Page:Great Neapolitan Earthquake of 1857.djvu/359

Rh barom. 28.09 in., thermo. 42° (14th Feb.), which, when reduced, gives the elevation=1913.4 feet above the sea. This proved soon after, however, not to be the very highest point, which I reached at about 150 feet higher. The total elevation, therefore, at the road is 2063.4 feet above the sea, and about 1420 feet above the piano of the valley bottom at Auletta.

At the former point nearly, the road is formed upon a side cutting and small embankment, on limestone covered with 3 or 4 feet average, of arable clay land. It is sustained by an ill-built revetment wall of dry stone, with mortared top courses, in all about 12 feet high. The general direction of the centre line of the road is 30° W. of N., and nearly level. For a length of about 300 yards, an irregular longitudinal fissure was open, in the surface of the roadway, at about a quarter of its breadth from the revetment wall, of about 3 to 4 inches in width, and in some spots still, 10 or 12 inches deep, though much obliterated and filled by rain washings.



The form of the fissure and section of the road, as sketched, are shown in Fig. 157. Three portions of the revetment