248 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 



slight compared with the main shock. The Hydrographer kindly forwarded the 

 following telegram from the Commercial Cable Company : — 



No appreciable change in charted depths along line S. 42^ E. from lat. 44°-45 N., 

 long. 56°-09 W. to lat. 43°-58 N. long. 55°-05 W. 



A small earthquake on 1930 Jan. 22d. 20h. 44m. 403. is the subject of an interesting 

 note by Gutenberg and Landsberg (Beitr. zur Geoph., 26.2.1930) who put the epicentre 

 at 50° 6' N. 8° 8' E., and trace a probable connection with the shock of 1846 July 29, 

 the epicentre of which was determined macroseismically ; possibly also with older 

 shocks back to 1619. 



On 1930 May 5d. 13h. 45m. 50s. there was a destructive earthquake in Burma 

 which cost some hundreds of lives in Pegu and Rangoon, and damaged many buildings, 

 including the famous Shwehmawdaw Pagoda (a shrine of great sanctity said to contain 

 two hairs of Buddha). In the Rangoon Times of May 7 we read : — 



' It appears that the first shock in Pegu created but little apprehension, and it was 

 only when the fatal second came and houses toppled over like skittles that terror 

 seized the inhabitants. The collapse of the cinema was the most hideous disaster of 

 an appalling visitation.' 



As yet we have no seismographical information to hand enabling us to interpret 

 this reference to a preliminary feeble shock. 



The earthquake started a destructive fire, and this was followed by a huge seismic 

 wave which overwhelmed the city of Pegu, an ancient seaport whose history goes back 

 to 537 A.D. The epicentre may be put provisionally at 17° N. 95° E. 



On the following day. May 6d. 22h. 34m. 10s., there was a severe earthquake in 

 Persia, with a reported death roll of 3,000 ; epicentre about 38°-5 N. 45°-0 E., near 

 the town of Tabriz, which suffered severely. 



On July 2 there were a number of shocks near CTauhati in Assam, the severest 

 being at 21h. 3m. 30s. ; epicentre about 25°-0 N. 90°-0 E. Thirty-five railway bridges 

 were destroyed on the Bengal-Dooars railwaj'. 



Explosions. 



We are indebted to Messrs. Thom of the Patricroft Canal Works (near Manchester) 

 for responding to a request made by Mr. A. E. Mourant of the Manchester Geological 

 Survey Office, that certain explosions which they were contemplating in the course of 

 their work should be made as far as possible available for seismographic experiments, 

 especially by being made at specified times. Mr. Mourant took a good deal of trouble 

 with the details ; and thanks are also due to the Astronomer Royal and to the B.B.C. 

 for arrangements in connection with time signals. At Stonyhurst the speed of regis- 

 tration was temporarily trebled, and the sensitivity of the seismograph nearly doubled 

 (acting on suggestions made by Mr. J. J. Shaw), in order to see whether such a seismo- 

 graph could give information of value, without calUng portable seismographs into 

 action. Two explosions of 30 and 40 lbs. of dynamite were made on Feb. 21 after 

 some delay owing to fog, which made it undesirable to transport the explosive by car 

 for fear of accident. Stonyhurst (13^ miles away) got records described as ' almost 

 comparable in amplitude with the records of the Jersey earthquakes, and showing 

 two clearly separated phases ' : but they were puzzUngly late by about 30 sec. Later 

 explosions made it doubtful indeed whether they were directly connected with the 

 explosion itself ; and Mr. Mourant concludes that we cannot look to our ordinary 

 seismographs to provide information of value. To utilise the explosions, portable 

 seismographs with much higher magnification should be brought into action. 



Kew Obsekvatoky, Richmond, Suerey. 



The following report has been communicated by the Superintendent, Dr. F. J.W. 

 Whipple : — 



During the year 1929 the tabulation of microseisms was extended, the amplitudes 

 and periods recorded by the N. component seismograph being tabulated eight times 

 a day instead of four times. Analj'sis of the results indicates that there is no definite 

 type of diurnal variation of microseismic activity at Kew. This is contrary to 

 experience in some other parts of the world. 



A paper by Dr. Whipple on ' The Great Siberian Meteor and the Waves, Seismic 

 and Aerial, which it produced ' has been published by the Royal Meteorological Society. 

 The great meteor fell on June 30, 1908, but it is only recently that its importance has 



