﻿THE 
  EPICENTRAL 
  TRACT. 
  J49 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  south-west 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  bungalow 
  there 
  rises 
  a 
  low 
  hill 
  of 
  

   gneiss 
  which 
  was 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  rent 
  from 
  top 
  to 
  bottom 
  by 
  

   the 
  earthquake. 
  On 
  examination 
  I 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  statement 
  was 
  

   correct, 
  though 
  based 
  on 
  an 
  erroneous 
  inference 
  ; 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  As- 
  

   suring 
  can 
  be 
  traced 
  up 
  the 
  north-east 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  and 
  across 
  

   the 
  crest, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  fracture 
  itself 
  which 
  is 
  visible 
  from 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  and 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  report 
  that 
  was 
  made. 
  

  

  The 
  actual 
  fracture 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  wide, 
  it 
  has 
  rent 
  the 
  solid 
  

   rock 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  immediate 
  neighbourhood 
  the 
  violence 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  

   was 
  extreme. 
  Trees 
  have 
  been 
  overthrown 
  or 
  killed 
  as 
  they 
  stood 
  ; 
  

   a 
  huge 
  mass 
  of 
  rock, 
  dislodged 
  from 
  near 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  has 
  

   rolled 
  down 
  the 
  slope, 
  scoring 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  hill. 
  On 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   side 
  an 
  equally 
  large 
  block 
  has 
  been 
  dislodged, 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  downward 
  

   course 
  cleared 
  a 
  straight 
  track 
  down 
  the 
  hill 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  summit 
  a 
  

   gap 
  has 
  been 
  cleared 
  by 
  the 
  overthrow 
  of 
  trees 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  

   fracture. 
  It 
  was 
  this 
  gap 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  scores 
  down 
  the 
  hillsides 
  

   which 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  given 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  report 
  that 
  the 
  hill 
  had 
  been 
  

   rent 
  from 
  top 
  to 
  bottom 
  ; 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  they 
  were 
  pointed 
  out 
  to 
  me 
  

   as 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  fissure. 
  

  

  At 
  first, 
  on 
  seeing 
  what 
  was 
  the 
  true 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  appearances 
  

   on 
  which 
  the 
  report 
  was 
  based, 
  the 
  natural 
  inclination 
  was 
  to 
  reject 
  

   it 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  fables 
  which 
  are 
  narrated 
  of 
  earthquake 
  effects 
  ; 
  but 
  

   the 
  band 
  of 
  trees, 
  killed 
  as 
  they 
  stood, 
  which 
  ran 
  up 
  north-east 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  showed 
  that 
  something 
  unusual 
  had 
  happened, 
  and 
  on 
  

   a 
  closer 
  examination 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  great 
  slabs 
  of 
  weathered 
  

   gneiss 
  had 
  been 
  rent 
  in 
  two, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  crest 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  well 
  marked 
  

   depression, 
  like 
  a 
  small 
  ditch, 
  running 
  away 
  to 
  south-west. 
  

  

  This 
  fracture 
  is 
  not, 
  however, 
  confined 
  to 
  this 
  hill. 
  To 
  the 
  north- 
  

   east, 
  on 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  hills 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  alluvium, 
  a 
  

   line 
  of 
  landslips 
  could 
  be 
  seen, 
  and, 
  on 
  following 
  this 
  up, 
  a 
  zone 
  of 
  

   Assuring, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  great 
  overthrow 
  of 
  trees 
  and 
  breaking 
  of 
  

   . 
  bamboo 
  clumps, 
  could 
  be 
  traced 
  for 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  into 
  the 
  hills 
  

   before 
  it 
  became 
  too 
  indistinct 
  to 
  be 
  traceable. 
  

  

  The 
  line 
  of 
  this 
  fracture 
  runs 
  almost 
  under 
  the 
  manager's 
  bungalow, 
  

  

  ( 
  M9 
  ) 
  

  

  