EXTRAORDINARY MARITIME DISTURBANCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2038, 25 March 1907, Page 4

EXTRAORDINARY MARITIME DISTURBANCE.

EXCITEMENT AT GALLS. A telegram, dated Gallo, January 4, thirteen minutes to four p.m., published in tho Weekly Times of Ceylon, gives the following account of tho marine disturbances which wore recently reported by cable from Ceylon: —Groat excitement prevails at tho wharf to-day in consequence of the sea receding in a most remarkable manner. At half-past ono p.m. the so aliad receded some ROIL, and it has receded several times since at intervals. The whole coast around the harbor has been affected. On tho return of the tide there was a swell with a strong current, which menaced danger to the lighters landing rice from the 8.-I. Loodiana. One or two narrowly escaped being dashed on the rocks. Tho water covers the lower stage of the passenger jetty to a depth of about 2ft. The sea is fairly calm. Coolies anil others are catching fish and lobsters which the tide has left on the rocks. Tills was followed shortly after by news from Hambantota, through Mr 11. O. Barnard, of the SurveyorGeneral’s Department,who reported : “The following unconfirmed telegram lias just been received from the Assistant Government Agent and Master Attendant, Hambantota : ‘Sea ebbing and flowing continually in Hambantota harbor; difference between greatest rise and fall 14ft, measured at jetty.’ ” Yesterday’s strange phenomenon witnessed on the south coast of Ceylon (reported the same journal on the following day), is explained, as anticipated, by the fact of a big earthquake having occurred, which has been recorded on the seismograph at tho Technical College. On inquiry of Mr. Human, our representative was informed that the instrument recorded a severe disturbance at twenty-five minutes to eleven a.in., Indian standard time. The seismograph was disturbed for about three hours, and the oscillations of the pendulum were of such magnitude as to exceed the limits of the paper strip on which its movements are photographically recorded. The time that elapsed from the receipt of the first tremors until the large earth waves arrived was only seven minutes, which is taken to indicate that tho source of the disturbance is not far away from Ceylon. However, that indication is not an infallible guide in the case of severe disturbances, for in the case of the violent earthquakes which occurred in South America last August the records showed a much more sudden disturbance of the seismograph in Colombo than would he expected when the distance travelled by the waves is taken into account. But in the present instance, when there is the additional evidence of a disturbance of tho sea along the south coast of Ceylon, it is tolerably safe to suppose that the source of the disturbance is not far away, and that it must have been submarine. Looking at the map of seismic regions it is probable that the source was either the deep pocket in the bed of the ocean called Wharton Deep, or a high ridge, which extends under the sea along a line approximately joining Bombay and Mauritius. Wharton Deep is south-east of Colombo, and is, in round .numbers, 2000 to 2500 miles away. If it bo true that the disturbance of the sea observed at Galle and Hambantota was not marked enough at Colombo to produce .any comment, the evidence would point to the source being south-east or east of Ceylon, and Wharton Deep is the most likely spot. It is a curious fact, however, that no earthquake of importance has occurred in Wharton Deej) up to the year 1903 since the date —1899 —when regular observations of these disturbances have been recorded, whereas in the region which includes tho submarine region of tho south-west and west of Ceylon as many as 17 very large earthquakes occurred between 1899 and 1903.