Evening star., 1925-05-17
EAST DEFINITELY
MENACED BY QUAKES,
SCIENTISTS ASSERT
Continued from First Page.)
Payments on
account of
interest.

earthquake maps prepared for each
city of the Northeastern area and to
stimulate seismological research. The
staff also is working on such problems
as how transportation could be car
ried on in an earthquake emergency
when subways and elevated roads
may be put out of business: what
buildings are safe under conditions
of shock and how new buildings
should be put up; the whole relation
of oil stores to earthquake hazard;
the best ways to prevent panic and
check it; the functions of the Army,
Navy and police in such an en-
ergency; how disease might be check
ed and food and shelter brought to
stricken population.
History of 'Quakes.
The Foundations historical studies
show that besides the San Francisco
temblor of 1906 there have been four
destructive shocks in the United
States and Eastern Canada in record
ed history in the st. Lawrence Valley
in 1868; the Boston region in 1855;
the lower Mississippi Valley, center
ing at New Madrid, Mo-, in 1911; at
Charleston, S. c., in 1886.
Eight considerable shocks have
marked the recent seismic revival in
on September 80. 1924; January z,
February %, March 7, March 20, April
"a, April 27 and May II, 1925. That
of February 28 was felt distinctly in
New York City, the first since 1924.
A chronological map shows the
earthquake zones of this region to be
Long Island Sound, the Connecticut
valley, the Maine coast, from Boston
to the Bay of Fundy, and the ST.
Lawrence valley. All these have been
active in the recent disturbance.
DR.. Jaeger also says there are
geological reasons for considering the
Watchunk ridges of New Jersey and
the Palisades of the Hudson liable to
earth faults. DR.. Jaeger has mapped
the earth's surface on graduations of
'quakiness" on a scale of l to TO-
Toxic, Hawaii and such volcanic re-
gionS being No. 10.
On this scale New York and New
England rate at No. s, the same as
central and southern California, with
other parts of the country rated lower;
Michigan at No. 8. Onio and the Mis-
sissippi valley, No. 5; North Carolina
and eastern Canada, No. 6; the district
from Washington to Philadelphia,
No. Z.
The Foundation has made public
opinions of leading scientists on the
earthquake danger in the Northeast
ern area, these agreeing that there is
no basis for assuming the immunity
OF this section from earthquakes of
destructive intensity.
Public Has Been Lulled.
1--WE have been lulled into what is.
perhaps. sense of false security .
says Prof. A. Knopf of the geology
department of Yale University
Long before the recent recrudes-
cence of earthquake activity broke
out the Foundation, established as an
independent research group before
the war and functioning during that
conflict as the commission on educa-
ton of the Council of National De-
fense, decided that the national
emergency most worthy of study was
an earthquake disaster in one of the
greatest cities of the Atlantic sea-
board. 1t has, therefore, accumulated
what is considered the largest body
of information in existence on earth
quake hazards, with special reference
to Eastern America 1t has assembled
a total of $4,000 records
DIR. Hollis Godfrey, engineer and
educator, Is president of the Founda-
ton, and its chief officers include Rear
Admiral William S. Sims, L. S. N, re-
tired; Maj. Gen. James G. Harbord,
U. S. A., retired; Samuel p. ,Capen,
chancellor of the University of Buff
falo; Frederick c. Ferry, president of
Hamilton College; Franklin d. Roose-
| welt, former Assistant Secretary of the
| Navy; DIR. Thomas A. Jaeger, director
of the United States Government Ha-
| waiian volcanic laboratory; John A.
Stevenson, second vice president of
the Equitable Life Assurance Society;
| - 7
of the Council of National Defense:
Charles F. Thwing, president emeritus
of Western Reserve University; John
H. Finley, former commissioner of the
American Red Cross for Palestine and
| the Near East.