﻿NARRATIVE 
  ACCOUNTS, 
  

  

  PART 
  I— 
  TURA 
  1 
  .- 
  

  

  " 
  I. 
  To 
  make 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  report 
  clearer, 
  I 
  have 
  begun 
  with 
  a 
  short 
  des- 
  

   cription 
  of 
  Tura 
  station, 
  of 
  which, 
  too, 
  a 
  map 
  (not 
  printed) 
  is 
  herewith 
  sent. 
  In 
  

   this 
  map, 
  only 
  the 
  portion 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Ronkon 
  stream 
  has 
  been 
  accurately 
  

   drawn. 
  The 
  contours 
  are 
  at 
  5 
  feet 
  intervals. 
  The 
  rest 
  was 
  surveyed 
  with 
  a 
  

   chain 
  and 
  compass, 
  the 
  contours 
  being 
  roughly 
  put 
  in, 
  merely 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  

   general 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  14 
  2. 
  On 
  referring 
  to 
  this 
  map, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  station 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  smaH 
  

   one, 
  and 
  built 
  mainly 
  on 
  three 
  spurs 
  running 
  from 
  east 
  

   Tu 
  S 
  ra° 
  rt 
  description 
  ° 
  f 
  to 
  west. 
  The 
  station 
  has 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  about 
  1,300 
  feet 
  

  

  above 
  sea 
  level. 
  It 
  is 
  situated 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  

   end 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  in 
  this 
  district, 
  which 
  rises 
  immediately 
  and 
  

   steeply 
  above 
  it 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  some 
  4,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  thence 
  continues 
  

   almost 
  due 
  east 
  to 
  the 
  ranges 
  of 
  the 
  Khasi 
  Hills. 
  The 
  conformation 
  of 
  the 
  spurs 
  

   consists 
  of 
  a 
  backbone 
  of 
  sandstone 
  covered 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  deeply 
  with 
  a 
  loose, 
  

   reddish 
  sandy 
  soil, 
  plentifully 
  mixed 
  with 
  boulders 
  of 
  (what 
  I 
  am 
  told 
  is) 
  gneiss. 
  2 
  

   The 
  crests 
  of 
  the 
  spurs 
  are 
  broad 
  and 
  fairly 
  level, 
  but 
  the 
  sides 
  are 
  steep 
  and 
  

   occasionally 
  precipitous. 
  At 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  each 
  ravine 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  (hill) 
  stream 
  

   flowing 
  over 
  a 
  rocky 
  bed. 
  

  

  11 
  3. 
  The 
  week 
  preceding 
  the 
  earthquake 
  began 
  with 
  fine 
  weather, 
  a 
  clear 
  atmos- 
  

   phere, 
  and 
  not 
  much 
  rain. 
  On 
  the 
  10th 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   timlo^ThTe^qVike. 
  change. 
  Heavy 
  masses 
  of 
  cloud 
  gathered 
  round 
  the 
  

   top 
  of 
  Tura 
  pahar 
  {i.e., 
  the 
  high 
  hill 
  above 
  the 
  station), 
  

   and 
  the 
  air 
  had 
  a 
  feeling 
  of 
  thunder 
  in 
  it, 
  though 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  rain 
  until 
  noon 
  

   of 
  1 
  2th, 
  when 
  a 
  smart 
  shower 
  fell. 
  This 
  cleared 
  off 
  about 
  2 
  p.m., 
  but 
  was 
  follow- 
  

   ed, 
  after 
  a 
  vivid 
  sunset, 
  by 
  heavy 
  downpours 
  lasting 
  until 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  

   13th. 
  

  

  "4. 
  There 
  being 
  no 
  telegraph 
  wire 
  to 
  Tura, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  means 
  of 
  checking 
  

  

  _ 
  . 
  , 
  our 
  local 
  time. 
  We 
  depend 
  chiefly 
  on 
  a 
  sun 
  dial, 
  but 
  as 
  

  

  The 
  tune 
  of 
  the 
  earth- 
  •. 
  . 
  . 
  lL 
  u 
  . 
  ,. 
  , 
  , 
  ^, 
  

  

  quake, 
  it 
  was 
  inaccurately 
  put 
  up, 
  the 
  result 
  is 
  unreliable. 
  The 
  

  

  guard-room 
  clock 
  stopped 
  at 
  5-5 
  p.m., 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  

  

  time 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  shock 
  by 
  my 
  watch. 
  

  

  " 
  5. 
  The 
  exact 
  time 
  the 
  earthquake 
  lasted 
  was 
  not 
  noted 
  by 
  anybody 
  in 
  Tura. 
  

  

  The 
  consensus 
  of 
  opinion 
  fixes 
  it 
  at 
  five 
  minutes 
  or 
  

  

  ea7tnqua 
  d 
  ke 
  r 
  . 
  ati0n 
  ^ 
  ^ 
  lon 
  S 
  er 
  - 
  The 
  shock 
  be 
  S 
  an 
  with 
  a 
  shar 
  P 
  vibrat; 
  ° 
  n 
  . 
  in- 
  

   creasing 
  in 
  about 
  20 
  seconds 
  to 
  a 
  violent 
  rocking 
  and 
  

  

  heaving 
  motion 
  of 
  the 
  earth, 
  which 
  lasted 
  about 
  three 
  minutes; 
  in 
  about 
  two 
  

  

  minutes 
  more 
  it 
  gradually 
  subsided 
  to 
  a 
  gentle 
  but 
  distinct 
  tremor. 
  A 
  few 
  

  

  persons 
  assert 
  that 
  the 
  shock 
  was 
  preceded 
  by 
  a 
  loud 
  rumbling 
  noise, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  

  

  1 
  Reprinted, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  trifling" 
  omissions, 
  from 
  the 
  official 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  Assam 
  Govern- 
  

   ment, 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  Assam 
  Gazette 
  and 
  also 
  separately. 
  

  

  2 
  The 
  hills 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  gneiss 
  and 
  other 
  crystalline 
  rocks, 
  on 
  which 
  in 
  places 
  are 
  

   patches 
  of 
  tertiary 
  sandstone 
  and 
  shales. 
  — 
  R. 
  D. 
  O. 
  

  

  ( 
  9 
  ) 
  

  

  