148 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE [Julj, 188,7. 



to four waves, about eight feet long and about six inches high. Upon exami- 

 ning the spot the next morning, there were two distinct fissures in the hard 

 shell walk, about eighteen inches apart, quite straight and parallel, and with 

 their directions about North and South, at right angles to the direction of the 

 waves. Other fissures varying in width from a half inch to one inch were scat- 

 tered through the garden beds, but none were as straight as the two above 

 mentioned. I was unable to divide the whole disturbance into three successive 

 shocks. The movement appeared to me to be continuous, with a gradual dimi- 

 nution in violence, the greatest intensity being during the first half. 



My residence is in Gibbes St. , in the Southwestern part of the City, imme- 

 diately upon the waters of Ashley River. The tide was almost at its height, 

 and there was a complete calm which had prevailed during the afternoon, and 

 which I had particularly noticed, as the rising tide is generally accompanied by 

 more or less breeze from the ocean. The sky was without a cloud and the 

 stars were shining brightly. My impression of the direction from which the 

 wave came is that it reached me from a little South of West, and travelled to- 

 wards a little North of East. It came suddenly and was preceeded by a rum- 

 bling sound resembling a train of cars at a distance. During its continuance 1 

 was not conscious of any noise in the earth under my feet. 



There was only one mud spout worth mentioning, in the yard of a residence 

 opposite to my own, which I examined the next morning. The material thrown 

 up was sand that had been slightly discolored by mud having been mixed with 

 it. The diameter of the mass that had overflowed was three feet, with the top 

 of the crater about five inches high, The crater was three inches in diameter, 

 and its edges were so clearly defined as to lead to the impression that after the 

 sand had oozed out, there was a quantity of confined gas that had escaped, and 

 had continued to do so until the edges had dried and hardened. There was no 

 indication of water having escaped from this mud spout, and, although it did 

 escape in many places, I have heard no rehable opinion as to its having been 

 heated. 



It may be proper to add that the above recorded observations were made with 

 much composure of mind. I had, at the suggestion of Prof. L. E. Gibbes, de- 

 termined to note the direction from which came the wave of the next earthquake 

 that I should experience, and being under no apprehensions for the safety of 

 those under my care, I was able without difiiculty to trust to my senses in ob- 

 serving what was transpiring." . 



Mr. W. G. Mazyck notes his observations: 



On the evening of August 31st, 1886, I was writing at a large dining table on 

 the first fioor of a frame building in Montague St., near Lynch. The evening 

 was unusually sultry and unnaturally quiet. I was startled by a sudden and 

 very forcible vertical motion, ' up and down, ' of the house, which motion 

 changed with inconceivable rapidity into a combined vibratory and undulatory 

 movement accompanying a loud roaring and rumbhng subterranean noise, and 

 a singular whizzing sound in the air, apparently on a level with the tree tops, 



