The Lexden Earthquake

Abstract

THE earthquake alleged to have taken place near Colchester on Sunday night, Jan. 18, and mentioned in the “Notes” of NATURE last week, on the authority of the Standard newspaper, turns out on inquiry to have been reported on very doubtful authority. The place referred to as “Leden” is evidently meant for Lexden, which is really a suburb of Colchester. Immediately after seeing the newspaper paragraph I communicated with some of the residents, asking them to obtain particulars for me, as the occurrence of another shock so near the district which was skaken in April of last year, would have been of considerable interest in connection with the report upon this last earthquake, which I am about to present to the Essex Field Club. It seems, however, according to the results of these inquiries, confirmed by a paragraph in the Colchester Gazette of January 21, that the shock was said to have been felt by one person only, the postman, and nobody else in the place heard or felt anything, nor was any crockery shaken or any vibration experienced in any other house. One gentleman, who was out of doors at the time mentioned (midnight), states that he heard a peal of thunder, but felt no shock, and he suggests that this might have awakened the postman, upon whose authority the newspaper paragraph appears to have been founded.