﻿NARRATIVE 
  ACCOUNTS. 
  31 
  

  

  earthquake, 
  and 
  I 
  ran 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  terrace 
  overlooking 
  the 
  portico 
  of 
  our 
  College 
  : 
  

   time 
  about 
  5 
  p.m. 
  Everything 
  around 
  was 
  in 
  motion, 
  but 
  my 
  attention 
  was 
  

   chiefly 
  attracted 
  to 
  the 
  energetic 
  oscillations 
  of 
  a 
  heavy 
  stone 
  cross, 
  capping 
  the 
  

   front 
  of 
  the 
  College. 
  It 
  was 
  clearly 
  moving, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  portico 
  as 
  well, 
  almost 
  

   due 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  ; 
  a 
  little 
  statue 
  in 
  my 
  room, 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  bracket 
  attached 
  on 
  

   the 
  north 
  wall, 
  fell 
  and 
  rested 
  slanting 
  against 
  the 
  wall. 
  These 
  two 
  facts 
  point 
  

   evidently 
  to 
  a 
  first 
  and 
  strong 
  oscillation 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  coming 
  apparently 
  from 
  

   the 
  south. 
  

  

  " 
  Finding 
  the 
  terrace 
  on 
  which 
  we 
  stood 
  unsafe 
  I 
  went 
  down 
  a 
  spiral 
  staircase, 
  

   and 
  had 
  to 
  prop 
  myself 
  in 
  doing 
  so 
  for 
  fear 
  of 
  losing 
  my 
  balance. 
  Once 
  down- 
  

   stairs 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  I 
  looked 
  again 
  at 
  the 
  cross, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  then 
  still, 
  the 
  oscillation 
  

   had 
  been 
  twisted 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  : 
  I 
  found 
  in 
  my 
  laboratory 
  afterwards 
  two 
  clear 
  indica- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  that 
  twist 
  in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  heavy 
  objects 
  which 
  had 
  pivoted 
  from 
  south 
  to 
  

   east. 
  In 
  my 
  opinion 
  the 
  strongest 
  and 
  most 
  lasting 
  vibration 
  was 
  that 
  from 
  east 
  

   to 
  west, 
  as 
  evidenced 
  by 
  a 
  tall 
  book-case 
  placed 
  against 
  the 
  east 
  wall 
  in 
  my 
  room, 
  

   being 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  fallen 
  direct 
  towards 
  the 
  west, 
  when 
  I 
  returned 
  to 
  my 
  room. 
  

   Besides, 
  all 
  the 
  cracks 
  in 
  the 
  College 
  buildings, 
  in 
  St. 
  Thomas' 
  Church, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Loretto 
  Convent 
  show 
  unmistakable 
  signs 
  of 
  being 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  an 
  east-westerly 
  

   vibration. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  have 
  a 
  conclusive 
  proof 
  that 
  the 
  last 
  vibration 
  was 
  in 
  that 
  direction, 
  in 
  a 
  

   maxim 
  barometer 
  suspended 
  on 
  gimbals, 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  oscillating 
  due 
  east 
  and 
  

   west, 
  as 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  heavy 
  pendulum 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  my 
  glass 
  cases. 
  Several 
  heavy 
  

   objects 
  had 
  also 
  been 
  thrown 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direction. 
  The 
  time 
  this 
  unex- 
  

   ampled 
  earthquake 
  lasted 
  is 
  variously 
  estimated 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  or 
  over 
  7 
  minutes. 
  It 
  

   may 
  be 
  interesting 
  to 
  know 
  that 
  a 
  slight 
  but 
  distinct 
  shock 
  was 
  felt 
  yesterday 
  night 
  

   at 
  about 
  9-30 
  and 
  another 
  one 
  at 
  about 
  8-30 
  a.m. 
  this 
  morning. 
  The 
  barometric 
  

   curve 
  of 
  yesterday 
  is 
  almost 
  a 
  straight 
  line, 
  showing 
  an 
  almost 
  stationary 
  state 
  of 
  

   the 
  atmosphere." 
  

  

  M. 
  Paul 
  de 
  Bure, 
  Assistant 
  Agent 
  of 
  the 
  Messageries 
  Mari- 
  

   times, 
  writes 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  wakened 
  by 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  very 
  rapid 
  

   vibrations 
  which 
  were 
  vertical 
  as 
  it 
  seemed 
  to 
  him 
  ; 
  then 
  came 
  some 
  

   slight 
  oscillations 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  then 
  that 
  a 
  

   noise 
  as 
  of 
  a 
  heavily 
  laden 
  cart 
  was 
  heard. 
  These 
  oscillations 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  till 
  pieces 
  of 
  plaster 
  and 
  masonry 
  began 
  falling 
  down, 
  and 
  he 
  

   went 
  outside 
  the 
  house. 
  From 
  here 
  he 
  saw 
  that 
  the 
  house 
  was 
  

   oscillating 
  in 
  a 
  south-east 
  to 
  north-west 
  direction, 
  and 
  the 
  oscillations 
  

   were 
  unequal 
  as 
  it 
  always 
  seemed 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  house 
  would 
  fall 
  to 
  the 
  

   west 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  east. 
  A 
  lightning 
  conductor 
  rod 
  was 
  set 
  in 
  

   motion 
  and 
  swung 
  some 
  2o° 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  perpendicular, 
  in 
  a 
  

   direction 
  parallel 
  to 
  Park 
  Street. 
  

  

  ( 
  3' 
  ) 
  

  

  