﻿202 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  fall 
  into 
  the 
  river 
  with 
  a 
  crash 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  some 
  accounts, 
  

   is 
  at 
  times 
  undistinguishable 
  from 
  the 
  sound 
  of 
  a 
  distant 
  cannon. 
  

   This 
  explanation, 
  however, 
  fails, 
  like 
  the 
  last, 
  as 
  an 
  universal 
  

   one 
  since 
  the 
  sounds 
  are 
  heard 
  at 
  places 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  when 
  it 
  

   is 
  inadmissible. 
  

  

  The 
  subcommittee 
  of 
  the 
  Asiatic 
  Society, 
  saw 
  this 
  difficulty 
  

   and 
  attributed 
  the 
  sounds 
  to 
  reflection. 
  That 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  they 
  

   were 
  taken 
  to 
  be 
  sounds 
  originating 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  inaudible 
  till 
  the 
  sound 
  waves 
  had 
  been 
  reflected 
  from 
  a 
  

   concave 
  river 
  bank 
  or 
  hill 
  side 
  and 
  rendered 
  audible 
  by 
  being 
  

   brought 
  to 
  a 
  focus. 
  

  

  The 
  acceptance 
  of 
  this 
  hypothesis 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  mainly 
  

   determined 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  sounds 
  were 
  at 
  times 
  only 
  heard 
  

   by 
  one 
  of 
  two 
  neighbouring 
  observers 
  and 
  not 
  by 
  the 
  other. 
  This 
  

   is 
  explicable 
  on 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  the 
  one 
  who 
  heard 
  the 
  sound 
  

   was 
  in 
  the 
  focus 
  of 
  the 
  reflected 
  sound 
  waves, 
  while 
  the 
  other 
  was 
  

   not. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  explanation 
  to 
  be 
  noticed 
  is 
  that 
  which 
  regards 
  the 
  

   1 
  Barisal 
  guns 
  ' 
  as 
  earthquake 
  sounds. 
  We 
  shall 
  return 
  to 
  this, 
  and 
  

   all 
  that 
  need 
  be 
  said 
  here 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  peculiar 
  local 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  

   sounds 
  which 
  led 
  the 
  subcommittee 
  of 
  the 
  Asiatic 
  Society 
  to 
  at- 
  

   tribute 
  them 
  to 
  reflection, 
  is 
  not 
  inconsistent 
  with 
  their 
  being 
  seismic 
  

   It 
  seems, 
  however, 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  the 
  supposed 
  fact 
  is 
  a 
  real 
  one; 
  

   preoccupation, 
  disturbance 
  in 
  the 
  household, 
  distraction 
  from 
  what- 
  

   ever 
  cause, 
  or 
  even 
  mere 
  inattention, 
  might 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  sound 
  not 
  

   being 
  noticed 
  by 
  one 
  observer. 
  But 
  even 
  if 
  the 
  sound 
  was 
  inaudible, 
  

   and 
  not 
  merely 
  unheard, 
  at 
  one 
  place 
  of 
  observation, 
  this 
  would 
  not 
  

   be 
  difficult 
  of 
  explanation. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  already 
  explained 
  that 
  the 
  earthquake 
  sounds 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  

   to 
  travel 
  any 
  great 
  distance 
  through 
  the 
  air, 
  but 
  to 
  originate 
  locally 
  

   in 
  the 
  immediate 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  the 
  person 
  by 
  whom 
  they 
  are 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  this 
  explanation 
  was 
  rejected 
  by 
  one 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  subcommittee 
  

   on 
  the 
  grounds 
  that 
  the 
  sounds 
  were 
  heard 
  in 
  places 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  inapplicable 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  

   the 
  absence 
  of 
  high 
  river 
  banks 
  to 
  reflect 
  the 
  sounds. 
  

  

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