February 22, 1906] 



NA TURE 



S95 



Also he urged that Greenwich was too far north as a 

 situation for an observatory to fix the standard meri- 

 dian, and again, that the position of Greenwich with re- 

 spect to the observatories of the Continent was not then 

 accurately known. Another speaker, whose opinions 

 arc worthy of respect, remarked that France was not 

 alone among the countries in not joining the move- 

 ment, for Spain used its own time, and also — it is to 

 be feared that here he made a strong point — Ireland, 

 even, still used Dublin time. It was affirmed that the 

 motives which influenced the French authorities in 

 this matter were purely of a scientific nature, but it 

 may be noted that since that meeting the proposi- 

 tion has been brought forward in other words, namely, 

 that the legal standard time of France shall be 9 

 minutes 2 1 seconds slow on the time of the 

 meridian of Paris, which is not unlike the former 

 proposal, except verbally, and it might be thought that 

 the alteration was made so as not to hurt some sus- 

 ceptibilities. However, the change has not yet been 

 made. Some of the objections above quoted have 

 vanished, for England's naval power has as yet suffered 

 no reverse, Spain has adopted Greenwich time, and 

 the difference of longitude between Greenwich and 

 Paris has been again determined, with a result which 

 may be accepted as final. Ireland still continues to 

 use Dublin time, it is true, but even this ought not to 

 outweigh anv advantages that might accrue from the 

 change. H. P. H. 



THE COLOMBIAN EARTHQUAKE. 



ON January 31, we learn from vague messages, an 

 earthquake of unusual severity occurred in the 

 north-west part of South America. The report stated 

 that towns and villages had been destroyed, and 

 islands had sunk. The disappearance of the latter 

 was, however, so gradual that the inhabitants had 

 been able to escape in boats. Later information told 

 us about the interruption of cables, and reported that 

 in consequence of huge sea waves a long line of 

 coast between Buenaventura and Tumaco and the 

 western coast of the Republic of Colombia had been 

 devastated for many leagues. A 'great catastrophe 

 had evidently occurred, but until sixteen days later 

 the East knew but little as to what had actually taken 

 place. The sei-,mographs in Britain and in other 

 countries have, however, told a story. Later we 

 shall have another story from our Consuls and our 

 newspapers. 



In the Isle of Wight the record of some great 

 earth adjustment commenced, as reckoned in our 

 time, at 3I1. 47m. p.m. Its maximum occurred some 

 thirty-five minutes later. From these facts the dis- 

 tance at which the mass displacement had originated 

 was known, and by a simple computation, based upon 

 this distance, the time at the origin would be in 

 Colombian time approximated ioh. 9m. a.m. Better 

 that the disturbance occurred in the morning, when 

 Iv'.ivings of the ground could be felt and high waves 

 suggesting refuge on higher ground could be seen, 

 than it should have occurred when the inhabitants of 

 towns and villages on a seaboard were at rest. Two 

 hours later the effects of the initial impulses had 

 reached their antipodes, and in the interval between 

 these times every inhabitant of the world had been 

 moved for at least three or four hours on a true 

 ground swell. All the instruments in the world de- 

 signed to record teleseismic motion had written 

 records, the bubble in everv spirit level had been 

 fitfully oscillating to and fro, many magnetic needles 

 had been caused to swing, balances had oscillated, 

 pendulums had been accelerated or retarded — the 

 whole world, not only on its surface, but in its depths 



NO. 1895, VOL. 73] 



had been shaken. The internal constitution of our 

 planet had been disturbed, that which is hypogenic 

 may have produced its effect upon that which was 

 epigenic, there was a flicker in the life-history of the 

 earth. 



At this moment it is not for us to enter into the 

 whys and wherefores of the Colombian disaster. It 

 suddenly came upon the scene in the last day of 

 January, but it is not yet ended. Shocks continued 

 for the next five days, and although we are without 

 information, they will doubtless continue for many 

 days to come. Among other things beyond this, 

 immediate effects on life and property, we learn that 

 volcanic stress was relieved at Cumbal. Further, we 

 learn that on February 16 severe shocks were ex- 

 perienced in the Antilles. At 1.40 p.m. on that date 

 walls were cracked in St. Vincent; similar reports 

 come from Fort de France, and cables have been 

 broken. 



History repeats itself, and this is particularly illus- 

 trated in the seismic and volcanic history of the Central 

 American and West Indian subterranean activities. 

 A convulsion in the one is followed by a reaction in 

 the other. The last illustration, which is only one 

 ol a long scries, occurred in 1902, when terrific re- 

 adjustments of strata in Guatemala were quickly 

 followed by the holocaust of St. Pierre. The 

 Colombian disaster of January 31, to which we par- 

 ticularly refer, is the last of a series with which 

 seismologists are familiar. We do not know for 

 certain, but its origin was probably suboceanic off 

 the mouth of the Esmeralda River. We can at least 

 say that on the line we have indicated there is a 

 rapidly descending suboceanic gully, and that cables 

 crossing this line have frequently been interrupted. 

 To this we may add that here we have a district 

 where submerged land slopes are unusually steep, and 

 where those who lay deep-sea cables tell us that 

 soundings have from time to time been greatly 

 changed. Out of fifteen cable interruptions which 

 have taken place in the district under consideration, 

 nine of them occurred at the time when seismo- 

 graphs or instruments which would record teleseismic 

 effects were set in motion in Europe. Interruptions 

 to cables come in many ways, but from time to time 

 we know that they have' come about by sudden 

 changes in the form of ocean floors, and off the 

 mouth of the Esmeralda River we know that this 

 has often happened. 



NOTES. 



The appointment of officers for the seventy-sixth meet- 

 ing of the British Association, which is to be held at 

 York, has now been completed. The meeting will open 

 on Wednesday, August 1— when the president. Dr. E. Ray 

 Lankester, F.R.S., will deliver the presidential address — 

 and be concluded on August S. The following are the 

 names of the presidents of the various sections :— A (mathe- 

 matical and physical science), Principal E. H. Griffiths, 

 F.R.S. ; B (chemistry). Prof. Wyndham Dunstan, F.R.S. : 

 C (geology), Mr. G. W. Lamplugh, F.R.S. ; D (zoology), 

 Mr. J. J. Lister, F.R.S.; E (geography). Sir G. Taubman- 

 Goldie, K.C.M.G., F.R.S. ; F (economic science and 

 statistics), Sir George S. Gibb ; G (engineering), Prof. 

 J. A. Ewing F.R.S.; II (anthropology), Mr. E. Sidney 

 Hartland ; I (physiology), Prof. Francis Gotch, F.R.S.; 

 K (botany), Prof. F. W. Oliver, F.R.S. ; L (educational 

 science), Prof. M. E. Sadler. Subscriptions to the 

 amount of more than 700Z. have been promised to the 

 fund started for the purpose of founding a medal to 

 commemorate the visit of the association to South 



