Dr. C. Davison— Brit l>ih Earthquakes, 1893-99. 165 



and contains only 9 square miles. The direction of its longer axis 

 is E. 5° N. and W. 5^ S. The centre of the area is i mile north 

 of Blisland. 



The shock was felt at 13 places. The sound was heard at all of 

 these, and at 6 other places, 4 of which lie outside the disturbed 

 area. The sound-area overlaps the disturbed area both to the north 

 and south, but whether towards the east and west as well is doubt- 

 ful ; for, owing to the scarcity of observations, it is impossible to 

 trace the boundary of the sound-area. 



Scait ^n.iat 



Si Br.uKo^d 



Fig. 2.— Cornwall Earthquake : Aug. 27, 1895. 



In all parts of the disturbed area, the shock was merely a slight 

 tremor, a shaking like that experienced on a bridge when a heavy 

 weight is passing over it. At Greenbarrow, the earthquake was 

 noticeable first as a low rumbling sound, growing louder until it 

 resembled an explosion of gunpowder, causing a slight trembling of 

 the floor and a little shaking of the furniture in the room. 



The sound is described in 15 records, the comparisons being to 

 passing trains, etc., in 83 per cent, of the number, to thunder (a long 

 low peal of thunder) in 47 per cent., and to explosions in 20 per 

 cent. The beginning of the sound generally coincided with that 

 of the shock, and the end of the sound either coincided with, or 

 followed immediately, the end of the shock. The epochs of maximum 

 intensity of both sound and shock coincided, as is the rule in weak 

 earthquakes. Several observers noticed a change in the character of 

 the sound at the time when it was loudest. This is shown in the 

 record from Greenbarrow quoted above. The evidence of an observer 

 at Tregaddick is also worth giving. " The sound," he says, " was 

 like that of an artillery waggon being trotted up to the house, and, 

 when it apparently had arrived at the house, there was a noise as if 

 two large stones were crunched against each other." 



Origin of the Earthqualce.—The only element of the originating 

 fault that can be determined is its average direction, which is 

 E. 5"^ N. and W. 5° S. The Geological Survey map shows no fault 



