212 REPORT— 1898. 



The above earthquake evidently refers to one of two shocks which were 

 felt in Sandakan, on the north coast of Borneo, at 1.10 p.m. local time 

 (about 5.20 a.m. G.M.T.) on September 21. It was sufficiently severe to 

 crack a house and stop the town clock. 



These and other shocks accompanied the throwing up of a volcanic 

 island in E.L. 115° and N.L. 5° 14', about which on October 25 the 'Times' 

 writes as follows : — 



'A New Volcanic Island. — The 'Straits Times' of September 29 

 states that, according to telegraphic advices from British North Borneo, 

 an earthquake was felt at Kudat on September 21, as also a slight tremor 

 at several places along the coast. About the same time a new island was 

 thrown up from the sea between Mempakul and Lambeidan, 50 yards from 

 the mainland, opposite Labuan. The island is of clay and rocks, and 

 measures 200 yards long by 150 yards broad and GO feet high. The island 

 appears to be increasing in size, and emits inflammable gas in several 

 places, with a strong smell of petroleum gas. The earthquake was not 

 felt at Labuan.' 



Comparing this disturbance 134 with 133, both which are large at 

 Shide and Nicolaiew but small in Italy, we have an example of earthquakes 

 apparently from the same origin, and as measured by the distance to 

 which they propagated their vibrations of equal intensity, but which had 

 very different effects locally. The former only slightly disturbed a magneto- 

 graph in Batavia, 13° or 1,400 kms. distant, whilst the second created 

 marked disturbances in such instruments at Batavia and other places, 

 p. 243. Also the second was felt severely in Kudat and Sandakan (but 

 not at Labuan), and is reported in the newspapers, whilst the first is passed 

 without notice. ' 



The similarity of the Shide seismograms for 133 and 134 also suggests 

 that these shocks originated at or near the same locality. 



No. 135, September 21, 1897. 



Shide 



About 1 3 hours in Central Italy there was a violent earthquake, which 

 was recorded at all the observatories in Italy. It is hardly likely that 

 this is represented by the latter portion of the slight disturbances at 

 Shide. 



