Nature of earthquake vibrations—Many instruments called seismometers only seismoscopes—Eastern seismoscopes, columns, projection seismometers—Vessels filled with liquid—Palmieri’s mercury tubes—The ship seismoscope—The cacciatore—Pendulum instruments of Kreil, Wagner, Ewing, and Gray—Bracket seismographs—West’s parallel motion instrument—Gray’s conical pendulums, rolling spheres, and cylinders—Verbeck’s ball and plate seismograph—The principle of Perry and Ayrton—Vertical motion instruments—Record receivers—Time-recording apparatus—The Gray and Milne seismograph.

Before we discuss the nature of earthquake motion, the determination of which has been the aim of modern seismological investigation, the reader will naturally look for an account of the various instruments which have been employed for recording such disturbances. A description of the earthquake machines which have been used even in Japan would form a bulky volume. All that we can do, therefore, is to describe briefly the more prominent features of a few of the more important of these instruments. In order that the relative merits of these may be better understood, we may state generally that modern research has shown a typical earthquake to consist of a series of small tremors succeeded by a shock, or series of shocks, separated by more or less irregular vibrations of the ground. The vibrations are often both irregular in period and in amplitude, and they have a duration of from a few seconds to several minutes. We will illustrate the records of actual earthquakes in a future chapter, but in the meantime the idea that an earthquake consists of a single shock must be dismissed from the imagination.

To construct an instrument which at the time of an earthquake shall move and leave a record of its motion, there is but little difficulty. Contrivances of this order are called seismoscopes. If, however, we wish to know the period, extent, and direction of each of the vibrations which constitutes an earthquake, we have considerable difficulty. Instruments which will in this way measure or write down the earth’s motions are called seismometers or seismographs.

Many of the elaborate instruments supplemented with electro-magnetic and clockwork arrangements are, when we examine them, nothing more than elaborate seismoscopes which have been erroneously termed seismographs.

The only approximations to true seismographs which have yet been invented are without doubt those which during the past few years have been used in Japan. It would be a somewhat arbitrary proceeding, however, to classify the different instruments as seismoscopes, seismometers, and seismographs, as the character of the record given by certain instruments is sometimes only seismoscopic, whilst at other times it is seismometric, depending on the nature of the disturbance. Many instruments, for instance, would record with considerable accuracy a single sudden movement, but would give no reliable information regarding a continued shaking.

Eastern Seismoscopes.—The earliest seismoscope of which we find any historical record is one which owes its origin to a Chinese called ChÔko. It was invented in the year a.d. 136. A description is given in the Chinese history called ‘Gokanjo,’ and the translation of this description runs as follows:—

‘In the first year of Yoka, a.d. 136, a Chinese called ChÔko invented the seismometer shown in the accompanying drawing. This instrument consists of a spherically formed copper vessel, the diameter of which is eight feet. It is covered at its top, and in form resembles a wine-bottle. Its outer part is ornamented by the figures of different kinds of birds and animals, and old peculiar-looking letters. In the inner part of this instrument a column is so suspended that it can move in eight directions. Also, in the inside of the bottle, there is an arrangement by which some record of an earthquake is made according to the movement of the pillar. On the outside of the bottle there are eight dragon heads, each of which holds a ball in its mouth. Underneath these heads there are eight frogs so placed that they appear to watch the dragon’s face, so that they are ready to receive the ball if it should be dropped. All the arrangements which cause the pillar to knock the ball out of the dragon’s mouth are well hidden in the bottle.’

‘When an earthquake occurs, and the bottle is shaken, the dragon instantly drops the ball, and the frog which receives it vibrates vigorously; any one watching this instrument can easily observe earthquakes.’

With this arrangement, although one dragon may drop a ball, it is not necessary for the other seven dragons to drop their balls unless the movement has been in all directions; thus we can easily tell the direction of an earthquake.

‘Once upon a time a dragon dropped its ball without any earthquake being observed, and the people therefore thought the instrument of no use, but after two or three days a notice came saying that an earthquake had taken place at Rosei. Hearing of this, those who doubted the use of this instrument began to believe in it again. After this ingenious instrument had been invented by Choko, the Chinese Government wisely appointed a secretary to make observations on earthquakes.’

Not only is this instrument of interest on account of its antiquity, but it is also of interest on account of the close resemblance it bears to many of the instruments of modern times.

