190 



H. G. FOEDHAM THE EARTHQUAKE 



by what appeared to him to be a loud noise. He fancied that a 

 picture on the wall must have fallen down, and when called later 

 on asked the servant whether what he fancied had taken place. 

 This is about all he can say with any certainty. My son fancied 

 that he heard the crockery on his washing-table shaking, but of 

 this he is not absolutely certain. No picture actually fell. At the 

 same time my daughter was awakened by a shaking of her bed 

 from side to side and by a bell on the wall of her room ringing. 

 She was a good deal frightened. The bed lies [see rough plan] 



fi. 



Sell 



Plan No. 3. — Yerulam House, Watford. 



almost N. and S. The bell is on the wall forming the eastern 

 boundary. When the bell is rung by pulling the stiing the clapper 

 woiild move N. and S. ; it might be made to sound if the bell 

 were shaken in any direction, but it only swings naturally as 

 shown on the plan from N. to S. — T. Vaughan Roberts, Verulam 

 House, Watford. 



* My house is situated at the S.E. end of Watford and about 50 

 yards from the River Colne on low-lying ground. The time at 

 which the shock was felt was between 5.33 and 5.34 a.m. Both 

 my mother and myself were awakened by the shaking of the beds. 

 My bed appeared to be shaken as if by a succession of waves 

 following one another fairly rapidly (say about three per second). 

 It was a regular motion, and I could not hear the slightest noise. 

 The duration of the shock was from four to six seconds. On feeling 

 the peculiar motion I immediately thought it was an earthquake, 

 and listened intently for a rumbling sound which I expected, but 

 could hear absolutely no noise whatever, neither from the effects of 

 the shock nor accompanying it. I made a thorough examination 

 of the house afterwards and could find nothing displaced, with the 

 exception of one pictiu-e in my room slightly tilted. Only one 

 shock was felt. The wave-like motion appeared to pass from 

 "WSW. to ENE., as my bed lies in that direction, and the move- 

 ment seemed to commence at my feet and pass away towards my 

 head ; and this is borne out by my mother, whose bed appeared to 

 rock from side to side, the direction of her bed being at right 

 angles to mine. — Geo. H. Haywood, 287, High Street, Watford. 



