﻿204 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  examination 
  is 
  a 
  demonstration 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  of 
  seismic 
  origin, 
  and 
  

   that 
  no 
  other 
  hypothesis 
  would 
  satisfactorily 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  facts. 
  

  

  The 
  ' 
  guns 
  ' 
  of 
  Meleda 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  lasted 
  for 
  about 
  five 
  years 
  

   and 
  then 
  ceased. 
  It 
  is 
  definitely 
  stated 
  that 
  none 
  had 
  been 
  heard 
  

   before 
  1822, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  published 
  account, 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  aware 
  of, 
  

   of 
  their 
  recurrence 
  after 
  1827. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  outside 
  these 
  dates 
  

   they 
  were 
  merely 
  too 
  infrequent 
  to 
  attract 
  notice, 
  but 
  if 
  the 
  

   limitation 
  is 
  correct, 
  they 
  fall 
  into 
  a 
  numerous 
  category 
  of 
  outbreaks 
  

   of 
  explosive 
  sounds 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  Europe 
  and 
  in 
  America. 
  There 
  

   are, 
  however, 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  regions 
  where 
  sounds 
  like 
  the 
  ' 
  Barisal 
  

   guns 
  ' 
  are 
  well 
  known 
  locally 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  regarded, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  

   Bengal, 
  as 
  a 
  permanent 
  phenomenon. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  Flemish 
  coast 
  explosive 
  sounds 
  known 
  as 
  mistpceffer 
  

   have 
  been 
  studied 
  by 
  Van 
  den 
  Brceck, 
  who 
  has 
  published 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  accounts 
  of 
  them 
  1 
  ; 
  and 
  still 
  more 
  recently 
  Professor 
  

   A. 
  Cancani 
  has 
  published 
  an 
  accou.nt 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  similar 
  sounds 
  

   known 
  as 
  marina 
  in 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  Umbria. 
  3 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  impossible 
  here 
  to 
  examine 
  all 
  these 
  accounts 
  in 
  detail, 
  

   but 
  a 
  brief 
  notice 
  of 
  the 
  points 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  agree 
  or 
  disagree 
  will 
  

   be 
  necessary. 
  In 
  all 
  cases 
  and 
  places 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  general 
  

   consensus 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  only 
  heard 
  in 
  calm 
  weather. 
  This 
  probably 
  

   only 
  means 
  that 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  strong 
  wind 
  blowing 
  the 
  sounds 
  are 
  

   drowned 
  by 
  those 
  directly 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  wind. 
  Apart 
  from 
  this, 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  agreement 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  year, 
  of 
  day, 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  

   weather. 
  The 
  accoun 
  ts 
  from 
  different 
  places 
  differ 
  widely 
  in 
  these 
  

   points, 
  and 
  even 
  different 
  accounts 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  differ 
  radi- 
  

   cally 
  from 
  each 
  other. 
  

  

  These 
  discrepancies 
  are 
  not 
  difficult 
  to 
  understand. 
  Except 
  the 
  

   short 
  lived 
  observations 
  instituted 
  by 
  the 
  Asiatic 
  Society 
  in 
  1888, 
  no 
  

   attempt 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  test 
  impressions 
  by 
  actual 
  

  

  1 
  Gel 
  et 
  Terre 
  XVI, 
  XVI, 
  passim 
  (1895-96). 
  

  

  2 
  A 
  Cancani. 
  " 
  Eaiisal 
  guns, 
  Mistpoeffers, 
  Marina," 
  Boll. 
  Soc. 
  Sismol. 
  Ital. 
  Ill, 
  222-234 
  

   (.898). 
  

  

  ( 
  204 
  ) 
  

  

  