A. a Twining on the Earthquake of October, 1870. 49 



a fallacious test, because so much influenced by temperament, 

 as well as by situations and positions. Persons sitting, for ex- 

 ample, were far more sensitive than persons standing. Again, 

 while operatives in upper rooms often rushed down — as here at 

 New Haven — in a panic, persons standing or walking iu the im- 

 mediate vicinity beloWj did not even peivcivc tlic plicn-unmMn. 

 The same remark applies to the reported swaying ol w;tll> and 

 buildings ten inches to a foot, wide 1 1 is no il<>nlil exnggmited 

 in amount. But a vague conclusion may he (leri\e(l in>rn 

 specific occurrences, such as the displacement of olijects. the 

 cracking of window panes or of ceilings, inul the lallmg of 

 chimneys, as well as from the degree of puhlie noliee which 

 the event excited. All that, in the present instance, can he ration- 

 ally deduced from such indications would seem to he that the 

 amount of disturbance at New York, at Clevehanh ;it .Mih 

 waukee and Detroit was about the same as at New 11 a \ en : 

 that it was greater at Boston, at Brunswick, at Montreal and at 

 Quebec ; that it was less at Cincinnati, at Chicago, and at Du- 

 buque, and was but just distinctly perceptible at Richmond. Va. 

 In other woi-ds, the movement was more remarkable m the East 

 and North, and less in the West and particularly m the South. 

 It is also believed that no like occurrence comparable in the 

 aggregate with this one has been experienced in New England 

 during the present century, nor since November 18, 17o»— 

 supposing the newspaper quotation, relative to that event, made 

 by a Boston correspondent, from "a book published m 1/86 

 to be correct and authentic. 



It only remains to compare the times noted at the various 

 places concerning which our information is sufficiently authentic. 

 At this place there were two among the observers who separately 

 noted the time by reference to standard time-pieces. By each 

 the same time of beginning was given, within a few seconds ;— 

 that is, IV 19"^ 46*. The average of three other observa*'-"" 



Z 



3 could not be ascertained except c 



day after, proved to be very nearly the same, iiie same 

 elusion was farther confirmed, with sufficient exactness, by 

 the average of three clocks which had stopped, as observed upon 

 their dials. Prof. C. Smallwood of Montreal Observ y has obhg- 

 mgly furnished observations of local time in the Canad as which 

 are entitled to confidence, viz., at Quebec, Montreal and Owens 

 Sound, and also at St. Johns, N. B. These will be found m 

 their place in the table below. The time at Boston, taken by 

 Mr. Farmer with care, is communicated by Prof. Newton to- 

 gether with most of the newspaper notices herein referred to. 

 That at Harvard College Observatory has been obligingly lur- 

 uished to the writer by Assistant Arthur Searle, together with 

 the other facts herein stated as observed at that locahty. Ihe 

 Am. Jour. Sci.-Thibd Sekies, Vot. I, No. 1.-Jan., 1871, 



