No building showed the different kinds of evidence on which Mallet
relied as clearly as the cathedral church at Potenza, the plan of
which is given in Fig. 5, and the vertical section along its axis in
Fig. 12. This is a modern work, nearly 200 feet long, with its axis
directed east and west. The walls are composed of fairly good rubble
masonry and brick; and the arches in the nave and transepts, the
semi-cylindrical roof and the central dome are made of brick. The
fissures represented in both diagrams were drawn to scale by the
cathedral architect before Mallet's arrival, and, as the work of an
unbiassed observer, are of special value. Most of those in the roof,
it will be seen, were transverse to the axial line of the church; but
there were others parallel to this line, one in particular running
right along the soffit of the nave and chancel. There were also
numerous small fissures in the dome, due to local structural causes
and therefore of varying direction, and a large portion of the dome
slipped westward, leaving open fissures of seven to eight inches in
width. The mean direction of the wave-path, as deduced from nine sets
of fissures, none of which differs more than four degrees from the
mean, is W. 2-1/2° S. and E. 2-1/2° N., which corresponds precisely
with the direction of throw on the displaced portion of the dome. The
great east and west fissures in the arch of the nave and chancel
Mallet attributed to a second shock, of the existence of which there
is ample evidence.
[Illustration: FIG. 6.--Fallen gate-pillars near Saponara.
(_Mallet._)]
Next to fissures, Mallet made most use of overthrown objects, such as
the two gate piers near Saponara, represented in Fig. 6. They were
made of rubble ashlar masonry, three feet square and seven feet in
height. Both were fractured clean off at the level of the ground, the
mortar being poor, and fell in directions that were accurately
parallel, indicating a wave-path towards S. 39-1/2°E. A few
observations were also made on projected stones, fissures in nearly
level ground, and the swinging of lamps and chandeliers; but their
value was small, except as corroboration of the more important
evidence afforded by fissures in the walls and roofs of buildings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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