Another earthquake instrument also of Eastern origin is the magnetic seismoscope of Japan.

On the night of the destructive earthquake of 1855, which devastated a great portion of Tokio, the owner of a spectacle shop in Asakusa observed that a magnet dropped some old iron nails and keys which had been attached to it. From this occurrence the owner thought that the magnet had, in consequence of its age, lost its powers. About two hours afterwards, however, the great earthquake took place, after which the magnet was observed to have regained its powers. This occurrence led to the construction of the seismoscope, which is illustrated in a book called the ‘Ansei-Kembun-Roku,’ or a description of the earthquake of 1855, and examples of the instrument are still to be seen in Tokio. These instruments consist of a piece of magnetic iron ore, which holds up a piece of iron like a nail. This nail is connected, by means of a string, with a train of clockwork communicating with an alarm. If the nail falls a catch is released and the clockwork set in motion, and warning given by the ringing of a bell. It does not appear that this instrument has ever acted with success.

Columns.—One of the commonest forms of seismoscope, and one which has been very widely used, consists of a round column of wood, metal, or other suitable material, placed, with its axis vertical, on a level plane, and surrounded by some soft material such as loose sand to prevent it rolling should it be overturned. The fall of such a column indicates that a shaking or shock has taken place. Attempts have been made by using a number of columns of different sizes to make these indications seismometric, but they seldom give reliable information either as to intensity or direction of shock. The indications as to intensity are vitiated by the fact that a long-continued gentle shaking may overturn a column which would stand a very considerable sudden shock, while the directions in which a number of columns fall seldom agree owing to the rotational motion imparted to them by the shaking. Besides, the direction of motion of the earthquake seldom remains in the same azimuth throughout the whole disturbance.

An extremely delicate, and at the same time simple form of seismoscope may be made by propping up strips of glass, pins, or other easily overturned bodies against suitably placed supports. In this way bodies may be arranged, which, although they can only fall in one direction, nevertheless fall with far less motion than is necessary to overturn any column which will stand without lateral support.

Projection Seismometers.—Closely related to the seismoscopes and seismometers which depend on the overturning of bodies. Mallet has described two sets of apparatus whose indications depend on the distance to which a body is projected. In one of these, which consisted of two similar parts arranged at right angles, two metal balls rest one on each side of a stop at the lower part of two inclined like troughs. In this position each of the balls completes an electric circuit. By a shock the balls are projected or rolled up the troughs, and the height to which they rise is recorded by a corresponding interval in the break of the circuits. The vertical component of the motion is measured by the compression of a spring which carries the table on which this arrangement rests. In the second apparatus two balls are successively projected, one by the forward swing, and the other by the backward swing of the shock. Attached to them are loose wires forming terminals of the circuits. They are caught in a bed of wet sand in a metal trough forming the other end of the circuit. The throw of the balls as measured in the sand, and the difference of time between their successive projections as indicated by special contrivances connected with the closing of the circuits, enables the observer to calculate the direction of the wave of shock, its velocity, and other elements connected with the disturbance. It will be observed that the design of this apparatus assumes the earthquake to consist of a distinct isolated shock.

Oldham, at the end of his account of the Cachar earthquake of 1869, recommends the use of an instrument based on similar principles. In his instrument four balls like bullets are placed in notches cut in the corners of the upper end of a square stake driven into the ground.

Vessels filled with liquid.—Another form of simple seismoscope is made by partially filling a vessel with liquid. The height to which the liquid is washed up the side of the vessel is taken as an indication of the intensity of the shock, and the line joining the points on which maximum motion is indicated, is taken as the direction of the shock. If earthquakes all lasted for the same length of time, and consisted of vibrations of the same period, such instruments might be of service. These instruments have, however, been in use from an early date. In 1742 we find that bowls of water were used to measure the earthquakes which in that year alarmed the inhabitants of Leghorn. About the same time the Rev. S. Chandler, writing about the shock at Lisbon, tells us that earthquakes may be measured by means of a spherical bowl about three or four feet in diameter, the inside of which, after being dusted over with Barber’s puff, is filled very gently with water. Mallet, Babbage, and De la BÊche have recommended the same sort of contrivance, but, notwithstanding, it has justly been criticised as ‘ridiculous and utterly impracticable.’[7]

An important portion of Palmieri’s well-known instrument consists of horizontal tubes turned up at the ends and partially filled with mercury. To magnify the motion of the mercury, small floats of iron rest on its surface. These are attached by means of threads to a pulley provided with indices which move in front of a scale of degrees. We thus read off the intensity of an earthquake as so many degrees, which means so many millimetres of washing up and down of mercury in a tube. The direction of movement is determined by the azimuth of the tube which gives the maximum indication, several tubes being placed in different azimuths.

