I/O OCCASIONAL NOTES. 



shock which occurred three times in succession." {Straits 

 Times), No distinct shocks were felt in any part of the 

 Peninsula, nor was any sound heard during the tremors, ex- 

 cept that of the moving timbers, glasses, etc. No damage is 

 reported from any part of the Peninsula, nor any absolute 

 displacement of furniture, except that at Telok Ayer (Singa- 

 pore) where a lamp glass and ruler were shaken off a table upon 

 the floor. Much damage, however, is reported atPadang Sidem- 

 puan in Tapanuli district, Sumatra, and also to a less extent in 

 Deli, and Rantan Perapat. In Singapore much alarm was 

 caused to the natives, who ran out of their houses, and one 

 Chinaman was so frightened that he leaped out of a window 

 and broke his leg. Mr. Justice GOLDNEY reports that just 

 before the shock was felt a number of black and white robins 

 {Copsyciis musicus)^^'^ into the house, and some were caught 

 by the cat. 



No tidal wave was observed on the Singapore coasts, but at 

 Muar, a steamer lying at the wharf was moved repeatedly, 

 and off Singapore and Johor ships and boats were rocked 

 about. 



The earthquake was felt all over Singapore, in Johor, Muar, 

 Malacca, Jelebu, Penang, Province VVellesley and at Pekan, 

 besides the places mentioned in Sumatra, but not in Borneo 

 nor Java. In certain spots in Singapore nothing was noticed, 

 such were Government Hill and Fort Canning. It is well 

 known that earthquakes have a habit of skipping over certain 

 places, which spots have been termed " earthquake bridges." 

 Milne (Earthquakes, p. 141) says : " When an elastic wave 

 passes from one bed of rock to another of a different character 

 a certain portion of the wave is transmitted and refracted and 

 bridges we may conceive ofas occurring where the phenomenon 

 of total refraction occurs." It is possible that this may 

 account for the absence of the tremors in these spots, but in 

 som.e cases where nothing was noticed, the observers were 

 walking or standing on the ground, and the shock being com- 

 paratively weak was not perceived as it was by persons in 

 wooden houses on piles which naturally were more unstable 

 and thus would move with the slightest shock. The tremors 



