| Show tile the tidal wave that destroyed more mora than 1 lives about a month ago in japan appears now that the details have become known traceable with considerable accuracy to known causes it will be remembered the people were celebrating the boys festival a national fedj fete day when the tragedy occurred without a var warning ning the w wave ave thirty feet high caire sweeping lu in from the sea destroying all the towns tons and liam li amleta lets for miles along the northeast coast of hondo the largest island of the japanese archipelago and causing ausing the awful loss of life among the inhabitants there seems little ditl doubt that the theory of a submarine earthquake as the cause of the disaster Is correct some time before the arrival of the wave earthquake shoals were reported along the coast these shocks under the sea being communicated munica ted to the rocks would reach the shorn shore more quickly than the sea wave as in an earth wave of this character is known 0 io o travel as fast qs as 17 feet i second as computed at tile ha kinle time of the charleston disaster tto the effect of these shocks on the surface of the water would be to enuse cause the water to rise above the point of impact and then fall away in circular waves this of submarine earthquake has been comprehensively ly explained by this simile it if we pour water into a tin dish ind and then strike the bottom of the dish a sharp upward blow we ire shall see the water rise up from the point opposite to the point where the blow was struck and roll away in waves wares this undoubtedly Is the explanation of the effect of these waves in japan the island affected stretched for far out oat into the ocean the coast line being depleted on an the map by a long curve like 1 a I bent bow this coast was therefore more likely to receive the full force of the sea waves and it appears this was wa s the case as no serious disturbances are ar known to have occurred on any of ill the other shores alche all the conditions of tile the shore of hondo were conducive to piling up the masses of water as aa the shore line extends out almost to the edge or nf the plateau beneath the ocean on which japan rests it has been pointed out that from this shore line the slope to deep water is far steeper than alon along any other nearby near by const coast which ex Plairs exactly the phenomenon described in the now new york sun as follows aber this wave was formed it may have been miles in width but it was not high this has been so in other instances and there Is direct proof in this case for fishermen a few miles from the lie shora ehora under whose bolits boate the wave certainly passed observed nothing anius j al an enormous mass of water was as lifted by a mighty impulse two or three feet above the general genera level anil and the wave movement thus induced spread rapidly from the center but without increase in bei height glit until it encountered a steeply sloping bottom but bill upon tills rapidly water near imar the land the wave wits was crowded into its sg space plied piled up and grew constancy stancy higher until it dashed upon tile shot shoie e a lower toweling it and irresistible igals wavea of this character have been known knowin to rise lise tu to a great height bright some 1 inns as high as 2111 feet an I 1 subilla line waves are believed to have ever even crossed the ocean meeting oil nn tile ilia N western coitt of south america conditions ions similar to thune that prevailed lit in japan ji and ami in bilg great devastation |
