﻿THE 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  SOUND. 
  195 
  

  

  At 
  Tagaung 
  I 
  heard 
  that 
  the 
  noises 
  had 
  been 
  heard 
  from 
  the 
  N. 
  W. 
  It 
  was 
  only 
  

   when 
  I 
  made 
  enquiries 
  onboard 
  the 
  I. 
  F. 
  Co.'s 
  Steamer 
  Mogaung 
  that, 
  on 
  hearing 
  

   there 
  had 
  been 
  no 
  firing 
  of 
  big 
  guns, 
  I 
  concluded 
  the 
  sounds 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  caused 
  

   by 
  an 
  earthquake. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  occurrence 
  I 
  thought 
  the 
  firing 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  practice 
  or 
  in 
  

   connection 
  with 
  the 
  coming 
  Jubilee. 
  It 
  rained 
  very 
  heavily 
  on 
  nth, 
  12th, 
  13th 
  and 
  

   onto 
  15th. 
  

  

  The 
  shocks 
  were 
  not 
  felt, 
  and 
  except 
  for 
  fthe 
  lapping 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  would 
  not 
  

   have 
  been 
  noticed. 
  

  

  The 
  sounds 
  came 
  to 
  us 
  from 
  west-north-west 
  of 
  Theingale. 
  

  

  The 
  sounds 
  were 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  like 
  the 
  rumbling 
  of 
  earthquakes 
  I 
  have 
  heard 
  

   before, 
  and 
  quite 
  deceived 
  me 
  and 
  my 
  hunters, 
  who 
  were 
  all 
  especially 
  intelligent 
  

   in 
  jungle 
  matters 
  and 
  noises. 
  

  

  Similar 
  sounds 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  heard 
  at 
  Sigyaing 
  and 
  

   Mawlu 
  in 
  the 
  Katha 
  district. 
  At 
  the 
  former 
  place, 
  four 
  loud 
  reports 
  

   were 
  heard 
  before 
  the 
  shock 
  ; 
  at 
  the 
  latter, 
  they 
  were 
  heard 
  afterwards. 
  

  

  Other 
  accounts, 
  from 
  places 
  in 
  Northern 
  Bengal, 
  mention 
  sounds 
  

   like 
  the 
  reports 
  of 
  distant 
  artillery, 
  but 
  no 
  reference 
  to 
  them 
  will 
  be 
  

   made 
  here, 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  make 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  accounts 
  

   whether 
  they 
  merely 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  ordinary 
  rumble, 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  peculiar 
  

   sounds 
  now 
  being 
  dealt 
  with. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  short 
  explosive 
  sounds 
  referred 
  to 
  here, 
  

   like 
  those 
  accompanying 
  the 
  earthquakes 
  of 
  1869 
  and 
  1881, 
  were 
  

   comparatively 
  local 
  in 
  their 
  distribution, 
  the 
  areas 
  over 
  which 
  they 
  

   were 
  heard 
  were 
  well 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  epicentre, 
  and 
  the 
  explosive 
  

   sounds, 
  though 
  evidently 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  followed 
  it 
  

   after 
  a 
  lapse 
  of 
  many 
  minutes. 
  

  

  The 
  cause 
  of 
  these 
  sounds 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  unexplained, 
  and, 
  though 
  

   several 
  suggestions 
  might 
  be 
  made, 
  fuller 
  and 
  more 
  detailed 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  required 
  before 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  express 
  a 
  definite 
  

   opinion. 
  One 
  thing, 
  however, 
  seems 
  clear 
  ; 
  that 
  the 
  delay 
  between 
  

   the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  shock 
  and 
  the 
  hearing 
  of 
  the 
  explo- 
  

   sive 
  sounds 
  is 
  too 
  great 
  to 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  the 
  slower 
  rate 
  of 
  travel 
  

   of 
  the 
  sound 
  wave 
  through 
  the 
  air, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  interval 
  

   between 
  a 
  lightning 
  flash 
  and 
  its 
  thunder 
  clap. 
  Were 
  this 
  the 
  

   2 
  C 
  195 
  ) 
  

  

  