Evening star., 1923-09-03
EARTH HAS GROWING PAINS
Scientists Say Mountains Still De-
veloping, Causing Shocks.
Special Dispatch to The Star

Special Dispatch to The Star
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. September 8.
biologists and sci
entists who have followed the reports
OF the Yokohama earthquake declare
Its dfsruptions and consequences alike
10 be among the most disastrous in
history.
Its damage is likened to that of
Messina in 1908. but its imm ediate
cause is generally regarded to be by
no means the same.
According to DR.. Malcolm H. Bis
sell, professor of geology at Bryn
Mawr College. earthquakes can be
likened to the growing pains" of
mountains
COnst Lines Are Young.
'Geologically speaking. the Pacific
coast line of North and South Amer
lea and of the eastern coast of Asia
are comparatively young" DR.. Bissell
said last night. THE mountains are
still growing and the earthquakes are
the growing. pains.
we cannot give any definite an
sWer. to the mechanics Of mountaiS
making" DR.. Bissell continued. "All
we know Is that some force over a
long period of years is slowly push
ing two parts of the earth's crust in
a contrary direction. The pressure is
parallel to the fracture line.
Before the San Francisco earth
quake. experts of the Geodetic Survey
noticed a horizontal displacement Of
as much as twenty-one feet in the
fifty years before the actual disrup-
ton. The remarkable thing about
earthquakes Is not the sudden dis
placement. but the push and grind of
two seEments years and years before
anything apparently happens.
Earth Crust Unstable.
We call earthquake regions places
Of crustal instability. The pressure
OF the earth in those places is not in
press together or great portions of
the earth's crust slip over one another
the strain of the pressure is grad
ually increased until breaking point
is reached. Then rupture occurs
and the two sides spring back to an
equilibrium of low strain.
The same thing is observed in rub
bing any two objects together. The
earthquake starts from the sudden
jar. which sends vibrations travelling
through the outer crust of the earth.
We see these vibrations in the seis-
mograph writing. The wave motion
traverses the earth's loose soil. and
in some places it can be observed vi
brating as much as three quarters of
an inch. That in itself is enough to
topple over cities.
Major Shock Is short.
quake, which does most of the dam
age in the first two or three seconds,
may be followed by numerous minor
shocks, which add to the disruption
of the first. They may last over a
longer period. 1 have not had time
to study the full story of the present
earthquake, but it probably follows
the same general principles of the
earthquakes which have preceded it."
DR.. Lewis NJ. Haupt, civil en-
gineer anu an expert in beach re-
clamation on alluvial coasts, is in
clined to ascribe the same general
origin to earthquakes as to hot
springs, such as are observable in
Yellowstone Park in a. lesser degree.
THE earth's crust eXerts a tremen-
dous pressure upon the steam and
water which circW ates under the
surface of the earth" DR. Haupt said
last night. THE steam is subjected
to a super-heat that must find some
outlet. Along the west coast Of the
United States anu the east coast OF
Asia the waters of the ocean are
constantly seeping through the
ground along the shore line.
"The earth,s crust Is comparatively
thin in those areas and the steam
and gases which are generated find
a ready outlet. The steam escapes
through cracks and assures of the
ground anu where none are imme-
diately available an earthquake may
enSue."