This form of instrument appears to have been suggested by Mallet, who gives an account of the same in 1846. Inasmuch as the rise and fall of the mercury in such tubes depend on its depth and on the period of the earthquake together with its duration, we see that although the results obtained from a given instrument may give us means of making approximate comparisons as to the relative intensity of various earthquakes, it is very far from yielding any absolute measurement.

Another method which has been employed to magnify and register the motions of liquid in a vessel has been to float upon its surface a raft or ship from which a tall mast projected. By a slight motion of the raft, the top of the mast vibrated through a considerable range. This motion of the mast as to direction and extent was then recorded by suitable contrivances attached to the top of the mast.

A very simple form of liquid seismoscope consists of a circular trough of wood with notches cut round its side. This is filled with mercury to the level of the notches. At the time of an earthquake the maximum quantity of mercury runs over the notches in the direction of greatest motion. This instrument, which has long been used in Italy, is known as a Cacciatore, being named after its inventor. It is a prominent feature in the collection of apparatus forming the well-known seismograph of Palmieri.

Pendulum instruments.—Mallet speaks of pendulum seismoscopes and seismographs as ‘the oldest probably of seismometers long set up in Italy and southern Europe.’ In 1841 we find these being used to record the earthquake disturbances at Comrie in Scotland.

These instruments may be divided into two classes: first, those which at the time of the shock are intended to swing, and thus record the direction of movement; and second, those which are supposed to remain at rest and thus provide ‘steady points.’

To obtain an absolutely ‘steady point’ at the time of an earthquake, has been one of the chief aims of all recent seismological investigations.

With a style or pointer projecting down from the steady point to a surface which is being moved backward and forward by the earth, such a surface has written upon it by its own motions a record of the ground to which it is attached. Conversely, a point projecting upwards from the moving earth might be caused to write a record on the body providing the steady point, which in the class of instruments now to be referred to is supposed to be the bob of a pendulum. It is not difficult to get a pendulum which will swing at the time of a moderately strong earthquake, but it is somewhat difficult to obtain one which will not swing at such a time. During the past few years, pendulums varying between forty feet in length and carrying bobs of eighty pounds in weight, and one-eighth of an inch in length, and carrying a gun-shot, have been experimented with under a great variety of circumstances. Sometimes the supports of these pendulums have been as rigid as it is possible to make a structure from brick and mortar, and at other times they have intentionally been made loose and flexible. The indices which wrote the motions of these pendulums have been as various as the pendulums themselves. A small needle sliding vertically through two small holes, and resting its lower end on a surface of smoked glass, has on account of its small amount of friction been perhaps one of the favourite forms of recording pointers.

The free pendulums which have been employed, and which were intended to swing, have been used for two purposes: first, to determine the direction of motion from the direction of swing, and second, to see if an approximation to the period of the earth’s motion could be obtained by discovering the pendulum amongst a series of different lengths which was set in most violent motion, this probably being the one which had its natural period of swing the most nearly approximating to the period of the earthquake oscillations.

Inasmuch as all pendulums when swinging have a tendency to change the plane of their oscillation, and also as we now know that the direction of motion during an earthquake is not always constant, the results usually obtained with these instruments respecting the direction of the earth’s motion have been unsatisfactory. The results which were obtained by series of pendulums of different lengths were, for various reasons, also unsatisfactory.

Of pendulums intended to provide a steady point, from which the relative motion of a point on the earth’s surface could be recorded, there has been a great variety. One of the oldest forms consisted of a pendulum with a style projecting downwards from the bob so as to touch a bed of sand. Sometimes a concave surface was placed beneath the pendulum, on which the record was traced by means of a pencil. Probably the best form was that in which a needle, capable of sliding freely up and down, marked the relative horizontal motion of the earth and the pendulum bob on a smoked glass plate.

It generally happens that at the time of a moderately severe earthquake the whole of these forms of apparatus are set in motion, due partly to the motion of the point of support of the pendulum, and partly to the friction of the writing point on the plate.

