Evening star., 1925-10-11
EXPLAINS HISTORY
| OF SE|SMOMETER
Fr. Torndorf Says Chinese
Coppersmith Invented First
instrument 1,7s9 Years Ago.

I'm the first year of Yoka a Chinese
coppersmith called Choke invented the
first seismometer." The first year of
foka being 1856 years after the birth
Of Christ, the SeiSnometer, the won
der" of the modern age, is exactly
I,IS9 years old Thus Rev. Father
Torndorf, S. j.. international earth
quake and seismometer authority of
Georgetown University, in a recent
lecture dtspelled the idea that the
selsmograph is a modern invention for
the recording of earthquakes.
Not only did these clever Chinese,
who seem to have invented every
modern" instrument thousands Of
years ago, invent the instrument, but,
according to Father Torndorf. they
erlnced much more interest in the
study OF earthquakes than we do to-
day. The Chinese Emperor of that
time actually appointed a secretary of
selsmology to study earthquakes and
handle seismometers as a representa-.
tive of his government.
First Truly Chinese.
The first seismometer is truly
Chinese, a scientific instrument with
the ornamentarion of a Chinese tenn
pie and with its chief decorations the
familiar dragon head of the Celestial
Empire. Choke, the coppersmith,
made a spherical copper vessel,
feet in diameter, resembling an old
Italian wine bottle. Its outer parts
We're ornamented with various birds
and animals. Inside were eight balls
contained in the mouths of the
dragons heads. Two dragons heads
point TO the four cardinal points of
the compass. Under each of the
dragons heads with wide open and
expectant mouths sit frogs. When
b. -, ,iyx
tremor comes the balls drop out of
the mouths of the dragons into the
mouths OF the frogs, which begin to
Nihrate vigorously. If the Ia nd move.
ment or quake is toward the north
the ball falls from the dragons mouth
facing the north and into the north
ern frogs mouth. or If toward the
south In the southern frogs mouth.
Suggested Present Means.
What the Chinese really did, in ad-
oition TO recording earthquakes, was
to suggest the mechanism that now
makes the earth actually write its
own records. Down through the CEN
turleS there We're various improve
ments in the seismographers gradu-
ally developing into the wonderfully
delicate Instruments of today, an in
strument that is So delicate that when
fly walks over the 500-pound weight
that steadies the pen OF the instru-
ment, whatever direction the fly
craWlS on, IL is recorded on the ma
chine.
The earth actually writes The seis-
mometer is so constructed that when
q quake or earth tremor occurs the
pen stands still through the action of
special weights, and the rest of the
instrument, containing the rolls of
paper, moves with the earth and rIhs
up against the stationary pen, thus
marking its own record. Compressed
air presents vibrations not actually
earthquakes.
The japanese, being in the greatest
earthquake field, invented q number
of seismometers: even going as far as
magnetic SeiSmometerS. However,
While the study of the earthquake Is
hundreds of years old, not until COM
parattvely modern times has it been
possible to foretell the distance of the
quake from the spot where it is re-
corded.
Composition of Earth.
According to Father Torndorff, this
is simple process. In his quiet man
ner he dispelled completely from his
listeners that the interior of the earth
Is now concluded to be Sold but a
mass of steel and nickle so hard that
almost no metal compares with the
mixture.
w men Spit occurs IN this hard
substance two sets of waves are sent
forth. One set travels in all direc-
tons III an up-and down motion and
the other set travels with a side-to-
side motion. The up-an-doWn waves
travel much faster than the other and
record, therefore, on the seismometer
nrst. When the second or side-to-s side
motion arrives, the measure of the
time and distance between the arrival
OF the two waves is taken, and thus it
becomes an easy problem in mathe-
mates to determine the distance.
Every Motion Recorded.
Every motion IS recorded on the
seismometers. Slight recording called
"microscisms" are found constantly.
For long while it was not known
what these marks WERE but it is gen.
orally assumed that they are vibra.
tions as the result of the sea pounding
on the shores. These marks invari-
ably are found on the Georgetown
seismogra phs.
While Father Tondorf told his hear
ers there are more than 10000 earth
Quakes annually, or about one every
hour, he also told them that Wash
ington is practically immune from
earthquakes. Japan is the greatest
field for quakes and Australia the
least affected. About four out of every
five quakes occur at sea-
Study of the various actions of the
earth before and after quakes, de-
clared Father Tondorf, helps to indi-
cate what may happen in the future
although earthquake predictions have
not reached a scientific point yet.
There are now five seismographs at
Georgetown University under the care
OF Father Torndorf and another one
is being installed The new one is the
only one of its kind in the United
States and one Of the three that now
exist anywhere.
EEnEnAI nIIAnEEn0 IN