On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
A wild grape vine upon the shores of Mobile Bay about one mile north of Daphne, Ala., is commonly known as the "General Jackson vine," from the fact that Gen. Andrew Jackson twice pitched his tent under it during his campaigns against the Seminole Indians. This vine in June, 1897, was reported to have a circum ference of 6 feet 1 inch at its base. Its age was esti mated at that time to exceed 100 years. In no respect have the services of engineering science to public health science been more conspicuous than in the application and the further study of the principles involved in the processes of water purification. It has lately been shown, for example, that the introduction of pure water supplies has in many cases so conspicu ously lowered the general death rate as to make it impossible to escape the conclusions (1) that the germs of a greater number of infectious diseases than was formerly supposed are capable of prolonged life in, and ready conveyance by, public water sv.pplies, and (2), as a promising possibility, that as the result of the greater purity of the water supply the physiological resistance of the consumers of pure water is en hanced, in some manner as yet unknown; the net result being that the general death rate is lowered to such an extent as to lead to a rapid increase of popu lation in communities previously stationary or multi plying far less rapidly. According to Dr. Charles Davison, F.G.S., of Birming ham, England, a violent earthquake occurred on Satur day, July 15, last, of which, however, no news has yet reached us. The professor possesses a well-equipped seismological station, and as he entered his observa tory at 10 o'clock on the above morning he had the rare opportunity of witnessing the instrument record ing a distant earth tremor of exceptional violence. As he approached the instrument, the point of the writing lever was just beginning to register the first of the preliminary tremorsthose which traverse the body of the earth by the shortest possible route. Quickly these tremors increased in magnitude, becoming also longer in period, and it was soon evident that the advance waves of an earthquake of the first order were crossing the country. In about sixteen minutes from the start these early tremors were succeeded and dwarfed by long-period undulations, which had traveled along the surface of the earth. Dr. Davison said that never before has he seen waves so large depicted on the smoked paper. Several times the pointer struck the time-marking lever near one edge of the paper, and then swept seven or eight inches across, almost to the other edge, and once beyond it, so that had he not been there to adjust the pointer immediately, the re mainder of the record would have been lost. C.enerally, the movement was a slow, steady march, each oscilla tion being completed in slightly less than half a min ute. But often the pointer seemed to hesitate or stag ger, either to recover itself, or to swing back in the opposite direction. The extensive oscillations lasted for about ten minutes; then they decreased, though irregularly, in size until, after twenty minutes more, they were no larger than the concluding undulations of many another distant shock. At about quarter-past twelve the movement ended with waves which, travel ing along the surface in the opposite direction through the antipodes of the center of disturbance, reached Birmingham, enfeebled by their long journey, but strong enough to leave a distinctly visible trace. The origin of the earthquake must have been distant from England by about 4,000 miles, so that it may have been situated in Venezuela, in India near Lahore, or in Rus sian Turkestan. In any event, according to the record of the seismological station, the earthquake was of great magnitude, exceeding any that has occurred within recent years.