Among these pendulums may be mentioned those of Cavallieri, Faura, Palmieri, Rossi, and numerous others. It is possible that the originators of some of these pendulums may have intended that they should record by swinging. If this is so, then so far as the determination of the actual nature of earthquake motion is concerned, they belong to a lower grade of apparatus than that in which they are here included.

A great improvement in pendulum apparatus is due to Mr. Thomas Gray of Glasgow, who suggested applying so much frictional resistance to the free swing of a pendulum that for small displacements it became ‘dead beat.’ By carrying out this suggestion, pendulum instruments were raised to the position of seismographs. The manner of applying the friction will be understood from the following description of a pendulum instrument which is also provided with an index which gives a magnification of the motion of the earth.

b b b b is a box 113 cm. high and 30 cm. by 18 cm. square. Inside this box a lead ring r, 17 cm. in diameter and 3 cm. thick, is suspended as a pendulum from the screw s. This screw passes through a small brass plate p p, which can be moved horizontally over a hole in the top of the box. These motions in the point of suspension allow the pendulum to be adjusted.

Projecting over the top of the pendulum there is a wooden arm w carrying two sliding pointers h h, resting on a glass plate placed on the top of the pendulum. These pointers are for the purpose of giving the frictional resistance before referred to. If this friction plate is smoked, the friction pointers will write upon it records of large earthquakes independently of the records given by the proper index, which only gives satisfactory records in the case of shocks of ordinary intensity. Crossing the inside of the pendulum r there is a brass bar perforated with a small conical hole at m. A stiff wire passes through m and forms the upper portion of the index i, the lower portion of which is a thin piece of bamboo. Fixed upon the wire there is a small brass ball which rests on the upper side of a second brass plate also perforated with a conical hole, which plate is fixed on the bar o o crossing the box.

If at the time of an earthquake the upper part of the index i remains steady at m, then by the motion at o, the lower end of the index which carries a sliding needle at g, will magnify the motion of the earth in the ratios m o : o g. In this instrument o g is about 17 cm.

The needle g works upon a piece of smoked glass. In order to bring the glass into contact with the needle without disturbance, the glass is carried on a strip of wood k, hinged at the back of the box, and propped up in front by a loose block of wood y. When y is removed the glass drops down with k out of contact with the needle. The box is carried on bars of wood c c, which are fixed to the ground by the stakes a a.

The great advantage of a pendulum seismograph working on a stationary plate is, that the record shows at once whether the direction of motion has been constant, or whether it has been variable. The maximum extent of motion in various directions is also easily obtained.

The disadvantage of the instrument is, that at the time of a large earthquake, owing perhaps to a slight swing in the pendulum, the records may be unduly magnified.

On such occasions, however, fairly good records may be obtained from the friction pointers, provided that the plates on which they work have been previously smoked. It might perhaps be well to use two of these instruments, one having a comparatively high frictional resistance, and hence ‘dead beat’ for large displacements.

Many attempts have been made to use a pendulum seismograph in conjunction with a record-receiving surface, which at the time of the earthquake should be kept in motion by clockwork. In this way it was hoped to separate the various vibrations of the earthquake, and thus avoid the greater or less confusion which occurs when the index of the pendulum writes its backward and forward motion on a stationary plate. Hitherto all attempts in this direction, in which a single multiplying index was used, have been unsuccessful because of the moving plate dragging the index in the direction of its motion for a short distance, and then allowing it to fall back towards its normal position.

In connection with this subject we may mention the pendulum seismographs of Kreil, Wagener, Ewing, and Gray.

In the bob of Kreil’s pendulum there was clockwork, which caused a disc on the axis of the pendulum to continuously rotate. On this continually revolving surface a style fixed to the earth traced an unbroken circle. At the time of an earthquake, by the motion of the style, the circle was to be broken and lines drawn. The number and length of these lines were to indicate the length and intensity of the disturbance.

Gray’s pendulum consisted of a flat heavy disc carrying on its upper surface a smoked glass plate. This, which formed the bob of the pendulum, was supported by a pianoforte steel wire. When set ready to receive an earthquake, the wire was twisted and the bob held by a catch so arranged that at the time of the earthquake the catch was released, and the bob of the pendulum allowed to turn slowly by the untwisting of the supporting wire. Resting on the surface of this rotating disc were two multiplying indices arranged to write the earth’s motions as two components.

