Page:Great Neapolitan Earthquake of 1857.djvu/343

Rh At the south portion of the town, the destruction was rather less than over the remainder. An obvious reason for the fact is afforded, now that the wave-path is obtained. The plane of the great breccia beds upon which the whole stands, is not very far from being at right angles to the direction of wave-path; hence the southern portion of the town received the blow through the greatest thickness of these beds, and thus, by the numerous and successive changes of medium, in passing from bed to bed, the force of shock here had sustained the largest mount of loss of vis vivâ.

The direction, of the longer axis of the hill on which the town was perched, also accounts for the greatest damage having been done at the E. and W. sides, and less upon the very top and more level portion of the place.

Nobody here nor at Auletta seems to have felt any second shock, occurring within a minute or two after the first; but they all speak of a second shock much less powerful than the first, but occurring about an hour after the first; testimony which appears strangely inconsistent with that universal at Naples. The Padre Mancini is positive, that there was no second shock soon (i.e. within a few minutes) after the first, of a noticeable character. He himself had escaped the first with difficulty, and only owing to the fact that he was not in bed, and so was able to rush out instantly.

As to the time of the shock, he does not know of any clocks having been stopped, inasmuch as there are none either here or at Auletta. He thinks it was at about a quarter past ten (tempo Francesi), i.e. not reckoning by Italian hours.