Page:Great Neapolitan Earthquake of 1857.djvu/435

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CHIESA DELLA TRINITA—IL PONTE SILLA.
349

was either diverted westward, or nearly extinguished at the western side of the valley, before it had reached far to the south, while at the eastern side it was carried on by the continuous lateral chain until changed in direction, and greatly diminished (by the free stratum) where the continuity of this range is broken and terminates, near Padula.

About a mile south of La Sala, near the military road, and standing at the edge of the piano upon clays of a few feet in depth, overlying the limestone lowest roots of the hills where they dip beneath the plain, stood the Chiesa della Trinita; the short tower, the roof and west end of which have all fallen, and the walls are fissured severely. It is seen in Photog. No. 209 (Coll. Roy. Soc.) looking westward. The tiled roof had fallen within the walls, leaving the tiled eaves still upon the tops of the side walls: its debris had been removed, but I was informed that the larger portion was found packed against the north flank wall upon the floor. The west end was thrown to the S. W. The east end had been kept up by cross walls external to it. It presented fissures, best seen at the east side of the wall (not shown in Photog.) which showed an emergent angle of 23°. The wave-path could only be approximated, but was a few degrees W. of north to south.

The Ponte Silla, an ancient Roman bridge over the Calore about a mile and a quarter south-west of this, founded probably on piles, with its heavy piers deep in the clays of the valley, has suffered no apparent injury by the shock.