In the instruments of Wagener and Ewing, the clockwork and moving surface do not form part of the pendulum, but rest independently on a support rigidly attached to the earth. In Wagener’s instrument one index only is used, while in Ewing’s two are used for writing the record of the motion.

A difficulty which is apparent in all pendulum machines is that when the bob of such a pendulum is deflected it tends to fall back to its normal position. To make a pendulum perfect it therefore requires some compensating arrangement, so that the pendulum, for small displacements, shall be in neutral equilibrium, and the errors due to swinging shall be avoided.

Several methods have been suggested for making the bob of an ordinary pendulum astatic for small displacements. One method proposed by Gray consists in fixing in the bob of a pendulum a circular trough of liquid, the curvature of this trough having a proper form. Another method which was suggested, was to attach a vertical spiral spring to a point in the axis of the pendulum a little below the point of suspension, and to a fixed point above it, so that when the pendulum is deflected it would introduce a couple.

Professor Ewing has suggested an arrangement so that the bob of the pendulum shall be partly suspended by a stretched spiral spring, and at the same time shall be partly held up from below by a vertically placed strut, the weight carried by the strut being to the weight carried by the spring in the ratio of their respective lengths. As to how these arrangements will act when carried into practice yet remains to be seen.

Another important class of instruments are inverted pendulums. These are vertical springs made of metal or wood loaded at their upper end with a heavy mass of metal. An arrangement of this sort, provided at its upper end with a pencil to write on a concave surface, was employed in 1841 to register the earthquakes at Comrie in Scotland. In Japan they were largely employed in series, each member of a series having a different period of vibration. The object of these arrangements was to determine which of the pendulums, with a given earthquake, recorded the greatest motion, it being assumed that the one which was thrown into the most violent oscillation would be the one most nearly approximating with the period of the earthquake. The result of these experiments showed that it was usually those with a slow period of vibration which were the most disturbed.

Bracket Seismographs.—A group of instruments of recent origin which have done good work, are the bracket seismographs. These instruments appear to have been independently invented by several investigators: the germ from which they originated probably being the well-known horizontal pendulum of Professor ZÖllner. In Japan they were first employed by Professor W. S. Chaplin. Subsequently they were used by Professor Ewing and Mr. Gray. They consist essentially of a heavy weight supported at the extremity of a horizontal bracket which is free to turn on a vertical axis at its other end. When the frame carrying this axis is moved in any direction excepting parallel to the length of the gate-like bracket, the weight causes the bracket to turn round a line known as the instantaneous axis of the bracket corresponding to this motion of the fixed axis. Any point in this line may therefore be taken as a steady point for motions at right angles to the length of the supporting bracket. Two of these instruments placed at right angles to each other have to be employed in conjunction, and the motion of the ground is written down as two rectangular components. In Professor Ewing’s form of the instrument, light prolongations of the brackets form indices which give magnified representations of the motion, and the weights are pivoted round a vertical axis through their centre.

In the accompanying sketch b is a heavy weight pivoted at the end of a small bracket c a k, which bracket is free to turn on a knife-edge, k, above, and a pivot a, below, in the stand s. At the time of an earthquake b remains steady, and the index p, forming a continuation of the bracket, magnifies the motion of the stand, in the ratio of a c : c n.

In an instrument called a double-bracket seismograph, invented by Mr. Gray, we have two brackets hinged to each other, and one of them to a fixed frame. The planes of the two brackets are placed at right angles, so as to give to a heavy mass supported at the end of the outer bracket two degrees of horizontal freedom.

In all bracket machines, especially those which carry a pivoted weight, it is doubtful whether the weight provides a truly steady point relatively to the plate on which the record is written for motion parallel to the direction of the arm.

Parallel motion Instrument.—A machine which writes its record as two components, and which promises great stability, is one suggested by Professor C. D. West. Like the bracket machines it consists of two similar parts placed at right angles to each other, and is as follows: A bar of iron a is suspended from both sides on pivots at c c by a system of light arms hinging with each other at the black dots, between the upper and lower parts of the rigid frame b c. The arms are of such a length that for small displacements parallel to the length of the bar, c c practically move in a straight line, and the bar is in neutral equilibrium. A light prolongation of the bar d works the upper end of the light index e, passing as a universal joint through the rigid support f. A second index e' from the bar at right angles also passes through f. The multiplying ends of these indices are coupled together to write a resultant motion on a smoked glass plate s.

