F. A. Perret — Report on the Messina Earthquake. 323 



important volcanic or seismic event before the close of the 

 year. 



At the moment of the earthquake the moon was near the 

 nadir and the sun just below the eastern horizon. 



The earth movement resulted in a sea wave which arrived 

 at Messina two or three minutes after the shock and at Villa 

 San Giovanni several minutes later. It reached the point of 

 Schiso (^Naxos) in 35 minutes and Malta in 115 minutes. It 

 was also registered by the mareograph at Ischia, the greatest 

 rise (22 cm ) occurring at 2.30 p.m. and the intervals between 

 crests being 12 minutes. The height of the wave at Messina 



Fig. 2. 



** *.:.:W ' fU * 





XM:r * * 



Fig. 2. View along water-front, showing relative stability of low buildings. 



seems not to have exceeded three meters ; at Keggio it was 

 somewhat greater and reached its maximum on the coast below 

 Taormina. In all cases the wave was noteworthy only by its 

 development on reaching shallow water — a small, low free- 

 board ferry-boat with passengers aboard having been in the 

 Straits at the time and suffering no inconvenience beyond the 

 difficulty of landing at the damaged and submerged ferry- 

 slips. 



The earthquake is described as having been preceded for a 

 few seconds by a singing sound like a far-away wind storm 

 which rapidly drew nearer and became a rumble and a roar 



when the earth movement b 



esan. 



