitol.
established. although Il was OF sucl
proportions as to shatter instru
ments thousands Of miles away, an'
to send a tidal wave circling tn
earth.
a few days later some news OF al
earthquake IN Kan-Su Province
China, in which 1000 persons per
ished. Scientists asserted that ther
probably had been two distinct up
heavals, probably on opposite side
OF the globe.
Lost earthquakes, taking plac
in midocean often cause vas
changes in the appearance Of tn
ocean bed which are not dlscovere'
until years later. Such earthquake
and beneath the Pacific, westwar
from the Americas to the chain o
sunken mountains which form tn
japanese archipelago.
The first major catastrophe b.
earthquake or volcanic eruption
which history records was that a
Constantnople in the year 577
when 10000 persons perished. Sine
then there have been 20 such dis
asters
The greatest toll of human III
was taken in volcanic upheaval f
r Yeddo in 1908. when 10000 person
lost their lives. More than two cen
turies later, in 1908, there was tn
r disastrous eruption which burie
Mossina and ga other Italian towns
causing the death Of 10000 inhab
T tants.
Captain B. H. Camden, com
mander of the United States Coas
Guard station at Arundel Cove, ha
a collection Of pictures OF disaT
pearing island" off the coast
Alaska. These pictures he took ser
eral seasons ago while commandin
patrol in Alaskan waters.
Recently describing his eXper
ence. Captain Camden explained thu
when he first came upon the islam
he was startled by the fact that
was located at a spot which, az
cording to the navigating chart