Conical Pendulums.—Another group of instruments which have also yielded valuable records are the conical pendulum seismographs. The idea of using the bob of a conical pendulum to give a steady point in an earthquake machine was first suggested and carried into practice by Mr. Gray. The seismograph as employed consists of a pair of conical pendulums hung in planes at right angles to each other. The bob of each of these pendulums is fixed a short distance from the end of a light lever, which forms the writing index, the short end resting as a strut against the side of a post fixed in the earth. The weight is carried by a thin wire or thread, the upper end of which is attached to a point vertically above the fixed end of the lever.

Rolling Spheres and Cylinders.—After the conical pendulum seismographs, which claim several important advantages over the bracket machines, we come to a group of instruments known as rolling sphere seismographs. Here, again, we have a class of instruments for the various forms of which we are indebted to the ingenuity of Mr. Gray.

The general arrangement and principle of one of these instruments will be readily understood from the accompanying figure. s is a segment of a large sphere with a centre near c. Slightly below this centre a heavy weight b, which may be a lead ring, is pivoted. At the time of an earthquake c is steady, and the earth’s motions are magnified by the pointer c a n in the proportion of c a : a n. The working of this pointer or index is similar to that of the pointer in the pendulum.

Closely connected with the rolling sphere seismographs, are Gray’s rolling cylinder seismographs.

These are two cylinders resting on a surface plate with their axes at right angles to each other. Near to the highest point in each of these cylinders, this point remaining nearly steady when the surface plate is moved backwards and forwards, there is attached the end of a light index. These indices are again pivoted a short distance from their ends on axes connected with the surface plate. In order that the two indices may be brought parallel, one is cranked at the second pivot.

Ball and Plate Seismograph.—Another form of seismograph, which is closely related to the two forms of apparatus just described, is Verbeck’s ball and plate seismograph. This consists of a surface plate resting on three hard spheres, which in turn rests upon a second surface plate. When the lower plate is moved, the upper one tends to remain at rest, and thus may be used as a steady mass to move an index.

The Principle of Perry and Ayrton.—An instrument which is of interest from the scientific principle it involves is a seismograph suggested by Professors Perry and Ayrton, who propose to support a heavy ball on three springs, which shall be sufficiently stiff to have an exceedingly quick period of vibration. By means of pencils attached to the ball by levers, the motions of the ball are to be recorded on a moving band of paper. The result would be a record compounded of the small vibrations of the springs superimposed on the larger, slower, wave-like motions of the earthquake, and, knowing the former of these, the latter might be separated by analysis. Although our present knowledge of earthquake motion indicates that the analysis of such a record would often present us with insuperable difficulties, this instrument is worthy of notice on account of the novelty of the principle it involves, which, the authors truly remark, has in seismometry been a ‘neglected’ one.

Instruments to record Vertical Motion.—The instruments which have been devised to record vertical motion are almost as numerous as those which have been devised to record horizontal motion. The earliest form of instrument employed for this purpose was a spiral spring stretched by weight, which, on account of its inertia, was supposed at the time of a shock to remain steady. No satisfactory results have ever been obtained from such instruments, chiefly on account of the inconvenience in making a spring sufficiently long to allow of enough elongation to give a long period of vibration. Similar remarks may be applied to the horizontally placed elastic rods, one end of which is fixed to a wall, whilst the opposite end is loaded with a weight. Such contrivances, furnished with pencil on the weight to write a record upon a vertical surface, were used in 1842 at Comrie, and we see the same principle applied in a portion of Palmieri’s apparatus. Contrivances like these neither give us the true amplitude of the vertical motion, insomuch as they are readily set in a state of oscillation; nor do they indicate the duration of a disturbance, for, being once set in motion, they continue that motion in virtue of their inertia long after the actual earthquake has ceased. They can only be regarded as seismoscopes.

The most satisfactory instrument which has yet been devised for recording vertical motion is Gray’s horizontal lever spring seismograph.

This instrument will be better understood from the accompanying sketch. A vertical spring s is fixed at its upper end by means of a nut n, which rests on the top of the frame f, and serves to raise or lower the spring through a short distance as a last adjustment for the position of the cross-arm a. The arm a rests at one end on two sharp points, p, one resting in a conical hole and the other in a v-slot; it is supported at b by the spring s, and is weighted at c with a lead ring r. Over a pin at the point c a stirrup of thread is placed which supports a small trough, t. The trough t is pivoted at a, has attached to it the index i (which is hinged by means of a strip of tough paper at h, and rests through a fine pin on the glass plate g), and is partly filled with mercury.

