INTRODUCTION. 3 



addressed to them, as soon as the extent of the disturbances was 

 realised. The help of the educated public was invited by similar 

 questions circulated in the daily press, and letters were addressed to the 

 heads of various departments, and to many of the railway and 

 postal officials in the affected areas. It is impossible to name all 

 my helpers individually, and I must therefore be content to thank 

 collectively on my own behalf, and on behalf of the Geological Survey, 

 all members of the various civil departments under the Govern- 

 ment of Burma. His Britannic Majesty's Consuls in Yiinnan. the 

 newspaper editors of Burma and Siam, and the numerous private 

 persons for generous assistance so freely given. 



It is hardly necessary to point out that such data must vary 

 very greatly in accuracy, coming as they do from the careful official 

 observer on the one hand, to the untrained and often terrified witness 

 on the other. Again, the difficulty of stating the results of an 

 earthquake in an Eastern land in terms of a scale established in 

 Europe is well known. In spite of these difficulties, and by the 

 elimination of doubtful observations, it is believed that the following 

 pages approximate very closely to the actual facts, and that the 

 conclusions drawn from them are as accurate as it is possible for 

 them to be. 



The following letter was addressed to all deputy commissioners 

 in Burma : — 



Under the orders of (lie Government of India, 1 am investigating the 

 Maymyo earthquake of May 23rd last. In this connection I have the 

 honour (o request that you will kindly forward me any accounts of the 

 shocks and the damage they may have done in your station or district. 

 Reportq of engineers, building inspectors of Municipalities and divisional 

 officers, or indeed all trustworthy evidence of any kind will he invaluable 

 in aiding towards elucidating the causes. Both this shock and a preceding 

 one appear to have been felt to a greater or lesser degree throughout the 

 province!. Particulars are especially wanted concerning : — 



1. The time at which the shock was felt. The means by which the time 

 was observed, whether merely guessed, whether recorded at the moment by 

 a watch, and whether the watch was compared with a clock known to 

 keep a recognised standard time, such as a railway or telegraph office clock. 



2. Number of distinct shocks. — Particulars of any preliminary tremulous 

 vibrations, the number of principal and prominent shocks, and the existence 



of tremulous vibrations after (lie principal shocks and the time of their 

 duration. 



.'?. Apparent direelion of shocks, judged by the fall of loose objects, 

 hanging lamps, or movements of water in tanks and bath-tubs. 



b2 



