Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-05
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

feet stability he finds it best to sink be-
meath waves in a submarine.
X X X X
Since early 1927 he has circum-
navigated the world and made $50
such tests. These tests coming to the
attention of DR.. A. L. Day, director of
the Carnegie Geophysical Laboratory,
and Capt. G. s. Freeman, superintend-
ent of the United States Naval
these scientists took lively interest in
DR.. Meinesz, and were so sagacious as
to ask the Navy II it were busy now.
Secretary Wilbur, finding some open
dates (now that the cruisers are
authorized), agreed to lend DR.. Meinesz
such submarines as he would require,
II the Carnegie Institute would pay
the freight on pure science and the
rest of his baggage. He used three
one to 60 down, two to pull him up.
Thus, the Navy, being our first line of
defense, was set to carrying DR.. Meinesz
to the West Indies, where, since last
October until a few days ago, he has
been swinging his pendulums and
made studies in the Mares Deep, north
of Porto Rico; the Bartlett Deep, south
Of Cuba, and sigsbee Deep, in the
Gulf Of Mexico.
The reason he investigated that
region Is that there are many earth
quakes there, the cause Of which
biologists are interested in researching.
Some suggested explanations have as
sumed that there was a difference in
density of strata Of earth causing shift
ing of the qualifications, but no proof
was available to confirm the theories.
The Caribbean Sea is a very noun
famous ocean bottom, however, and
landslideS are possibly part of the ex-
What wondrous scenery Is the bottom
Of the ocean! We have the Alleghenies
paralleling our Eastern Coast and the
Rockies our Western, and while nearly
all mountain ranges are along ocean
coasts, there Is one great range in the
middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Here and
there In the seven seas islands rise or
islands disappear, even like the tabled
continent of Atlantis. Scientists have
had too little data on which to develop
knowledge as to the pressures which lift
mountains from sea bottoms. Shells
found upon inland mountain tops prove
that our Hottest peaks came up from
ocean depths, and the solid earth is
ton.
In our present geologic age the water
surface measures 140,000,000 square
miles. out of a total area of the earth
Of l97,000,000 square miles. If this
plastic surface becomes squeezed up in
certain parts, due to increased weight
on balancing parts, new continents may
be formed or old ones sunken like At
lantis. Such a process is going ON all
the time, through the deposits Of sedi-
ment piling around river mouths, caus-
ing unbalancing weights there, which
force q flow of granite or baSaltic rocks
60 miles below the surface, until that
flow forces other areas to rise, restoring
equilibrium. It is not sufficient to study
only the 100000 square miles of
land and not include the 100000, 900 Of
water.
There is a comparatively new science,
called "Isostacy" (of which DR.. William
Bowie, C, E., Sc. D., of the United
States Coast and Geodetic Survey, is the
worlds chief exponent and recognized
authority, which explains the plas-
ITCHY of the earth, and shows that all
sections, extended to the center Of the
world must weigh alike, or be In motion
until they do rest in equilibrium.
The truth of this doctrine is being
firmly demonstrated by the tests of
DR.. Meinesz with his swinging pendu-
lums. He has thus measured the den
sity and gravity at some $50 points
around the world, from Holland to
Java and across the Pacific and now
In the West India region. Many more
such measures must be made all over
the world, to enable scientists to study
all possible deductions, and more clearly
comprehend earthquakes and other
facts of geodesy. Dr. Meinesz is the
only man who has found a method.
lCnnyrirht 1929. by Paul v. Collinsl