Another method of obtaining a steady point for vertical motion is that of Dr. Wagener, who employs a buoy partly immersed in a vessel of water. This was considerably improved upon by Mr. Gray, who suggested the use of a buoy, which, with the exception of a long thin style, was completely sunk.

Among the other forms of apparatus used to record vertical motion may be mentioned vessels provided with india-rubber or other flexible bottoms, and partially filled with water or some other liquid. As the vessel is moved up and down, the bottom tends to remain behind and provides a more or less steady point. Pivoted to this is a light index, which is again pivoted to a rigid frame in connection with the earth. Instruments of this description have yielded good records.

Record Receivers.—A large number of earthquake machines having been referred to, it now remains to consider the apparatus on which they write their motions. The earlier forms of seismographs, as has already been indicated, recorded their movements in a bed of sand; others wrote their records by means of pencils on sheets of paper. Where we have seismographs which magnify the motion of the earth, it will be observed that methods like the above would involve great frictional resistances, tending to cause motion in the assumed steady points of the seismographs. One of the most perfect instruments would be obtained by registering photographically the motions of the recording index by the reflection of a ray of light. Such an instrument would, however, be difficult to construct and difficult to manipulate. One of the best practical forms of registering apparatus is one in which the record is written on a surface of smoked glass. This can afterwards be covered with a coat of photographer’s varnish, and subsequently photographed by the ‘blue process’ so well known to engineers.

To obtain a record of all the vibrations of an earthquake it is necessary that the surface on which the seismograph writes should at the time of an earthquake be in motion. Of record-receiving machines there are three types. First, there are those which move continuously. The common form of these is a circular glass plate like an old form of chronograph, driven continuously by clockwork. On this the pointers of the seismograph rest and trace over and over again the same circles. At the time of an earthquake they move back and forth across the circles, which are theoretically fine lines, and leave a record of the earthquake. Instead of a circular plate, a drum covered with smoked paper may be used, which, after the earthquake, possesses the advantage, after unrolling, of presenting the record in a straight line, instead of a record written round the periphery of a circle, as is the case with the circular glass plates. Such records are easily preserved, but they are more difficult to photograph.

The second form of apparatus is one which is set in motion at the time of a shock. This may be a contrivance like one of those just described, or a straight smoked glass plate on a carriage. By means of an electrical or a mechanical contrivance called a ‘starter,’ of which many forms have been contrived, the earthquake is caused to release a detent and thus set in motion the mechanism which moves the record receiver.

The great advantage of continuously-moving machines is that the beginning and end of the shock can usually be got with certainty, while all the uncertainty as to the action of the ‘starter’ is avoided. Self-starting machines have, of course, the advantage of simplicity and cheapness, while there is no danger of the record getting obliterated by the subsequent motion of the plate under the index.

Time-recording Apparatus.—Of equal importance with the instruments which record the motion of the ground, are those instruments which record the time at which such motion took place. The great value of time records, when determining the origin from which an earthquake originates, will be shown farther on. The most important result which is required in connection with time observations, is to determine the interval of time taken by a disturbance in travelling from one point to another. On account of the great velocity with which these disturbances sometimes travel, it is necessary that these observations should be made with considerable accuracy. The old methods of adapting an apparatus to a clock which, when shaken, shall cause the clock to stop, are of little value unless the stations at which the observations are made are at considerable distances apart. This will be appreciated when we remember that the disturbance may possibly travel at the rate of a mile per second, that its duration at any station may often extend over a minute, and that one set of apparatus at one station may stop, perhaps, at the commencement of the disturbance, and the other near the end. A satisfactory time-taking apparatus will therefore require, not only the means for stopping a clock, but also a contrivance which, at the same instant that the clock is stopped, shall make a mark on a record which is being drawn by a seismograph. In this way we find out at which portion of the shock the time was taken.

