Show quakes due to shake midwest scientists declare that the floods are unbalancing earths crust ivashin IV washington asbin ton an earthquake of perhaps calamitous proportions may be expected at iny any time in id the mississippi valley according to documents and testimony of leading scientists just made available through publication in the congressional record constant erosion of the soil ly by an nual floods flood sis Is ucb unbalancing the earths crust find and violent upheavals upheavals extending ill all tile way may from the mouth of the missouri to the delta jutting out into the gulf of mexico are due the scientists say among the prominent authorities quoted are dr george otis smith director of the united states geological survey myron L fuller an associate of doctor smith F IV bolion S J of the georgetown university seismological observatory J A joliat associate professor of the department of geophysics of st louis university and prof william H hobbs of the university of michigan much earth shifting their mews lews were placed in the record by representatives garber and stone of oklahoma in support of the reservoir system of mississippi river flood control against the present levee system mr stone explained that the volume of earth now being bein carried down donin the mississippi river and deposited in the gulf of mexico amounts to about cubic maids each year or a quantity equal 0 o the total excavation for the panama cantil canal I 1 I 1 you may consider this alarming said mr stone but if you study the I 1 question will aill find the mississippi valley is constantly threatened with a real danger one that demands serious consideration an earthquake li is not only possible but very probable and may occur at any ans time it ls is a historical fact that the most severe eat earthquake eer recorded in disunited die united states occurred in 1811 with its center near the mouth of tile ohio river scientists speak of it as the new madrid carth earthquake qua 1 e it was even elen more severe than the destructive shock it at charleston S C in that tile loss in life was as small was due only to the fact that the country at that time tim evas v as very 1 sparsely settled today millions reside in this district and would be directly affected should a similar disturbance sit the mississippi valley says the geological survey the loss of life and property damage would be appalling theres an abundance of eNi eutence eu dence geological and that similar earthquakes lave have been occurring in the new madrid area about every hundred years in fact says tile the survey we have also subsequent to the shock 0 of f 1811 records of a l I ling ing ng line of disturbances continuing to the present time showing that tile the crust is even now to in unstable equilibrium visions sea menace geological survey officials say that a quake of the intensity of the 1811 shock would be disastrous to a number of small cities in the new madrid section that the cities of curio carlo and memphis also would suffer probably see severely rely that st louis probably would be badly shaken milken doctor smith thinks it probable that an earthquake may take place farther down the alie gilr in the v vicinity of the gulf coast congressman stone interprets ter this to mean the mouth of the mississippi 11 ISho should ald the lower delta country he be visited by an earthquake says stone the rc result alt might be c compared rim pared to the great inbok I i hon di disaster caster which bich threw down the principal al part of the city tife sea retired and instantly returned in a wave 40 feet high engulfing fit mhd great marble quay in ili alie e space cz a e 0 of six si minutes persons peris hod doctor jollit announced that the university of st louls louis has undertaken an study of the earthquakes in the new madrid region three sets of specially design designed eil sois sets mog raphers are being set up to record earth tremors at cloe range st xavier college colleg e to the northeast of cincinnati Is also operating a pair of sensitive seismographs |