Show foretelling earthquakes they took place in aai nd ate pre darted in carls and berlin it is stated that for some days prior to the terrific earthquakes in asia which recently up a town with two thousand inhabitants besides destroying many lives and much property throughout the whole region the seismographic instruments in paris and berlin displayed great agitation this of course says Dem orests magazine could properly be called a prediction of the earth tempest as the barometer furnishes predictions of atmospheric tempests but at the present at all events the predictions are by no means of equal value practically the barometer has done good service to humanity when a sea captain observes that his glass is falling he knows he is entering a storm circle and makes all snug for bad weather unquestionably an incalculable number of lives and vast amount of property have been saved by barometrical but as yet we know so little of the cause character or directions of terrestrial re disturbances that we cannot depend upon the seismograph to guard us against the fearful dangers of tho earthquake those living near or within sight of a volcano find suggestions in its varying moods but no more than suggestions for sometimes the sudden cessation of the smoke or a vast out rush of vapor is followed by no ab ablo tremor of the surrounding country while at other times either phenomenon may foretell a convulsion the agitation of the seismograph may have predicted an earthquake in paris itself or some other portion of france or in spain or italy or indeed as is amply proved in any part 0 the globe but who is to translate ilg unknown language lap guage and learn from it eliere or when the peril is to culminate the fact that the obscurer on duty at the time saw and recorded from his instrument that seismic disturbance tur bance was occurring or about to occur in some quarter of the sphere is without doubt scientifically interesting but we shall await the utmost interest the development of what is so far no more than a newspaper hint that one of our american investigators vesti gators has or at lea sac believes ho has discovered the means of locating the center p the coming disturbance its direction of movement and approximate force |