The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1922-12-21
American Naval Officers Expert
ence Recalled by Recent
Disaster in Chile.
DROPPED At FOOT OF ANDES
Recedng Sea Leaves Ships Stranded
and Exposes Ocean Bottom, Then
Returns and Sweeps Every.
thing Before It.

Washington. single graphic cX-
ample Of what II tidal wave in Chile
can do Is provided BY the experience
OF an American officer, during Il sim
liar uphcavnl, when his vessel was
carried three miles up the coast, two
miles inland. and dropped ut the foot
of range Of the Andes mountains.
Earthquakes and tidal waves are
discussed In bulletin -om the M
tional Geographic society which ulso
quotes from Il communication by the
late Rear Admiral l.. &. Billings
whose unparalleled adventure oc-
Cured some hundreds Of miles north
Of the recently devastated towns.
"Fherc Is no natural phenomenon
more deeply interesting and yet so 1T
tie understood rs the seismic disturb
anccs which have from earliest his
tory devastated the earth and carried
terror and dismny into the hearts OF
III! survivors," says the bulletin.
Up to 1903, 1t Is computed by nm
eminent scientist, Compile dc Ballore,
there had hecn 150.7S2 recorded earth
H"ak"S O. later years. when more
accurate records have been kept, they
have averaged about sixty Il wear
There Is comfort to the dwcllers in
most of the world t" know that 81 per
cent Of recorded shocks have occurred
IN two narrow. wcll-drtineh beltS-one
called the Mediterranean. with SO per
cent to its credit. and the other. the
Circum-Facihc, with II pcr cent
rnI 4. ,>c A.
only q per cent, widely distributed.
Y. S. Had One Major Quake.
The United States las been singu.
Enr'S ircc from recorded seismic dis
turhhnce, perhaps the most disastrous
hcinE in 1871. when !. very severe
shock occurred in the MisSssippi val
ley south Of the Ohio, which wns felt
IN New York in on" direction and in
me west AdirS In another This
earthquake changed the face Of the
earth y vast extent of land wns
sunk, lakes were formed, and even the
conrs" OF the Mississippi river was OH
structc'! for Il time.
MOST OF the earthquakes occurring
"' lale Years can hardly he clnssed
WIN the great ones Of history. nearly
al or the destruction being caused hy
uncomfortable fires. In tho morn
s'ho'e zones long periods may clapsc
pe'"ec'' S'"cNS, rs foE Instance. In
kingston jamaica. where 2l5 yoors
INTERVIEWED.
ihe cause Of earthquakes nnd vol.
canoes Is nm elusive problem. No, vet
settled to the satisfaction or tho
scientist. Trrmors Of the earth NAV
he caused by many things. The OK.
nlosion of mines, falling IN of cavcs
slipping Of rock strata. and many 9th
cr movements Of the earth may cause
them; but for the great shocks which
have rccurrcd almost since the his.
tory Of the world began we 4. ust look
further.
Though many times there seems to
be an intimate connection between
earthquakes and volcanoes the law
regarding them hns not been estnb
lished. Some remarkable condolences
have been observed in late years. The
terrible catnclysm Of Mount pelce,
which. on May 8. 1902. almost instant
~ killed 10000 inhabitants, was pre.
ceded by the earthquake which in
Janunry and April Of the same year
wrecked number Of cities in Mexico
and Guatemala. The distance between
these points is at least 1000 miles,
showing how deep-seated must have
been the disturbance, II. as has been
suggested, there was communication
between them. The great San Fron.
cisco earthquake was preceded only