July, 1887.] ELLIOTT SOCIETY. 151 



piles 60 feet long which are cut off level and cajjped with heavy timber. Into 

 these caps heavy cypress supports are mortised, the tenons being 6 inches long, 

 and upon these supports the building rests. At the time of the earthquake it 

 contained about 45, 000 tons of Fertilizers, &c. The shock raised this enor- 

 mous bulk sufficiently to throw a very large number of the tenons clear of the 

 mortises, and the building being moved slightly outhwards, the tenons, fail- 

 ing to re-enter the mortises, rested on the caps. 



From the facts above mentioned I am led to the opinion : that the duration 

 of the great shock was more than 60 seconds ; that the earthwave moved from 

 N. AV. to S. E. ; and that its height was about six inches. In reaching this 

 conclusion regarding the direction of the wave, I am influenced by the evident 

 fact that the wave lifted that portion of a building with which it first came in- 

 to contact — according to my observation of the buildings mentioned above, the 

 N. W. angle — and throwing it forward as it pafesed beneath it, thus damaging 

 its foundation, as stated, on the quarter opposite to that from which the force 

 was first applied. 



An extraordinary circumstance, possibly worthy of mention, as apparently in- 

 dicating some peculiar atmospheric condition hitherto unobserved, was noticed 

 by several pressmen employed in the various printing offices in the City, Their 

 press rollers — made of a composition consisting mainly of glue and molasses — 

 were found on the next morning to be covered with a peculiar slimy sub- 

 stance, and, to use the expressive language of the foreman of one of our lar- 

 gest establishments, 'appeared to have rotted,' going to pieces upon any at- 

 tempt to use them. 



One of the lamps at my residence had the wick 'jolted' into its interior, and 

 those which were overturned fell towards the South. Of the doors opening 

 East or West, those hinged to North posts were closed ; those hinged to South 

 posts and opening West were also closed, while those opening East were thrown 

 open. Those opening North or South happened, with one exception, to have 

 been closed before the shock, and the one excepted was held open by being 

 propped in that position with a heavy chair. " 



Mr. F. W. ScMepegrell says : 



"Desirousofascertahiing what electrical disturbances had been observed in 

 connection with the recent Earthquake, I called upon Mr. O'DriscoU, Superin- 

 tendent of the Western Union Telegraph Co. , who has been in its employ for 

 over 20 years. He spoke freely on the subject and stated, in substance, as fol- 

 lows : 



That the telegraph wires had been for a period of 4 months previous to the 

 Earthquake, less disturbed by atmospheric electricity than at any other period 

 during his connection with the Company. It has happened frequently before 

 this period, and since, that the air has been so charged with electricity that the 

 wires could be worked without a battery. He had made inquiries of the men 

 who operated the telegraph instruments if they had observed any disturbances 

 previous to the Earthquake, and all agreed in their statements that none were 



