Descriptive Report. 147
rumbling was heard, and a severe shaking was given to
houses in this neighbourhood. The housekeeper at Messrs.
Pitt Brothers and Co., 10, Wapping Wall, and one of the
partners, were considerably affected by it. Mr. Gr. Pitt was
shaken in his chair while at breakfast, and Mrs. Mulley, of 9,
Wapping Wall, next door, was obliged to hold on to her seat
in consequence of the vibration, while Mr. McGowan,
engineer at the London Docks, says that his house, some 250
yards away, was shaken to the foundation. Mrs. Ward,
of the ' Three Suns,' New Gravel Lane, also experienced the
shaking and heard a rumbling noise."
Before leaving the Metropolitan area, it will be convenient
here to consider certain movements in the River Thames,
which are said to have been observed on the day of the
earthquake. Thus it was reported in the papers that a wave,
estimated to have been about three feet high, was seen to
cross the river, and to cause a vessel lying at St. Paul's Pier
to roll heavily without any apparent cause. This account
did not appear till four days after the shock (April 26th), and
it is much to be regretted that no details respecting time and
direction were given. Although the statement thus appeared
devoid of any great scientific weight, it seemed to me
desirable to obtain further information if possible, as it
would certainly have been interesting to find that the
Thames was influenced by the seismic disturbance while
rivers and estuaries like the Colne, Blackwater, and Crouch,
which were much nearer the focus, were not perceptibly
agitated. I accordingly applied to the Hydrographic De-
partment of the Admiralty, and in reply received the follow-
ing communication from Staff-Commander H. B. Harris,
B.N. :—
"In answer to your letter of the 28th inst., requesting
information as to abnormal movement of the Thames on
22nd April last:—
" I am directed by the Hydrographer to inform you that
no information of such movement has been received in this
Department. A self-registering tide-gauge is maintained at
Sheerness Dockyard.".......
Commander Harris was good enough to suggest that appli-
cation should also be made to the Thames Conservancy, and