Evening star., 1933-10-30
QUAKE STUDY SEEN
AS ENDING LOSSES.
Grant of s45,070 for Re.
search Expected to Bring
New Types of Building.

By the Associated Press.
Future earthquakes will be as severe
as any in the past, but will be robbed
of their terrors by application OF
knowledge now being gained by SCI.
entists. is the forecast OF Government
earthquake experts.
This forecast comes with an an
nouncement that the process OF pull
ing the teeth" of future earthquakes
will be speeded up and made easier
through an allotment of $45,070 from
the Public Works Administration to
the Coast and Geodetic Survey.
The money will serve as indirect
insurance against earthquake dlsas-
tiers in the future. Most OF 1t Will De
spent on a study OF how the ground
moves near the centerS OF earthquakes
and the knowledge thus gained Will pe
applied by engineers in designing Dullo.
inrs and other structures that will not
fail during earth shocks, explains the
Coast Survey Falling buildings and
resulting fires always have been the
chief cause of life and property losses
In earthquakes
Severity to Be Unchanged.
1.-THE future will see earthquakes just
as severe as any which Mstory Ie- e
cords" says Capt. r. S. Patton, d.
rector of the Coast Survey. explaining
Importance of the earthquake studies.
"Rut given few years OF grace IN
which man can embody in steel ana
stone the knowledge he is now raploly
acquiring. and it will be due only to
his own greedy disinclinatlon to race
feets II any future earthquake is ac-
companied by the devastation and loss
of life which make the tremors OF the
past loom large In our minos as Tie
symbol of unprecedented disasters.
''The time has passed Wneh INC
earthquake was regarded as monStroS.
ity, a momentary running-amu OF
some mysterious internal earth force
It is now recognized that the earth
quake is a logical and inevitable con,
sequence of the operation OF natural
forces The possibility of earthquakes
will Always exist, just as does tna' "a
deva,Eating floods or hurricanes.
"RGcognition of this fact has been
the ffrst step in robbing the earthquake
Of itsi terrorS. The moment man pegan
to cdnsider the subject nationally, ne
begaria to ask what can ! DO ABOUT II!
He Gan do great deai. ne ,ari,,r y
prevent earthquakes from occurring, )
but he can minimize or prevent theH
detrimental effects on life and prop
erty. and that. after all, is the I'M
pVlRn' "A''b'
Brighter Side Seen.
TT was the recognition of this
brighter side Of the earthauake picture e
which induced the Government to en-
bark on its study of strong earth mo,
tors. In order that engineers ana
architects might design their oullo-
ines dams. bridges. water supply
systems and other structures WITH
Strength to resist earthquakes, ana at
the same time keep their cost to tne
minimum necessary to accomplish tnaI
purpose, they needed to know the
character and magnitude OF tne
stresses to which the structures wouio
be subjected during severe ear'h-
"That knowledge was not available
so the Government undertook TO get IL:
The task was assigned to the Coast ana
ceodetic Survey. California was Sc
fected for the study, both because OF
Recent seismic activity on that coast
and because Californians were racing
t1he issue frankly and therefore could
}be relied upon for the necessary local
"Special instruments were designed
Ia secure the information. Placeo AT
strategic points In the State on orloees'
IN tunnels and at the bottom and top
of tall buildings, they may stand loie
for months and even years. But tne
first moderately severe tremor OF an
earthquake will start them operating
and they then will record the actual
movements so long as the latter per-
sist. scientific study of the recorded
data will give the needed information