﻿RATE 
  OF 
  PROPAGATION. 
  59 
  

  

  if 
  the 
  time 
  could 
  be 
  depended 
  on, 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  

   Little, 
  Meteorological 
  Reporter 
  to 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  Bengal, 
  that 
  

   no 
  special 
  care 
  is 
  taken 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  time 
  strictly 
  accurate, 
  as 
  an 
  

   error 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  minutes 
  is 
  not 
  material, 
  and 
  the 
  time 
  recorded 
  

   on 
  this 
  diagram 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  depended 
  on 
  for 
  a 
  greater 
  accuracy 
  

   than 
  this. 
  The 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  maximum 
  disturbance 
  is 
  about 
  5I1. 
  3m., 
  

   which 
  shows 
  that 
  error 
  of 
  the 
  clock 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  well 
  within 
  the 
  

   limits 
  mentioned. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  detailed 
  time 
  observation, 
  other 
  than 
  instrumental, 
  which 
  

  

  has 
  been 
  communicated 
  to 
  me, 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  Babu 
  Pyari 
  Lai 
  Mukho- 
  

  

  padyaya, 
  of 
  71-1 
  Bencatola 
  Street, 
  who 
  writes: 
  — 
  

  

  "I 
  am 
  a 
  medical 
  practitioner 
  residing 
  in 
  the 
  native 
  quarter 
  of 
  the 
  town. 
  

   Having 
  prepared 
  myself 
  for 
  my 
  usual 
  evening 
  round 
  at 
  about 
  two 
  minutes 
  short 
  

   of 
  five 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  the 
  12th 
  instant, 
  my 
  Garrhy 
  ready 
  at 
  the 
  door, 
  I 
  had 
  

   a 
  short 
  chat 
  with 
  a 
  gentleman 
  waiting 
  for 
  me. 
  Just 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  stepping 
  in, 
  I 
  felt 
  

   somewhat 
  giddy 
  and 
  questioned 
  myself 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  ailed 
  me. 
  I 
  thought 
  something 
  

   wrong 
  in 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  waited 
  a 
  moment. 
  When 
  lo 
  ! 
  everything 
  began 
  to 
  swing, 
  

   and 
  I 
  found 
  my 
  mistake 
  out. 
  The 
  shocks 
  then 
  were 
  slight 
  but 
  rapid, 
  resembling 
  a 
  

   sort 
  of 
  general 
  tremor, 
  and 
  the 
  directions 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  apparently 
  marked. 
  I 
  

   immediately 
  took 
  out 
  my 
  watch, 
  which 
  was 
  correct 
  to 
  the 
  minute. 
  It 
  was 
  5h, 
  im. 
  

   23s. 
  The 
  watch 
  had 
  been 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  gunfire 
  the 
  very 
  same 
  afternoon. 
  

   In 
  order 
  to 
  make 
  assurance 
  doubly 
  sure, 
  I 
  compared 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  gun-fire 
  the 
  next 
  

   afternoon, 
  and 
  found 
  it 
  as 
  accurate 
  as 
  I 
  expected. 
  Some 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  seconds 
  must 
  

   have 
  passed 
  before 
  I 
  could 
  collect 
  myself, 
  and, 
  making 
  allowance 
  for 
  the 
  distance 
  

   from 
  which 
  I 
  heard 
  the 
  booming 
  of 
  the 
  gun, 
  say 
  some 
  12 
  seconds 
  it 
  takes 
  the 
  

   sound 
  to 
  travel 
  that 
  distance, 
  the 
  exact 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  at 
  

   about 
  5h. 
  om. 
  51s." 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  record 
  is 
  a 
  photographic 
  one, 
  a 
  ray 
  of 
  light 
  falling 
  through 
  a 
  narrow 
  slit 
  on 
  a 
  slowly 
  

   travelling 
  band 
  of 
  sensitised 
  paper. 
  The 
  mercury 
  column 
  stands 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  this 
  slit 
  ; 
  and, 
  as 
  

   it 
  rises 
  and 
  falls, 
  protects 
  a 
  varying 
  amount 
  of 
  the 
  paper 
  from 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  light. 
  The 
  

   downward 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  curve 
  during 
  the 
  earthquake 
  is 
  consequently 
  due, 
  not 
  to 
  an 
  actual 
  fall 
  

   of 
  the 
  barometer, 
  but 
  to 
  a 
  disturbance 
  of 
  the 
  mercury 
  column 
  by 
  which 
  its 
  upper 
  surface 
  was 
  

   caused 
  to 
  oscillate 
  and 
  admit 
  light 
  to 
  a 
  level 
  below 
  the 
  mean 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  barometer. 
  That 
  

   such 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  mercury 
  column 
  did 
  take 
  place 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  Meteorolo- 
  

   gical 
  Observer 
  at 
  Cbandbali, 
  to 
  the 
  Meteorological 
  Reporter 
  to 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  Bengal, 
  

   in 
  which 
  he 
  says 
  "as 
  soon 
  as 
  possible 
  I 
  looked 
  at 
  the 
  barometer, 
  but 
  the 
  mercury 
  was 
  

   agitated 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  (pumping) 
  that 
  the 
  nearest 
  mean 
  reading 
  I 
  could 
  get 
  was 
  29*650. 
  

   At 
  4 
  p.m. 
  it 
  showed 
  29/674, 
  Ther. 
  83 
  , 
  nearly 
  motionless; 
  and 
  at 
  5-30 
  p.m. 
  29700, 
  Ther. 
  83°, 
  

   pumping 
  slightly." 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  instrument, 
  no 
  tilting 
  of 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  could 
  affect 
  the 
  

   record, 
  as 
  the 
  change 
  in 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  barometer, 
  due 
  to 
  such 
  inclination 
  as 
  could 
  have 
  

   been 
  given 
  to 
  it, 
  would 
  be 
  inappreciable. 
  

  

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  59 
  ) 
  

  

  