Palmieri stops a clock in his seismograph by closing an electric circuit. Mallet proposes to stop a clock by the falling of a column which is attached by a string to the pendulum of the clock. So long as the column is standing the string is loose and the pendulum is free to move; but when the column falls, the string is tightened and the pendulum is arrested. The difficulty which arises is to obtain a column that will fall with a slight disturbance. The best form of contrivance for causing a column to fall, and one which may also be used in drawing out a catch to relieve the machinery of a record receiver, is shown in the accompanying sketch.

s is the segment of a sphere about 4·5 cm. radius, with a centre slightly above c. l is a disc of lead about 7 cm. in diameter resting upon the segment. Above this there is a light pointer, p, about 30 cm. long. On the top of the pointer a small cylinder of iron, w, is balanced, and connected by a string with the catch to be relieved. When the table on which w p s rests is shaken, rotation takes place near to c, the motion of the base s is magnified at the upper end of the pointer, and the weight overturned. This catch may be used to relieve a toothed bar axled at one end, and held up above a pin projecting from the face of the pendulum bob. When this falls it catches the projecting pin and holds the pendulum.

Another way of relieving the toothed bar is to hold up the opposite end to that at which it is axled by resting it on the extremity of a horizontal wire fixed to the bob of a conical pendulum—for example, one of the indices of a conical pendulum seismograph. The whole of this apparatus, which may be constructed at the cost of a few pence, can be made small enough to go inside an ordinary clock case.

The difficulty which arises with all these clock-stopping arrangements is that it is difficult for observers situated at distant stations to re-start their clocks so that their difference in time shall be accurately known. Even if each observer is provided with a well-regulated chronometer, with which he can make comparisons, the rating of these instruments is for all ordinary persons an extremely troublesome operation.

In order to avoid this difficulty the author has of late years used a method of obtaining the time without stopping the clock. To do this a clock with a central seconds hand is taken, and the hour and minute hands are prolonged and bent out slightly at their extremities at right angles to the face, the hour hand being slightly the longest. Each hand is then tipped with a piece of soft material like cork, which is smeared with a glycerine ink. A light flat ring, with divisions in it corresponding to those on the face of the clock, is so arranged that at the time of a shock it can be quickly advanced to touch the inked pads on the hands of the clock and then withdrawn. This is accomplished by suitable machinery, which is relieved either by an electro-magnet or some other contrivance which will withdraw a catch. In this way an impression in the form of three dots is received on the disc, and the time known without either stopping or sensibly retarding the clock.

For ordinary observers, if a time-taker is not used in conjunction with a record receiver, as good results as those obtained by ordinary clock-stopping apparatus are obtainable by glancing at an ordinary watch. Subsequently the watch by which the observation was made should be compared with some good time-keeper, and the local time at which the shock took place is then approximately known.

From what has now been said it will be seen that for a complete seismograph we require three distinct sets of apparatus—an apparatus to record horizontal motion, an apparatus to record vertical motion, and an apparatus to record time. The horizontal and vertical motions must be written on the same receiver, and if possible side by side, whilst the instant at which the time record is made a mark must be made on the edge of the diagram which is being drawn by the seismograph. Such a seismograph has been constructed and is now erected in Japan. It is illustrated in the accompanying diagram.

The Gray and Milne Seismograph.—In this apparatus two mutually rectangular components of the horizontal motion of the earth are recorded on a sheet of smoked paper wound round a drum, d, kept continuously in motion by clockwork, w, by means of two conical pendulum seismographs, c. The vertical motion is recorded on the same sheet of paper by means of a compensated-spring seismograph, s l m b.

The time of occurrence of an earthquake is determined by causing the circuit of two electro-magnets to be closed by the shaking. One of these magnets relieves a mechanism, forming part of a time-keeper, which causes the dial of the timepiece to come suddenly forwards on the hands and then move back to its original position. The hands are provided with ink-pads, which mark their positions on the dial, thus indicating the hour, minute, and second when the circuit was closed. The second electro-magnet causes a pointer to make a mark on the paper receiving the record of the motion. This mark indicates the part of the earthquake at which the circuit was closed.

The duration of the earthquake is estimated from the length of the record on the smoked paper and the rate of motion of the drum. The nature and period of the different movements are obtained from the curves drawn on the paper.

Mr. Gray has since greatly modified this apparatus, notably by the introduction of a band of paper sufficiently long to take a record for twenty-four hours without repetition. The record is written in ink by means of fine siphons. In this way the instrument, which is extremely sensitive to change of level, can be made to show not only earthquakes, but the pulsations of long period which have recently occupied so much attention.

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