210 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 
pendent of his: ‘The reported loss of life varies from 1,000,000—a Chinese 
official report—to 100,000, a ‘‘conservative’’ foreign estimate.’ Part of the 
population live in caves, and were buried alive by the collapse of the hills. 
Others sleep on brick platforms with a fire underneath, and were either burnt 
in the fire or died of cold and exposure from the fire being extinguished. 
Letters have been received (in reply to inquiries kindly suggested by the 
Royal Geographical Society) from a number of missionaries and others, giving 
details of the terrible disaster in various localities. A valuable report from 
Mr. E. J. Mann in Lanchow (103°.9 E., 36°.0 N.) deserves special mention. 
He gives a sketch map of the district most affected which extends from 
Haicheng (105°.95 E., 36°.35 N.) : ‘No walls left ; no people left ’ ; 
Ta-la-Chih (105°.36 E., 36°.62 N.): ‘Important large market; entirely 
destroyed ’ 
(these as northern limit) to 
Tonguei (105°.12 E., 35°.22 N.: ‘No wall standing; not quite so flat as Hai- 
cheng’ ; 
and Ma-ing (104°.97 E., 35°.30 N.) : Same note as Ta-la-Chih. 
The mean co-ordinates of these four places are 105°.3 E., 35°.9 N., and, so 
far as it is possible to specify a single point for a disaster of such magnitude, 
we might take this for the epicentre. Mr. Mann draws attention to two 
volcanoes N. and 8. of the district most affected. The positions given above 
are taken from his sketch map by comparison with a few well-known points : 
and the positions he records for the volcanoes are 
te) ie) 
105-79 EF 37-26N] Mean 
104-69 E 34-64 N | 105°-24 35°-95 
The point midway between them is, as Mr. Mann observes, remarkably 
close to the middle of the affected district, as above estimated. ‘The northern 
volcano ‘does not emit fire but is always smoking.’ Close to the southern, 
which is also a ‘ smoking hill,’ is a ‘noted boiling-water spring to which people 
go for medical baths.’ Between the hills are a ‘large number of warm or hot 
springs. There is a real hot one close to the ruined city of Tonguei, and 
there are many warm ones in the district of Ching-yuan ’ (105.08 E., 36°59 N.). 
Other points of interest in Mr. Mann’s letter may be briefly summarised 
thus :— 
(A.) Percentage of houses destroyed at 
O° ° ie) 
Ching-yuan : . | 105-08 EB. 36:59 N. | A)-78 80 to 90 per cent. 
Ching-ning : ; - | 105-59 35-41 0-60 80 + 
Ku-yuan ; : | 106.24 35-65 0:90 60 to 80 on 
Tsinchow | 105-15 34-49 1-40 50 , 
Huei-ning | 105-03 35°67 0-28 40 : 
The distance A from the epicentre deduced above is estimated from the 
map. The percentage for Huei-ning suggests that the epicentre should be 
moved further away from it, probably to the East, which would bring it nearer 
Ku-yuan. This is in accordarice with the rough shading on the map by which 
Mr. Mann has indicated the devastated area. Perhaps 105°:8 E., 35°.8 N., would 
be a better estimate, taking everything into account. Father Gherzi’s contour 
lines suggest 106°.1 E., 35°.6 N. 
(B.) Black and evil-smelling water was vomited in many places; the earth 
opened in others. [In the subsequent quake of December 25 a man fell into 
an opening up to his middle, which then closed and smashed his legs.] In 
several places long strips of land subsided 20 or 30 feet. 
(C.) At Tsinchow (105°.0, 349.4) is a stone tablet commemorating the re- 
building of the walls after an earthquake when half the people were killed. 
(Date not yet communicated.) ; 
(D.) The barometer fell heavily before each bad earthquake; for that of 
December 16 was followed by a series of others, which, at the time of writing 
