8 OLDHAM : THE CACHAlt EARTHQUAKE OF ICtII JANUARY 1869. 



though it would not be safe to assume as certain that the place where 

 it was seen was the actual spot of its fall. It most certainly had 

 not been moved by human hands for none of the people would voluntarily 

 have touched it and no orders had been given for its removal ; but it may 

 very possibly have rolled a little after falling, to which its nearly spheri- 

 cal form would lend itself. The ruined portion of the adjoining wall 

 which acted as a support to this gate-pillar, had also been thrown over 

 in ruin and much broken by the fall. The eastern half of the gate 

 itself, which was attached to the pillar by ordinary bolt and hook 

 hinges, was lying flat beside the broken pillar, still attached by one of 

 these hinges. 



The western pillar of the gateway was also overthrown and broken 

 up by the fall in similar way. The capital here also was separated 

 from the shaft, and was lying overturned on the ground close by the 

 top of the pillar. Its projecting mouldings had evidently struck the 

 ground when the pillar fell over and the capital, separating from 

 the pillar, was upset by the force of the blow. The spherical ball at 

 the top was more than 7 feet from the capital, its position being 

 no less than 17 feet 3 inches from the centre of base of the pillar 

 over which it was originally placed ; but the lie of the ground, sloping 

 down from the roadway and the position in which this ball was found, 

 with its base slewed half round towards the north-west, seem to prove 

 that this position was due to its having rolled along the ground after 

 it fell, rather than to its having been projected from the top of the pillar 

 by the force of the wave. 



The half of the gate attached to this western pillar was left stand- 

 ing on its side, leaning against, and supported by, the broken mass of the 

 pillar. It had been thrown off its hinges, and been slightly moved 

 towards the north. 



In all there was abundant evidence of a sudden and violeut force 



producing this general overthrow, but unfortunately not yielding as 



clear and convincing proof of the direction in which the force had acted 



as I had at first hoped ; the peculiar conditions under which the gateway, 



( 8 ) 



