[PRCo] Re: Quake & Bake

Tue Oct 2 18:52:24 EDT 2007

Speaking as a geologist, I don't think we really know when it is  
coming.   We can only say that quakes of magnitude 4 occur every x  
years on average.   Those of magnitude 5 every y years on average.   
Those of magnitude 6 every z years on average.   The stronger they  
are, the less frequently they occur.   Note the word on average.      
It is the same as saying a hurricane of a certain strength will  
follow a certain track every so many years, on average.    If you get  
lucky, you're not there.

If you are unlucky, you were in the wrong building in Anchorage, AK  
on March 27, 1964 when all hell broke loose and the street split in  
two down the middle.

On Oct 2, 2007, at 5:10 PM, Jim Holland wrote:

> You were very fortunate, Jerry!     Yes that was a quake.     No  
> trolley
> strike since the early to mid-1970s  --  if there was a strike then  
> bus,
> cables, Trolley Coach and TrolleyCar would not be operating.     Do  
> you
> get out this way very often?     AnyOne  coming this way, please  
> drop a
> line.     Can't promise anything but there is always the possibility
> that arrangements can be made for a tour of the area to known and  
> other
> areas just as wonderful.
> .
> The reports I see here here on the earthquake are subjective, not  
> unlike
> 10 people witnessing an accident // event and you will get 20  
> different
> stories back.     They need verification for validity  --  that is  
> part
> of life.     People who are shocked // knocked off their feet can see
> anything.     I__Was__Here,__Too.     I am guessing that was about
> dinner time because I remember being at the table and the kids being
> spooked.     You just roll with the punches.
> .
> I understand people not wanting to be involved with earthquakes, but I
> also know that we make more of incidents than is reality.
> SnoozePapers also list 3.1 'tremors' as earthquakes and they probably
> are technically but the majority of us never feel those  --  and
> snoozepapers sell on excitement and this is exciting And  
> Sensationalism
> --  Not unlike recessions // depression  --  Recession when neighbor 
> affected but Depression when personally affected.     Then there are
> 'quakes' that knock things off shelves and break a window or two  --
> but this also happens with stronger storms in many areas which happen
> far more frequently than earthquakes.     Part of it is conditioning
> --  people are conditioned to storms  (storm shutters to prevent 
> breakage of windows used to be on many homes)  and I am not talking
> about hurricane country but weather in places like Pgh., Cleveland,
> Ohio, Chicago, etc.     I can remember many storms where damage was  
> done
> but they are so frequent that it isn't exciting for snoozepapers to
> report on each one.     Earthquakes are far less frequent.
> Frequent statement from the 1950s is just as true if not more true
> today    ----    """Believe 50% of what you read; none of what you  
> hear"""
> .
> They say a big quake is coming within several decades  --  hope it
> doesn't happen and hope I don't experience it but what can we do.
> .
> .
> .
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Jerry Matt Matsick <mtoytrain at bellsouth.net>
> To: Pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 5:52:58 AM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Quake & Bake
>
> Jim the "earthquake of 1989" was something else, just two days  
> prior to
> the quake I  drove on the freeway that collapsed, out on a business  
> trip
> to Walnut Creek, we drove several times on that freeway in and out of
> the bay area, and would you believe there was a trolley strike in San
> Francisco, correct me if I am wrong.  I was traveled to the Bay Area
> several times in 1989 so I may be mistaken.
> --
> Jerry "Matt" Matsick
> Jacksonville, Florida
> .
> .
> .
> Herb Brannon wrote:
>>
>> The SF Cronicle headline that evening was "ROLLERQUAKE" spread all
>> over the front page in tall letters. It was the quake which did a lot
>> of damage to a government facility of some type at Livermore, CA. I
>> was in a frame house on Deloris Street. My buddy from Pgh (who moved
>> to CA) lived there. We were waiting for two girls to get there. They
>> were on the streetcar on Market Street coming to Deloris St. The  
>> young
>> ladies told us about the trolley tracks and I experienced the house
>> swaying back and forth as I made my way down the long hallway from  
>> the
>> kitchen to the front door............hopefully to get to the "safety"
>> of the door frame. It stopped when I arrived at the doorframe.
>>
>> The earthquake, however, was on January 24, 1980 and centered 10  
>> miles
>> NW of Livermore. It registered 5.8 on the Richter Scale. It was what
>> is called a "rolling earthquake" and causes things to sway and bend
>> then return to their original shape. Check it out............I was
>> there. Also, I will never go there again. There is no escape other
>> than having a hot-air ballon standing by in your yard. After that I
>> knew why Enrico Caruso never returned after his performance at the
>> Opera House in April, 1906.
>>
>> Jim Holland <PRCoPCC at P-R-Co.com> wrote:
>>
>> .
>>
>> We had tremors in the late 1970s and early 1980s but not an  
>> earthquake.
>>
>> .
>>
>>
>> Herb Brannon
>>
> ^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
> Jim  Holland
> .
> Studying Pittsburgh Railways Company
> .
> ....................From 1930 -- 1950
> .
> Pennsylvania  Trolley  Museum  (PTM)
> .
> http://www.pa-trolley.org/
> .
> N.M.R.A.
> .
> http://www.nmra.org/
>