EARTHQUAKE INDICATORS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 252, 31 October 1878, Page 6

EARTHQUAKE INDICATORS.

In a recent interesting historical p*ppr upon •« Destructive Eaitbquakea in Jupan," by Mr Hatteri, of the University of Tokio, is the following description of a curious seismograph, or enr hqu«kt> re«ister,inyented by Choko, about 132 ad. The eeiamopriph consists of a copper vessel, w'ose diameter was eight shaker or feef, and whose crnvex cover was ornnrueDted with characters, mountain turtles, birds and beasts, la this vo^l there wag one main piston in the middle with Us eight Wenches, wires and spriugg. On ibe outside of this veß3el were ei«ht dra»on he-vlB, e*ch of them having a copper ball in its full opened mouth. Uuder each of (he dragon heads there was a frojj looking upwards with its mouth full. The wirework nnd springs wero very skilfully arrargid in the vessel, but the cover wub closely fitted and they coul<i not be &e?u. Wheuever the earth shook, one of the dragons dropped the bull, the fro* underneath received it, in ite mouth, and produce I a sound. By this means the direction of the shocks can be ascertained. Once one of the drngons dropped its ball, but no person near it perceived any Bbock, and all the learned men of the capital doubted the trustworthiness of the machine; but after a few days a mail arrived Irom Rjtel and reiortad the occurrence of an earthquake there.