﻿I 
  2 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  intendrnt 
  of 
  Police 
  have 
  suffered 
  most. 
  The 
  former 
  was 
  built 
  in 
  1872-73, 
  the 
  

   latter 
  in 
  1875. 
  The 
  Forest 
  Officer's 
  bungalow 
  was 
  built 
  about 
  twelve 
  years 
  ago. 
  

   Its 
  walls 
  have 
  been 
  badly 
  damaged, 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  smaller 
  extent, 
  also 
  the 
  posts, 
  floor, 
  

   and 
  roof. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  Sub- 
  Engineer's 
  house 
  was 
  built 
  in 
  1883-84; 
  it 
  has 
  suffered 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   degree 
  as 
  the 
  Forest 
  Officer's. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  inspection 
  bungalows 
  and 
  cutcherry 
  were 
  erected 
  in 
  1889 
  and 
  1889-90, 
  

   respectively. 
  They 
  are 
  both 
  in 
  fair 
  condition 
  as 
  regards 
  posts, 
  floor 
  and 
  roof, 
  

   but 
  the 
  walls 
  have 
  been 
  almost 
  destroyed. 
  

  

  " 
  While 
  Government 
  buildings 
  have 
  fared 
  so 
  badly, 
  it 
  i 
  s 
  curious 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  

   the 
  houses 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Baptist 
  Mission 
  have 
  withstood 
  the 
  shocks 
  with 
  com- 
  

   parative 
  immunity. 
  The 
  reason 
  perhaps 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  posts, 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  driven 
  

   deep 
  into 
  the 
  ground, 
  mostly 
  rest 
  on 
  stones 
  almost 
  flush 
  with 
  the 
  earth, 
  or 
  flat 
  on 
  

   the 
  earth 
  itself. 
  Their 
  walls, 
  too, 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  weather 
  are 
  protected 
  

   with 
  stout 
  planks, 
  which 
  no 
  doubt 
  increase 
  the 
  strength 
  of 
  the 
  structure. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  second 
  class 
  of 
  buildings 
  differ 
  oniy 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  in 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  

   stone 
  and 
  cement 
  plinth, 
  instead 
  of 
  a 
  raised 
  board 
  floor. 
  In 
  this 
  class 
  are 
  the 
  

   Civil 
  Surgeon's 
  house, 
  the 
  charitable 
  dispensary, 
  the 
  post 
  office, 
  the 
  treasury, 
  

   and 
  some 
  shops 
  in 
  the 
  bazaar. 
  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  point 
  about 
  them 
  is 
  the 
  

   manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  plinths 
  have 
  cracked 
  and 
  broken 
  up. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  noticeable 
  

   in 
  the 
  treasury. 
  This 
  building 
  stood 
  on 
  a 
  gentle 
  slope 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  top 
  o^ 
  

   a 
  steep 
  hill-side. 
  It 
  had 
  a 
  strong 
  frame 
  of 
  timber, 
  walls 
  and 
  roof 
  of 
  corrugated 
  

   iron, 
  and 
  a 
  massive 
  plinth 
  of 
  cement 
  and 
  large 
  stones. 
  The 
  plinth 
  was 
  70 
  feet 
  

   long, 
  and 
  32 
  feet 
  6 
  inches 
  wide 
  with 
  a 
  maximum 
  and 
  minimum 
  height 
  of 
  8 
  feet 
  and 
  

   1 
  foot 
  6 
  inches, 
  respectively. 
  The 
  floor 
  was 
  of 
  concrete 
  and 
  cement 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  9 
  

   inches. 
  Solid 
  as 
  it 
  was, 
  it 
  crumbled 
  away 
  like 
  a 
  pile 
  of 
  sand 
  before 
  the 
  first 
  

   shock 
  had 
  stopped. 
  The 
  stones 
  rolled 
  out 
  on 
  all 
  sides, 
  and 
  the 
  floor 
  was 
  broken 
  

   into 
  little 
  pieces. 
  The 
  whole 
  building 
  tilted 
  over 
  towards 
  the 
  khud, 
  wrenching 
  

   the 
  main 
  posts 
  in 
  every 
  direction, 
  and 
  uprooting 
  or 
  breaking 
  the 
  smaller 
  ones 
  

   which 
  supported 
  the 
  verandah. 
  The 
  plinths 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  buildings 
  also 
  cracked 
  

   up, 
  and 
  the 
  sides 
  fell 
  away, 
  leaving 
  gaps 
  under 
  the 
  walls, 
  but 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  show 
  

   signs 
  of 
  such 
  violent 
  action 
  as 
  the 
  treasury. 
  The 
  frame 
  and 
  roofs 
  are 
  almost 
  all 
  

   sound 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  Civil 
  Surgeon's 
  house 
  only, 
  the 
  thatch 
  has 
  parted 
  along 
  the 
  ridges 
  

   of 
  the 
  roof 
  and 
  slipped 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  walls 
  have 
  been 
  denuded 
  of 
  plaster 
  

   and 
  the 
  battens 
  have 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  been 
  loosened. 
  These 
  buildings 
  were 
  erected 
  

   as 
  noted 
  below 
  : 
  

  

  Civil 
  Surgeon's 
  quarters 
  built 
  in 
  1897. 
  Post 
  office 
  built 
  in 
  1887-88. 
  

  

  Charitable 
  dispensary 
  „ 
  „ 
  1890-91. 
  Treasury 
  „ 
  ,,1887-88. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  third 
  class 
  consists 
  of 
  buildings 
  with 
  the 
  ground 
  for 
  the 
  floor, 
  timber 
  

   or 
  bamboo 
  frames, 
  walls 
  of 
  mat 
  or 
  reeds 
  lightly 
  plastered 
  over, 
  and 
  roofs 
  of 
  

   thatch 
  or 
  corrugated 
  iron. 
  The 
  out-offices 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  bungalows 
  belong 
  to 
  

   this 
  class. 
  Being 
  old 
  and 
  badly 
  built 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  reduced 
  

   to 
  ruins. 
  Other 
  buildings 
  of 
  this 
  class, 
  consisting 
  of 
  the 
  police 
  barracks, 
  clerks' 
  

   quarters, 
  and 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  houses 
  in 
  the 
  bazaar 
  have 
  stood 
  well. 
  Some 
  

  

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