The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-09-04
BIC DEATH TOLL
IN JAPAN DUE
TOFR|GHT
Scientist Tells How It Is Pos
sibIe to Avert III Effects of
Great Earth Tremors.
By WILLIAM PARKER.
Cosmopolitan News Service


PASADENA, Calf, Sept. 4.-The
great loss Of life in the japanese
earthquakes was ascribed to fear
and poverty when Ralph Arnold,
chairman of the Southern Califor>
mia section of the Seismological So
ciAty Of America, today told the
cause Of earth tremors and how
man eventually will triumph over
these freaks Of nature.
when an earthquake occurs peo-
ple in houses and buildings rush
with Gle accord for the street,
said Arnold. There seems to be
conviction that the outdoors is safer
than indoors. The outdoors, in fact.
in q city Is unsafe, for falling
showers OF brick kill more people
than buildings that collapse. That
point should be emphasized, for the
people might as well be reconciled
to earthquakes; we always have had
them and always will.
"The loss Of life in fire, result
Ing from earthquakes should be dis
cussed separately, FOR this, to my
mind, Ia a mortality which can be
overcome. Our modern office build
ines, apartment houses and homes
must be constructed to Withstand a
shock Of major proportion. How this
could and should be done in the case
of office buildings is best illustrated
b. the efficacy Of the foundation
under the Federal building in SAM
! Francisco.
: Uninjured by Quake.
= This building came through the
San Francisco shock as nearly per-
feet a. any building possibly could.
The ground on which II is built Is
made land: that Is, the section on
which 1t IL built was once q part of
San Francisco bay. Engineers, in
laying O foundation for the building
laid down q lattice work Of cement
and steel. As a result Of this the
Federal building. during the earth
quake, moved to and fro somewhat
as house on rollers might shift.
LOSS Of life in the San Francisco
earthquake was caused mainly by
fire and I believe the same reason
could be assigned for the great
death rate In the japanese catastrO-
pAe.
Scientists are working contin. |
uously to determine facts regarding
earthquakes and believe this work
should have the active support Of
the public service corporations,
such as the water companies, cleo
trio light and gas corporations. The
movement of the earth waves
should and could be determined and
gas mains, water mains and electric
wires laid 90 that they would un-
dulate with. the earth movement.
Had this been done in San Fran.
cisco the enormous loss by fire
would not have occurred, for water
mains would not have been broken
by the shock.
Whether earth shocks viii be
felt in America as a result of the
japanese earthquake Is problem
atical. Scientists have determined
that earthquakes are periodical.
They have not, however, deter
mined the time limit elapsing be-
tween them. We have come to
expect a succession Of earthquakes
when once one occurs.
Matter of Equilibrium.
IAN earthquake, roughly speak
ing, narrows itself down to a mat
ter Of equilibrium. The mountains
IN America were twice as high as
We see them now. InnumerabIe
rains have washed the silt into
the ocean. This tremendous pres
sure on the crust OF the earth has
caused collapses of rock and other
formation within the earth, and
naturally the point of least resist
ance ie q fault line in the rock.
When the rock shifts It moves the
earth in that vicinity, in other
words. an earthquake Volcanoes
are caused by earthquakes, al
though there are occasional erup-
tons when no earthquake is felt
on the surface.
Eventually, we believe, 1t will be
possible to predict earthquakes and
their possible intensity. We have
already determined that a major
shock Is preceded by minor shocks
Of varying degrees Of intensity.
There is an earthquake shock
every day in America, but 1t is so
slight that only the most delicately
adjusted instruments record it,"