\q COGOTN BROWN: THE BURMA EARTHQUAKES OF MAY 1912. 



bled the rambling of a string of carts loaded with loose sheets of iron. 

 People appear to have been too frightened to give any coherent 

 statement of sound phenomena during the period of the actual 

 shock. Those standing at the time of the shock- felt it most, 

 some who were travelling were not conscious of any vibrations at all. 

 He personally did not know of the earthquake for this reason. 

 Walls were cracked in all directions and no Special law of failure 

 was noticeable. Some objects fell from E. to \V. He could not 

 obtain any definite or reliable information about the number of 

 distinct shocks. 



Mr. S. II. Armitage, Irtawaddiy Match Co., Ltd.. Mandalay. — The 



big shock of May 23rd finished at 9-1 a.m.. by the works* clock, which 

 is always accurate to one or two minutes. Subsequently be had occa- 

 sion to visit Mandalay Railway Station, and found that the big 

 clock had been stopped at exactly I minute to 9 a.m. Regards 

 this as the time when the shock most probably readied its maxi- 

 mum. It came on fairly suddenly, increasing in power for perhaps 

 7 or 8 seconds, then slightly diminishing to increase immediately 

 to greater violence, another slight, diminution then followed and 

 suddenly increased to the maximum effort which lasted quite half 

 a minute. It was continuous for not less than (id seconds, and 

 not more than 90 seconds. During the last portion he was certain 

 that a big chimney stack and the end walls of the building would 

 come down. His position of observation was in the middle of 

 the compound, and the above periods were noted by the swaying 

 of a steel chimney 89 feet high, which partially pulled lip two logs 

 to which it was stayed on the N. and S. by wire hawsers. Those 

 on the E, and W. were not apparently moved. Every few minutes 

 after the principal shock, greater or lesser minor disturbances were 

 noticed for some hours. They only lasted a verv few seconds, 

 the periods between them Lengthening and the violence diminishing 

 during the day. From 9 to 10 a.m. he distinctly felt 12 shocks 

 which produced an appreciable sound in the office building, which 

 is not very solid and stands on piles. No preliminary tremors 

 were felt during the immediate period (of say 6 or 12 hours), 

 before 9 a.m. Several were felt at intervals following on the shock 

 which took place at 3 P.M. on May 21st, 1912, and which lasted 

 about 30 seconds, but these are not regarded as preliminary tre- 

 mors to that of the 23rd, although if the disturbances are regarded 

 as a whole they were remotely preliminary. 



