August 10, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



179 



deep-rooted, superstition that it is "unlucky to 

 be killed by a falling tomb during an earth- 

 quake. Yet in this stress, superstitions fell 

 away like dead leaves and the people slept 

 through the long night with fallen angels 

 among beds of violets. 



And this stress was, indeed, terrible. " The 

 Pacific," observes Professor Larkin, " was 

 startled with the onrush of the terror-stricken. 

 * * * The glorious poppies of California vied 

 with each other in striving to attract atten- 

 tion away from the appalling scene * * * but 

 in vain." 



" One of the most vivid, awe-inspiring and 

 impressive facts * * * is this: the people in 

 the city did not hear subterranean sounds! 

 But the awful reason why was because of the 

 terrible roar roundabout, from seething flames, 

 tumbling walls, the crashing of glass and the 

 hissing of sliding, rasping miles of wire. The 

 literature of earthquakes does not present a 

 more striking and startling fact, for the roar- 

 ing of the city all aflame was louder than the 

 thundering in caves of gloom below." Other 

 observers failed to note that the city was al- 

 ready roaring with ' seething flames ' in the 

 forty-seven seconds through which the shock 

 lasted. 



It is interesting to see how accurately the 

 lower animals predicted the earthquake. In 

 San Jose, eighteen minutes before the shock, 

 " two mares with young colts were running 

 and whinnying * * * in alarm as though dogs 

 were after them. Dogs were there, but they, 

 too, gave unusual warning of danger. * * * 

 I have," observes Professor Larkin, " a mass 

 of facts that can not be mentioned in less 

 space than a good-sized book." It was in 

 San Jose, also, three days before the earth- 

 quake, so I am informed, that a cat was heard 

 to utter three sounds sharp and high, these 

 followed by a hiss as of escaping steam. A 

 dog was present and appeared also agitated. 

 It was noticed that the dog's nose was cold, 

 while the tail of the cat was rigidly erected. 

 At Petaluma, it is said, a cock (white Leg- 

 horn) crowed three times, on the morning 

 before the shock. 



" Many fish," continues Professor Larkin, 

 "were killed along the coast and as far south 



as Los Angeles. And fish taken from the sea 

 opposite Los Angeles had such a strong odor 

 of sulphur that they could not be eaten." This 

 is the more remarkable as Los Angeles is five 

 hundred miles from the point where the earth- 

 quake rift leaves the sea. But it may be 

 noted also that the shock went twice around 

 the world, and that there were fishes in the 

 market of Tokyo on April 18 that had also 

 such a strong odor that they could not be 

 eaten. It is not stated whether the odor was 

 that of sulphur, a matter to be investigated. 

 In or near London, two months later, an odor 

 of sulphur, or sulphuretted hydrogen, was 

 detected in certain suddenly opened eggs which 

 had been laid on or near the eighteenth of 

 April. This is given on the authority of a 

 distinguished actor lately returned from a 

 tour in the provinces. 



Another ' remarkable ' fact is this : " The 

 immense bay of San Francisco is filled and 

 emptied by tides. The volume of water is 

 enormous, and if forced through the Golden 

 Gate, the current would be rapid, indeed. No 

 such velocity exists, hence there may be an 

 underground connection with the ocean." It 

 is a singular fact that none of the local geol- 

 ogists have ever seen San Francisco Bay 

 emptied. Still it might happen under cover 

 of dense fog. In any case no great stress 

 should be laid on this failure to observe, which 

 has at most merely negative value. 



Professor Larkin notices that although no 

 sun spots greater than twice the size of the 

 earth were visible at that time, yet on April 

 18 the sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, 

 Jupiter and Saturn were massed within five 

 hours twenty-eight minutes of right ascension. 

 But, again, as the earthquake occurred at five 

 o'clock thirteen minutes, this can not be held 

 to prove anything; the seventeen minutes of 

 discrepancy can not be overlooked. Moreover, 

 Professor Larkin tells us the earth was at the 

 time only 618,000 miles out of her usual orbit. 

 This is not much for a globe which travels 

 three hundred millions of miles a year and so 

 is accustomed to deal with large figures. 



The display of blue flames before the on- 

 slaught of the red ones, and their final yellow 

 sequences was very remarkable. " The appear- 



