234 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VII. No. 164. 



war likened them to the reports of heavy 

 siege guns fired at frequent intervals during 

 the night. 



From May 31 to the time of my visit, on 

 June 6, the explosions are reported to have 

 continued with considerable regularity, 

 from five to ten slight shocks being about 

 the daily average. During my stay of three 

 days at Pearisburg I heard and felt a num- 



in intensity and in frequency, until at the 

 present time they are scarcely noticeable. 

 Mr. Shuler estimates that there have been 

 at least 250 distinct shocks observed at 

 Pearisburg since the 3d of May. 



The many conflicting reports of the in- 

 habitants regarding the shocks made it 

 almost impossible to arrive at any definite 

 conclusion regarding the relation of the 



SKETCH MAP OF THE PEAEISBUEG KEGION. 



P— Pearisburg "WM "Wolf Creek Mt. A— Angels' Rest. 



N— Narrows PM Pearis Mt. NP— Newport. 



ML — Mountain Lake...BH Big Horse Gap. 



,.SR Sugar EunMt. 



ber of these explosions and tremors. Ordi- 

 narily I should not have noticed most of 

 them, merely supposing them to be distant 

 thunder. But a few were severe enough to 

 jar the windows perceptibly. Since then, 

 according to the reports of Mr. J. A. H. 

 Shuler, the Baptist minister of the town, 

 the shocks have been growing less and less 



disturbance to the geologic structure of the 

 region, but a few facts were noted which 

 seem to have a bearing on this interesting 

 question. 



Apparently the general shock of May 

 31st was most severely felt at the Narrows, 

 which is located on one of the most com- 

 plex and extensive faults of the region. 



