312 C. Davison — British Earthquakes of 1889. 



Throughout the area in which they were heard, the sounds varied 

 greatly both in nature and duration ; and, in most cases, the variation 

 seemed to have depended on the position of the place of observation. 

 The exact duration is not often explicitly stated. It is given at about 

 four seconds at Bury, four or five seconds at Chorley, about two 

 seconds at Bacup, several seconds at Altrincham, and a few seconds 

 at Bolton and Middleton. Something may, hovs^ever, be inferred 

 from the numerous accounts that have been given of the phenomena. 



The following descriptions seem to indicate that the sound was 

 more or less sudden and transitory : 



(a) Cheetham : as of a heavy body falling in the street. 

 Darwen : (1) closely resembling that made by a door being 



violently shut ; (2) like the fall of a signal-post. 



(b) Accrington : like the thud caused when snow falls from the roof. 



St. Helens : a rumble as of a heavy thud on the gable end of 



the house. 

 Tyldesley : as if some heavy weight had fallen in the room 

 below. 

 In the next group, the sounds were apparently more prolonged : 

 (a) Chorley : like the rumbling of heavy waggons on stone 

 pavement. 

 Eccles : there was a noise as of very heavy snow sliding 

 down the roof, and as it passed the S.S.W. corner there was 

 a sound as if many tons of snow had fallen on the ground. 

 Heaton Chapel : resembling a vehicle in the street. 

 Leyland : such that a cabman thought his horse had I'un away. 

 Lower Broughton : like the suppressed roaring of wind 



entering a gorge. 

 Manchester : a rustling noise as of wind playing among loose 



paper. 

 Moston : a noise attributed to a colliery explosion. 

 Prestwich : like a heavy but distinct roll of thunder. 

 Sough : resembling that of a horse which had got loose in 

 its stall. 

 (6) Baoup : like that of a road-engine. 



Hulton Park : as if a carriage were driving up to the door. 



Leigh : as of heavy waggons rolling rapidly along the street. 



Orrell Post : like that of a heavy conveyance passing in the 



heavy snow which had fallen during the day. 



Now, in both lists, all places preceded by the letter (a) are situated 



in the N.W. and S.E. quarters formed by drawing lines from north 



to south and east to west through the epicentrum ; and those 



preceded by the letter (b) are in the N.E, and S.W. quarters. 



These results are summarized in the following table : 



a. b. Total. 



Sounds of short duration at ... 2 ... 3 ... 5 places. 

 Sounds of long duration at ... 9 ... 4 ... 13 ,, 



We may conclude, then, that, on the whole, the duration of the 

 sound was greater at places near the line of the Irwell fault than 

 at places more remote from it. 



