﻿RATE 
  OF 
  PROPAGATION. 
  57 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  only 
  necessary 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  reports 
  on 
  the 
  Charleston 
  *■ 
  Earth- 
  

   quake, 
  or 
  those 
  of 
  Agram 
  3 
  (1880) 
  and 
  Laibach 
  s 
  (1895), 
  to 
  see 
  now 
  

   largely 
  even 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  careful 
  records 
  can 
  vary, 
  and 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  earthquake 
  of 
  1897 
  exhibit 
  an 
  even 
  greater 
  diver, 
  

   gence. 
  I 
  shall 
  consequently 
  confine 
  myself 
  to 
  noticing 
  those 
  records 
  

   which 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  accurate. 
  

  

  In 
  making 
  such 
  a 
  selection 
  great 
  care 
  should 
  be, 
  and 
  has 
  been, 
  

   taken 
  to 
  exclude, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible, 
  any 
  bias 
  to 
  select 
  those 
  records 
  

   which 
  give 
  a 
  result 
  most 
  concordant 
  with 
  the 
  anticipated 
  rate 
  of 
  

   transmission. 
  Were 
  the 
  inherent 
  probability 
  of 
  the 
  recorded 
  times 
  

   solely 
  taken 
  into 
  consideration, 
  or 
  even 
  largely 
  so, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  possible 
  

   to 
  obtain 
  ample 
  evidence 
  for 
  almost 
  any 
  assumed 
  rate 
  of 
  propagation. 
  

   The 
  proper 
  course 
  is 
  to 
  look 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  inherent 
  probability 
  of 
  the 
  

   record 
  being 
  correct, 
  as 
  judged 
  from 
  the 
  circumstances 
  of 
  the 
  report- 
  

   er's 
  occupation, 
  or 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  precautions 
  taken 
  to 
  ensure 
  accu- 
  

   racy. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  records 
  which 
  on 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  them 
  carry 
  a 
  

   presumption 
  of 
  accuracy, 
  are 
  so 
  discordant 
  with 
  the 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  class, 
  that 
  they 
  must 
  be 
  rejected 
  on 
  this 
  ground 
  alone, 
  but 
  

   no 
  good 
  can 
  result 
  from 
  accepting 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  records 
  whose 
  

   only 
  claim 
  to 
  credit 
  is 
  a 
  consistency 
  with 
  other 
  records, 
  this 
  con- 
  

   sistency 
  being 
  perhaps 
  due 
  to 
  accident 
  or 
  a 
  combination 
  of 
  error 
  s 
  

   which 
  happen 
  to 
  compensate 
  each 
  other. 
  

  

  Turning 
  now 
  to 
  the 
  detailed 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  records, 
  we 
  

   may 
  begin 
  with 
  those 
  from 
  Calcutta 
  and 
  Bombay, 
  where 
  they 
  

   attain 
  a 
  greater 
  degree 
  of 
  accuracy 
  and 
  trustworthiness 
  than 
  at 
  

   any 
  other 
  places. 
  

  

  At 
  Calcutta 
  a 
  tide-gauge 
  is 
  permanently 
  established. 
  The 
  time 
  

   is 
  checked 
  every 
  day 
  at 
  4 
  P. 
  M. 
  and 
  6 
  p. 
  m. 
  and 
  the 
  times 
  of 
  the 
  

   disturbances 
  recorded 
  on 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  12th 
  June 
  can 
  consequently 
  

  

  1 
  Captain 
  E. 
  Dutto. 
  The 
  Charleston 
  Earthquake 
  of 
  31st 
  August 
  1886, 
  Ninth 
  

   Ann. 
  Rep. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geol. 
  Survey 
  (1889). 
  

  

  8 
  F. 
  Wahner, 
  Das 
  Erdbeben 
  von 
  Agram 
  am 
  9th 
  November 
  1880. 
  Sitz. 
  ber. 
  d. 
  

   Math, 
  naturw. 
  CI. 
  k. 
  Akad. 
  Wiss., 
  Wien. 
  LXXXVIH, 
  pt. 
  I, 
  1884. 
  

  

  8 
  F. 
  E. 
  Suess, 
  Das 
  Erdbeben 
  von 
  Laibach 
  am 
  14th 
  April 
  1895. 
  Jahrb. 
  k. 
  k. 
  

   Geol. 
  Reichsanstalt. 
  XL 
  VI 
  (1897). 
  

  

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  57 
  ) 
  

  

  