﻿THE 
  EPICENTRAL 
  TRACT. 
  1 
  2Q 
  

  

  Chapter 
  IX.— 
  RESULTS 
  OF 
  AN 
  EXPLORATION 
  

   OF 
  THE 
  EPICENTRAL 
  TRACT. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  fine 
  weather 
  of 
  1897-98 
  I 
  had 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  

   making 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  epicentral 
  tract, 
  which 
  could 
  not, 
  

   unfortunately, 
  be 
  so 
  complete 
  as, 
  for 
  instance, 
  that 
  undertaken 
  by 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Charleston 
  

   Earthquake 
  of 
  1886. 
  

  

  The 
  reasons 
  for 
  this 
  are 
  three-fold: 
  firstly, 
  the 
  great 
  area; 
  

   secondly, 
  the 
  impassable 
  character 
  of 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  ; 
  and 
  

   thirdly, 
  the 
  limited 
  time 
  available. 
  Of 
  these, 
  the 
  last 
  may 
  be 
  

   regarded 
  as 
  the 
  corollary 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  ; 
  had 
  the 
  area 
  to 
  be 
  examined 
  

   been 
  only 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Charleston 
  Earthquake, 
  the 
  

   time 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  ample, 
  but 
  instead 
  of 
  an 
  area 
  with 
  the 
  largest 
  

   dimension 
  of 
  about 
  30 
  miles, 
  the 
  corresponding 
  tract 
  of 
  ground 
  

   in 
  the 
  present 
  case 
  had 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  300. 
  Added 
  to 
  the 
  

   size 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  was 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  considerable 
  proportion 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  

   that 
  too 
  where 
  the 
  most 
  extensive 
  permanent 
  changes 
  were 
  produced, 
  

   is 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  forest 
  or 
  bamboos, 
  through 
  which 
  it 
  

   is 
  only 
  possible 
  to 
  advance 
  by 
  laboriously 
  cutting 
  every 
  step 
  of 
  the 
  

   way, 
  once 
  the 
  beaten 
  track 
  is 
  left. 
  For 
  this 
  reason 
  the 
  examination 
  

   had 
  to 
  be 
  practically 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  beaten 
  tracks, 
  which 
  were 
  only 
  

   left 
  when 
  there 
  seemed 
  good 
  reason 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  results 
  

   would 
  repay 
  the 
  time 
  taken 
  up, 
  in 
  slowly 
  forcing 
  a 
  way 
  through 
  the 
  

   jungle 
  at 
  a 
  rate 
  of 
  about 
  three 
  hours 
  to 
  the 
  mile. 
  

  

  In 
  describing 
  the 
  results 
  obtained 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  propose 
  to 
  adopt 
  a 
  

   narrative 
  form. 
  On 
  the 
  map 
  No. 
  II 
  is 
  shown 
  the 
  course 
  actually 
  

   followed 
  on 
  this 
  tour 
  of 
  examination, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  incorporated 
  in 
  other 
  chapters 
  of 
  this 
  re- 
  

   port. 
  The 
  present 
  one 
  will 
  be 
  chiefly 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  consideration 
  

   of 
  the 
  evidences 
  of 
  permanent 
  changes 
  of 
  level 
  due 
  to, 
  or 
  perhaps 
  

   rather 
  the 
  cause 
  of, 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  

  

  Before 
  dealing 
  with 
  these, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  well 
  here 
  to 
  notice 
  the 
  

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