Evening star., 1940-03-24

|" HERE were no ultimatums, warnings to evacuatc
women and children, no sirens. But suddenly.
- ptiessly, devastatingly, the blow came. peace
full town became overnight, shambes Literally moth
ing remained of it but wreckage Thirty thousand men,
women and children were dead Of all who lived in that
town, only two remained alive.
No. this was not war. What machines of war has
devised with all his ingenuity to wreak such COM
pete destruction? This was Mature in tanrum. To be
exact it was volcano the eruption of Mount Pelee
the island of Martinique in 1902. The town was
Saint-Piere cite it merely because of the striking
similarity to some of the things that are happening
today in world afflicted by the tantrums of nations
Most of the time Mother Nature is benefcent
soul: Fair and warmer fair and warmer Even her
tantrums are usually mild But when she gets really
angry she makes the efforts of mere men look puny
For instance:
Volcanoes: You can't fight back at one of these
monsters All you can do is to get away Fortunately in
recent years scientists have learned enough about them
50 that usually they predict their eruptons, and
give people chance to get away. When SakuraJlma
erupted in Japan in 1914 for instance -one of the
greatest convulsions of the earhs surface ever known
the loss was held down to thirtyve lives and nine
teen million dollars worth of property. Bad enough
but compare it to the fate of an unwarned Pompei
when Vesuvius blew its top.
times was that of Krakatao island between Java and
Sumatra, in 1885, Most of the island was blown away
by succession of terrific explosions that heard
$50 miles away. Sea waves 100 feet high destroyed
1895 towns, killing sc, $50 people. Fine dust was
thrown into the air to height of seventeen miles and
supposed to have passed three and quarter times
around the earth 49, 200 miles, For months the dust in
the air caused brilliant sunsets all over the world
Volcanoes erupt apparently, to relieve the strain OF
an accumulation of volcanic matter that has been
pressing upward for years. They are found IN many
parts of the world but most extensive around the
borders of the Pacific, where they form ventable
Chain of fire" ESQ active volcanoes We have many
extinct volcanoes in the United States but very few
that still show any signs of activity Mount Hood in
Oregon and Mount Rainier in Washington exhae lit
tie vapor and the geysers of Yellowstone indicate
decreasing volcanic activity few years ago, Lassen
Peak in California renewed its activity in mild way
But on the WHOLE Nature doesn't bother us Americans
much with this kind of tantrum.
Eor.hqvokss: suppose nothing quite 50 terrifying
as an earthouake Recently we have had its horrors
brought wildly to mind by the tremendous disaster IN
Turkey last December which killed or injured 10000
and left 10000 homeless.
Only person who has experienced major quake
have any real idea of the fearful sensation creates
When the very earth under your feet begins to rock
and sway, and there isn't any place to co. 1t IS COM
petely bewilderng felt several hundred shocks in the
two years that lived in Japan but never one that was
ealy serious. did, however, the awful effects OF
the great disaster of 1928 arrived in Yokohama
short time after the quake Just few walls and parts
of buildings those that made of reinforced con-
crete were still standing, and they were filled with
gaping cracks This single earthquake and the resulting
fire, killed or injured $40 persons, ruined 100000
homes and did total damage reaching $2750,0OO0OO.
Earthquakes are sometimes the result of volcanic
activity, but more commonly they what we call
tectonic disturbances - which anything that
starts the elasticity of the earth into quick action They
happen in almost every part of the world including the
United States but Japan with average of desruc-
tive quake every two and half years, is the most