148 The East Anglian Earthquake.
the following reply was received from Mr. Charles J. More
C.E., Engineer to the Conservancy :—
" With reference to your enquiry addressed to the Secre-
tary, as to whether a tidal wave was observed to cross the
River Thames on the morning of the 22nd April last, I beg
to inform you that none of the Conservator's officials engaged
on the river noticed anything unusual in the state of the
water on that date, nor did the automatic tide-recording
instrument on the pier at Gravesend indicate any abnormal
movement in the tide."
On application at Sheerness Dockyard, the Superintendent,
Staff-Captain Dyer, was good enough to have forwarded to
me a copy of the curve traced by the tide-gauge on April
22nd, accompanied by the remark, borne out by the curve
itself:—" No disturbance of water or tidal wave." An
inspection of the curve shows that the shock occurred very
near the time of high water.
The evidence is thus, on the whole, adverse to the above-
mentioned statement, and in the absence of confirmation I
am disposed to believe that there must have been some error
of observation.
Enfield.—Shock felt in some parts; furniture shaken.
Mr. John Penfold, of Edgehill Lodge, informed me that his
wife and another lady were seated at breakfast at about
9.15, in a room on the ground floor, and both heard a
noise, proceeding apparently from the N.E. corner of the
room. Mrs. Penfold immediately left the room to ascertain
the cause, and the other lady, on the cessation of the sound,
felt her chair rock slightly from E. to W. There was a short
pause and then again a slight rocking movement; the
articles on the table were not disturbed. Mr. Penfeld
himself, who was standing in his dressing-room on the first
floor, heard the noise but felt nothing of the movement.
The house is detached and stands in a high situation, partly
clay and partly gravel.
Harrow.—Mr. W. E. Fisher reports that the earthquake
was distinctly felt by a lady in bed about 9.15. Another
correspondent also reports having felt two slight but distinct
shocks between 9.10 and 9.20.