﻿NARRATIVE 
  ACCOUNTS. 
  5 
  

  

  to 
  sit 
  down 
  suddenly 
  on 
  the 
  road. 
  The 
  shock 
  was 
  of 
  considerable 
  duration 
  , 
  

   and 
  maintained 
  roughly 
  the 
  same 
  amount 
  of 
  Violence 
  from 
  the 
  beginning 
  to 
  

   the 
  end.- 
  It 
  produced 
  a 
  very 
  distinct 
  sensation 
  of 
  sea-sickness. 
  The 
  earth 
  move- 
  

   ment 
  was 
  exceedingly 
  sudden 
  and 
  violent. 
  The 
  feeling 
  was 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  ground 
  

   was 
  being 
  violently 
  jerked 
  backwards 
  and 
  forwards 
  very 
  rapidly, 
  every 
  third 
  or 
  

   fourth 
  jerk 
  being 
  of 
  greater 
  scope 
  than 
  the 
  intermediate 
  ones. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  vibrated 
  visibly 
  in 
  every 
  direction, 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  was 
  

   made 
  of 
  soft 
  jelly 
  ; 
  and 
  long 
  cracks 
  appeared 
  at 
  once 
  along 
  the 
  road. 
  The 
  sloping 
  

   earth-bank 
  round 
  the 
  water 
  tank, 
  which 
  was 
  some 
  10 
  feet 
  high, 
  began 
  to 
  shake 
  

   down, 
  and 
  at 
  one 
  point 
  cracked 
  and 
  opened 
  out 
  bodily. 
  The 
  road 
  is 
  bounded 
  here 
  

   and 
  there 
  by 
  low 
  banks 
  of 
  earth, 
  about 
  2 
  feet 
  high, 
  and 
  these 
  were 
  all 
  shaken 
  

   down 
  quite 
  flat. 
  The 
  school 
  building, 
  which 
  was 
  in 
  sight, 
  began 
  to 
  shake 
  at 
  the 
  

   first 
  shock, 
  and 
  large 
  slabs 
  of 
  plaster 
  fell 
  from 
  the 
  walls 
  at 
  once. 
  A 
  few 
  moments 
  

   afterwards 
  the 
  whole 
  building 
  was 
  lying 
  flat, 
  the 
  walls 
  collapsed 
  and 
  the 
  corru- 
  

   gated 
  iron 
  roof 
  lying 
  bent 
  and 
  broken 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  " 
  A 
  pink 
  cloud 
  of 
  plaster 
  and 
  dust 
  was 
  seen 
  hanging 
  over 
  every 
  house 
  in 
  

   Shillong 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  shock. 
  

  

  "My 
  impression 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  was 
  that 
  its 
  duration 
  was 
  certainly 
  unde 
  r 
  

   I 
  minute, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  travelled 
  from 
  south 
  to 
  north. 
  Several 
  other 
  observers 
  

   agree 
  with 
  me 
  in 
  limiting 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  great 
  shock 
  to 
  40 
  or 
  50 
  seconds. 
  I 
  have 
  

   heard 
  since 
  that 
  its 
  duration 
  was 
  timed 
  roughly 
  in 
  Shillong 
  and 
  Gauhati, 
  and 
  put 
  

   down 
  at 
  2| 
  minutes 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  feel 
  convinced 
  that 
  this 
  includes 
  subsequent 
  tremors, 
  

   which 
  lasted 
  some 
  time. 
  The 
  violence 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  may 
  be 
  imagined 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  

   stated 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  damage 
  done 
  was 
  completed 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  10 
  or 
  15 
  

   seconds 
  of 
  the 
  shock. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  buildings 
  of 
  Shillong 
  might, 
  before 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  have 
  been 
  grouped 
  

  

  into 
  3 
  classes, 
  which 
  correspond 
  now 
  to 
  3 
  degrees 
  of 
  ruin 
  : 
  

  

  Damage 
  done. 
  " 
  I. 
  Stone 
  Buildings. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  too 
  much 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  

  

  every 
  bit 
  of 
  solid 
  stone 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  ot 
  

  

  Shillong, 
  including 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  bridges, 
  is 
  absolutely 
  levelled 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  

  

  stone 
  houses, 
  and 
  conspicuously 
  the 
  church, 
  are 
  now 
  reduced 
  to 
  flat 
  heaps 
  of 
  

  

  single 
  loose 
  stones, 
  covered 
  with 
  torn 
  and 
  burst 
  sheets 
  of 
  corrugated 
  iron 
  — 
  the 
  

  

  remains 
  of 
  the 
  roofs. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  walls 
  do 
  not 
  show 
  the 
  slightest 
  partiality 
  in 
  their 
  direction 
  of 
  falling. 
  

   The 
  stones 
  have 
  in 
  every 
  case 
  been 
  shaken 
  loose, 
  and 
  have 
  collapsed 
  equally 
  on 
  

   both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  wall. 
  

  

  "Heaps 
  of 
  stones 
  along 
  the 
  roads, 
  broken 
  for 
  mending 
  purposes, 
  which 
  stood 
  

   1 
  foot 
  high 
  before 
  the 
  shock, 
  are 
  now 
  flat, 
  roughly 
  circular 
  patches 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  inches 
  

   in 
  thickness. 
  

  

  " 
  Two 
  tall 
  monuments 
  of 
  excellent 
  cut 
  stone 
  work, 
  about 
  20 
  or 
  30 
  feet 
  in 
  

   height, 
  are 
  in 
  ruins 
  ; 
  though 
  in 
  each 
  case 
  some 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  masonry 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  

   still 
  retain 
  an 
  upright 
  position— 
  the 
  individual 
  stones 
  being 
  shaken 
  from 
  each 
  other. 
  

   The 
  ruins 
  are 
  scattered 
  most 
  impartially 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  in 
  a 
  rough 
  circle. 
  The 
  

   pinnacle 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  (Quinton) 
  monument 
  has 
  been 
  thrown 
  down 
  bodily, 
  and 
  

   lies 
  some 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  work 
  pointing 
  N.-N.-E. 
  

  

  " 
  2. 
  Ekra-built 
  Buildings.— 
  A 
  wooden 
  frame 
  work, 
  with 
  walls 
  of 
  san 
  grass 
  

  

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  5 
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