Seism In the Suburbs

Forty-odd years ago, Will Wheeler was a scrawny lad at St. Mark's Elementary School in the dreary London suburb of Hanwell. Will was a quiet one. He would coop himself up with a parcel of old almanacs and make calculations. On bright nights he would gaze at the stars and jot notes on slips of paper. When Will and his girl were planning to marry, Will warned her solemnly: "There'll be thunder on our wedding day." On their one-day honeymoon at Wembley, the newlyweds got drenched to the skin in a thunderstorm.

Today, Will Wheeler still lives in Hanwell, together with his wife "Pip" and his daughter "Squeak." He keeps an aircraft parts store, but he spends hours over his calculations, predicting things--usually earthquakes. "Y'see, 'quakes is Will's 'obby --though 'e does do 'ot and cold spells too," explained Pip last week. " 'E don't use no instruments. 'E does it by brains. 'E sits there quiet as can be and 'e juggles those bits of paper and then 'e mykes up 'is mind there's goin' to be a 'quake."

Three months ago, Will made up his mind about a certain town called Rivo-dutri, near Rome, in far-off Italy. Italian newspapers picked up Will's prediction, and Rivodutri got due warning. But Will's little bits of paper must have been slightly off: the big shake came a week early. Rivodutri's houses caved in while the people were still wondering whether Will's prophecy would really come true.

In Britain, Will became a minor sensation. "You'd 'ave thought we'd 'ad a murder 'ere," complained one of Will's neighbors, "wot with newspapermen and photographers and television and even foreigners !" The prophet resented the world's vulgar prying. As usual, Pip spoke for him. " 'E doesn't like to be disturbed," she said. "Now 'e's fed up. 'E ain't goin' to tell nobody when there's goin' to be a 'quake no more, so they can jolly well find out for themselves, and 'e don't reckon it'll be 'is fault if they're all killed."

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