i9'3.] SEE— ORIGIN OF HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS. 505 



slowly returned seawards, and strangely enough, the sea, which elsewhere 

 heaved and tossed for hours after the first great wave had swept over it, 

 here came soon to rest. 



At Callao a yet more singular instance was afforded of the effect which 

 circumstances may have upon the motion of the sea after a great earthquake 

 has disturbed it. In former earthquakes Callao has suffered terribly from 

 the effects of the great sea-wave. In fact, on two occasions the whole town 

 has been destroyed, and nearly all its inhabitants have been drowned, through 

 the inrush of precisely such waves as flowed into the ports of Arica and 

 Chala. But upon this occasion the center of subterranean disturbance must 

 have been so situated that either the wave was diverted from Callao, or more 

 probably two waves reached Callao from different sources and at different 

 times, so that the two undulations partly counteracted each other. Certain 

 it is that although the water retreated strangely from the coast near Callao, 

 insomuch that a wide tract of the sea-bottom was uncovered, there was no 

 inrushing wave comparable with those described above. The sea afterwards 

 rose and fell in an irregular manner, a circumstance confirming the supposi- 

 tion that the disturbance was caused by two distinct oscillations. Six hours 

 after the occurrence of the earth-shock, the double oscillations seem for 

 awhile to have worked themselves into unison, for at this time three con- 

 siderable waves rolled in upon the town. But clearly these waves must not 

 be compared with those which in other instances had made their appearance 

 within half an hour of the earth-throes. There is little reason to doubt that 

 if the separate oscillations had reinforced each other earlier, Callao would 

 have been completely destroyed. As- it was, a considerable amount of mis- 

 chief was effected; but the motion of the sea presently became irregular 

 again, and so continued until the morning of August 14, when it began to ebb 

 with some regularity. But during the 14th there were occasional renewals 

 of the irregular motion, and several days elapsed before the regular ebb and 

 flow of the sea were resumed." 



In this excellent account of the great sea wave at Arica, August 

 13, 1868, Proctor makes no allusion to the U. S. S. Frcdonia, which 

 was lying at anchor with the Wateree; and we add therefore that 

 the Fredonia is reported to have been capsized as the wave ad- 

 vanced, and nothing was ever again heard of her, all the officers 

 and crew having been lost with the wreck of the vessel. 



The Wateree was but little injured, and afterwards used as a 

 hotel. The picture of the stranded Wateree here reproduced was 

 made by an officer who visited the scene sometime after the dis- 

 aster. This valuable historic photograph has been preserved by 

 Mrs. E. V. Cutts, of Mare Island, to whom the author is indebted 

 for this impressive illustration of the effects of this great sea wave. 



