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.
[Illustration: FIG. 8.]
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.
CHAPTER III.
EARTHQUAKE MOTION DISCUSSED THEORETICALLY.
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