SEISMOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS 235 
ponents of the earth’s motion, and during his visit to England in the autumn 
of 1933 it was arranged that, in view of the importance of the station, a 
second seismograph should be provided by the Committee. This instru- 
ment was supplied in May of this year. 
The attention of the Committee has been called to the desirability of a 
seismograph record in the island of Jersey, which is situated in a region 
where small earthquakes have been comparatively frequent in recent years. 
It was hoped that arrangements could be made for the installation at St. 
Louis Observatory, Jersey, of a Mainka Seismograph placed at the disposal 
of the Committee by Dr. Crombie’s executors, but this has not proved 
practicable. The Committee is indebted, however, to the governing body 
of St. Louis Observatory, Jersey, for the consideration given to this matter. 
The Science Museum at South Kensington possesses an excellent collection 
of seismographs. A valuable addition to the collection is to be made shortly, 
a seismograph which will be kept in operation in view of the public. ‘The 
records of this instrument will be on smoked paper, and there will be an 
alarm bell to give audible warning when an earthquake is being recorded. 
Mr. J. J. Shaw is providing this installation and expects to have it in 
operation during the autumn. 
At Kew Observatory, where three Galitzin seismographs are in operation, 
an additional instrument has been taken into use. ‘This is a reproduction of 
the Wood-Anderson torsion seismograph which has proved of great value 
in America for the study of near earthquakes. The special feature of this 
seismograph is the minute moving system. It was suggested in 1913 by 
G. W. Walker that a seismograph might be made to go in atumbler. This 
ideal has almost been reached in the Wood-Anderson seismograph ; the 
base of the case containing the moving system is only 5 ins. square and the 
height 124 ins. The efficiency of the instrument may be judged by the 
fact that it recorded, on January 1, 1934, an earthquake near Biarritz which 
was not shown on the Galitzin records. 
The Great Earthquake in India——Amongst the earthquakes of the year, 
by far the most important is the one which occurred on January 15, 1934, 
in the north of India near the frontier between the Province of Bihar and 
the Native State of Nepal. To judge by the distance at which this earth- 
quake was felt, about 1,000 miles, it was one of the greatest on record. In 
the central area about 140 miles long and 90 miles wide, twelve towns with 
populations from 10,000 to 60,000 were completely wrecked, and there 
was great destruction of property over an area as large as Great Britain. 
In the circumstances it is remarkable that the estimated death roll in 
Bihar did not much exceed 7,000. This is attributed to the majority of 
the population living in low-roofed mud huts which, even when they collapsed, 
caused little injury. Large tracts of agricultural land were ruined by the 
coarse sand ejected from fissures and blowholes in the surface. 
The following graphic account of his experiences during the earthquake 
was written by Dr. V. D. Wyborn at Ord, 25 miles south of Darjeeling : 
“ About 2.30 P.M. a sudden trembling of the ground started, accompanied 
by a rumble as of distant thunder. Trembling was steady for about 3 
minutes. Character of a rhythmic vibration about 2 beats per second (very 
much resembling that felt in a motor launch having a very vibratory or 
loose bearing petrol engine). The brick and steel reinforced house shook 
and rocked visibly and appeared as if it would collapse. Bottles shook and 
fell. Walls cracked and plaster fell. Walls collapsed in other places. 
Children were thrown off their feet. My sensation in the open garden was 
that of giddiness, sickness and insecure foothold as on board ship, with a 
vibratory motion from the ground as well as a heaving or wave up and 
