The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-09-06

| civil and mining engineering, az
aOeu as geology, and follo1Os the
profession of consulting engineer
ing geoLogist.-Editor.
BY DIR. BAILEY WILLIS.
President Emeritus Of Geology Of Stan
ford University, Calf.
(CopyriEht, 1923. Cosmopolitan News
Service.)
have Just returned from Chile,
where the earthquake of last No
vember shook down the towns OF
:: the GASES in. the sparsely populated
desert region of northern Chile. IT
killed something over 500 people
| and reduced the remainder to pow
erty.
The Japanese earthquake, occur
ring in a densely populated region
has caused a much greater loss OF
| life and has done q great deal more
damage, although there are indica
tons in the dispatches that the first
reports are greatly exaggerated.
1t Is reported, for instance, that
islands have sunk. The same thing
was stated with reference to vol
canic islands in the Pacific off the
coast of Chile. following the earth
quake of last November, and 1t was
SO persistently reiterated that
was supplied with a vessel of tbs
| Chilean navy to enable me to visit
! them, but + found that they haC
not moved an inch.
What may have occurred in the
japan area is that low sandbars
! occupied by fishermen or as pleas
ure resorts, may have been sweep
| by the earthquake wave. The lat
ter is an effect of earthquakes
which is well known on all Pacific
shores, and is recorded in Indiar
tradition of Chile as well as iT
Japanese story.
Sea Withdraws.
We do not understand exactly
why, but the effect of an earth
draw silently from the coast, pos
sibly because of submarine land
slides. The ocean then return:
with overwhelming force and sweeps
up upon the land, rising to espe
cially great heights. in funnel
shaped bays like that of Yokohama
| The fire risk which proved 81
| real in San Francisco, and which
\ has now been the principal cause
| OF disaster in Japan, is unavoidable
where structures consist chiefly o
wood. Lamps are overthrown, fire
| scattered about, gas mains ar
| broken and gas ignites. and tn
result is a conflagration starting
at innumerable points and almos
instantly getting beyond control,
The three elements of earth
water and fire combine agains
man, and 1t requires the highes
! exercise of his intelligence, IN
genuity and care to meet the pos
| sibilities Of their combined attack
have, no doubt, however. tina
il can be done. 1t Is not difficult
TO build frame structures that vii
not fall down and in which fire
hat may be started by shock woul'
not reach large proportions.
These are within the reach o
anyone who can build at all. am
REINFORCED concrete can be made
Of course, proof against both earth
quake and fire.
Studied Practical Side.
Inc carnegie IHSlIIullOn
| Washington, in sending me as thei
representative to Chile, emphasized
in my instructions, the importanc
Of studying the practical phase o
the problem as we'll as the scien
t.fic.
The question was definitely put
How can quake proof houses b.
Lu1lt in Chile under Chilean condi
1 tions?" / accordingly studied tn
ruined houses to determine thei
weaknesses, and examined tn
standing houses to ascertain tn
reasons for their strength.
From the point of view of tn
mechanical conditions that govern
the extent of an earthquake, Their
is an interesting difference between
Chile and California which, l think
also extends to Japan
The San Francisco earthquake o
1906 was of destructive intensity, II
a narrow zone about $50 miles Ions
and ten to fifteen miles wide. Th'
November earthquake in Chile, y.
contrast, caused destruction through
out an area of approximately 1000
square miles and shook perceptibl!
an area of 250.O00 square miles
3O00,o00 cubic miles of rock wa,
set vibrating like a violin string: /
broke telegraph cables beneath 90
fathoms Of water under the Pacifi
and it wrecked mining towns 1000
feet above the sea. The Japanes
earthquake appears TO resemble til
Chilean in it's extent, although it /
too soon for us to know anything
definite about its area
The difference between what W
may call. the narrow type Of earth
quake in California. and the wide
spread earthquake in Chile. is tina
the California type occurs on
Nertical fault, whereas the extensiE
kind is a slip on a flat fault
The effect in either case is Xix
the swapping Of a steel spring SO
on hair trigger; but in the on
case, the elastic vibrations sprea1
ing from a vertical plane :eacI
he surface only in a narrow zone
In the other case, they rise from
Flat fault which lies only a few hun
dred miles below a very wide re
and they do extensive damage nc
cordingly.
The reports from Japan indicat
! a disaster Of unparalleled extent
but we must bear in mind tn
fact that in an earthquake peopl
lose their mental poise. as well a
their physical equilibrium.
II ts a rare man who under tn
circumstances of q widespread di,
aster, does not Judge it's exten
and magnitude by the facts of hi
immediate surroundings, and tn
worse they are the greater will h