Descriptive Report. 91
then settle down again. The statements as to the order
of succession of the phenomena are, however, contradictory,
and but little weight attaches to them. From inquiries
made during our visit, the absence of any distinct movement
of the water in the river was generally confirmed.
The evidence respecting the general direction of the dis-
turbance in this neighbourhood is more conflicting than that
received from any other locality, and there can be no doubt
that the movement here was of an extremely complex
character. Dr. H. 0. Sorby, F.E.S., whose yacht, the
" Glimpse," lay on the river at East Donyland, about half a
mile above Wivenhoe, states39 that the mate, who was on
deck at the time, informed him " that the yacht was first, as
it were, moved violently forwards to the west and then even
more violently backwards to the east." Mr. G. H. Kinahan
informs me, that in his opinion the shock came from N.N.E.,
and was reflected with a " concussive blow against the fault
line of the Colne Valley." Several witnesses have reported that
they saw the destruction commence at the eastern extremity
of the village, but, for reasons which will be entered into
more fully hereafter, I do not think that much importance
can be given to observations professing to discriminate be-
tween the successive intervals of the passage of the wave
of destruction, when the observers are naturally thrown into
a state of alarm and at the same time the duration of the
destruction is extremely short. Looking at the fact that the
main axis of disturbance, as evidenced by the actual amount
of destruction, lies to the south-west of Wivenhoe, while
practically no damage was caused to the north-east of this
village, it seems probable that the disturbance spread rather
from the S.W. or S.S.W., the wave being reflected backwards
and laterally from the Colne Valley, and thus giving rise to
the impression that at Wivenhoe and places to the S.W.
(Langenhoe) the disturbance travelled from the N.E. or
E.N.E. The abruptness with which the large amount of
destruction at Wivenhoe is shielded off as it were from the
39 'Nature,' May 20th, 1884, p. 101.