Page:Great Neapolitan Earthquake of 1857 Vol 2.djvu/124

Rh the shock of 1851. The direction of path generally given by them is S.W. and N.E., but obscurely.

At the Chiesa Madre it is almost dark, and I can examine it but incompletely. The axial line is very nearly east and west. There are fissures crossing both side walls, and there are two minor ones in the west-end wall. They generally indicate a wave-path from S.W. to north-eastward, and at an emergence that does not appear by the eye only to exceed 20° to 25°. The amount of damage generally done in the town, seems to be small. There are a few houses propped, and several are fissured, but none were prostrated.

The son of the Padrone at the Locanda, a rather intelligent youth, gives me an account of the earthquake, as he experienced it, and of what occurred in the town. His account agrees generally with that at Potenza. He says, however, that thero was no shock noticed at Avigliano, after the two first, which were very close together. I could not ascertain clearly from him whether there were even two, or only one prolonged movement, with two more distinguishable pulses. The movement, he said, was back and forward only, he thought. His account of the noise was very much the same as that of Signor D'Errico. No clocks were stopped, that he or the Capo d'Urbano on duty at the guardhouse opposite the Locanda, knew of. The time of the first shock, they only thought to be, about a quarter past five, Italian time, the usual estimate everywhere.

It was too late to call upon any of the communal officers or ecclesiastics, for better information; and it hardly seemed of much importance, until I should get further north. I

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