﻿NARRATIVE 
  ACCOUNTS. 
  1 
  5 
  

  

  u 
  13. 
  The 
  district 
  roads 
  have 
  all 
  been 
  badly 
  damaged 
  ; 
  the 
  cart-roads 
  to 
  Dalu 
  

   and 
  Mankachar 
  were 
  impassable 
  for 
  weeks, 
  except 
  

   Roads. 
  by 
  foot 
  passengers. 
  In 
  the 
  hills, 
  they 
  were 
  blocked 
  

  

  by 
  landslips, 
  in 
  the 
  plains 
  embankments 
  sank 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  

   feet 
  for 
  long 
  distances, 
  breaches 
  were 
  frequent, 
  and 
  bridges 
  had 
  nearly 
  all 
  sub- 
  

   sided 
  more 
  or 
  less. 
  At 
  the 
  22nd 
  mile 
  of 
  the 
  Mankachar 
  road, 
  a 
  timber 
  bridge, 
  

   80 
  feet 
  long, 
  was 
  heaved 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  8 
  feet 
  above 
  its 
  proper 
  level.' 
  J 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  north, 
  in 
  the 
  alluvial 
  plain 
  at 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Garo 
  hills, 
  but 
  

   still, 
  as 
  it 
  would 
  seem, 
  within 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  seismic 
  vertical, 
  we 
  

   have 
  the 
  account 
  of 
  Surgeon-Major 
  E. 
  F. 
  H. 
  Dobson, 
  Civil 
  Surgeon 
  

   of 
  Dhubri, 
  contained 
  in 
  a 
  demi-official 
  letter 
  addressed 
  to 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  J. 
  

   Cotton, 
  C.S.I., 
  Chief 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Assam. 
  2 
  

  

  "On 
  the 
  12th, 
  I 
  sent 
  you 
  a 
  demi-official, 
  and 
  about 
  four 
  hours 
  later, 
  that 
  is 
  

   at 
  3 
  p. 
  m., 
  left 
  the 
  station 
  by 
  the 
  ferry 
  steamer, 
  which 
  landed 
  me 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   bank 
  at 
  4-15, 
  and 
  from 
  there 
  I 
  drove 
  to 
  Jemadarhat, 
  where 
  I 
  met 
  my 
  camp. 
  

   There 
  was 
  a 
  stormy 
  sky 
  ahead 
  and 
  a 
  strongish 
  breeze 
  blowing 
  whilst 
  I 
  was 
  cross- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  river 
  ; 
  on 
  reaching 
  the 
  opposite 
  bank, 
  had 
  a 
  few 
  drops 
  of 
  rain, 
  and, 
  on 
  

   the 
  whole, 
  had 
  a 
  cool 
  and 
  pleasant 
  drive 
  till 
  I 
  reached 
  Jemadarhat, 
  which 
  is 
  3* 
  

   miles 
  from 
  the 
  opposite 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  resthouse 
  at 
  Jemadarhat 
  was 
  

   burnt 
  down 
  some 
  months 
  ago, 
  and 
  my 
  servants 
  rigged 
  up 
  a 
  small 
  godown 
  about 
  

   16' 
  X 
  8' 
  for 
  me 
  to 
  stay 
  in 
  during 
  the 
  night. 
  

  

  u 
  At 
  5 
  p.m. 
  came 
  this 
  terrible 
  earthquake. 
  I 
  invariably 
  sit 
  out 
  an 
  earthquake, 
  

   as 
  I 
  have 
  always 
  thought 
  the 
  worst 
  is 
  over 
  before 
  one 
  has 
  time 
  to 
  get 
  outside 
  a 
  

   house, 
  but 
  though 
  I 
  was 
  safe 
  enough 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  shanty 
  I 
  was 
  in, 
  I 
  had 
  to 
  rise, 
  as 
  

   the 
  shock 
  seemed 
  never 
  ending 
  and 
  a 
  roar 
  of 
  water 
  flowing 
  near 
  and 
  the 
  hum 
  of 
  

   voices 
  compelled 
  my 
  geting 
  up. 
  The 
  villagers 
  were 
  panic-stricken 
  and 
  fleeing 
  

   from 
  their 
  houses 
  to 
  the 
  Trunk 
  Road. 
  The 
  ground 
  I 
  at 
  once 
  saw 
  was 
  everywhere 
  

   cracked 
  up, 
  sunk, 
  etc. 
  Behind 
  the 
  old 
  rest-house 
  is 
  the 
  termination 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  long 
  

   bheel. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  wonderful 
  sight, 
  this 
  bluel. 
  The 
  water 
  rose 
  steadily 
  in 
  it, 
  and 
  

   in 
  two 
  minutes 
  must 
  have 
  risen 
  at 
  least 
  twelve 
  feet 
  and 
  then 
  overflowed, 
  and 
  with 
  

   this 
  overflow, 
  the 
  whole 
  country, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  eye 
  could 
  see 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   Trunk 
  Road, 
  was 
  one 
  sheet 
  of 
  water. 
  The 
  fact 
  being 
  that 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  innumera- 
  

   ble 
  cracks 
  water 
  had 
  gone 
  on 
  spouting, 
  and 
  that, 
  coincidentally 
  with 
  the 
  overflow 
  

   of 
  this 
  bheel, 
  the 
  water 
  level 
  had 
  risen 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  height 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  surrounding 
  

   country. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  cracks 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  water 
  welled 
  up 
  carrying 
  the 
  sand 
  

   with 
  it, 
  innumerable 
  jets 
  of 
  water, 
  like 
  fountains 
  playing, 
  spouted 
  up 
  to 
  heights 
  

   varying 
  from 
  18 
  inches 
  to 
  quite 
  3^ 
  or 
  4 
  feet. 
  Wherever 
  this 
  had 
  occurred, 
  the 
  

   land 
  was 
  afterwards 
  seen 
  to 
  occup) 
  a 
  sandy 
  circle 
  witn 
  a 
  depression 
  in 
  its 
  centre. 
  

   These 
  circles 
  ranged 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  6 
  and 
  8 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  all 
  

   over 
  the 
  country. 
  In 
  some 
  places, 
  several 
  were 
  quite 
  close 
  together; 
  in 
  others 
  

   they 
  were 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  several 
  yards 
  apart. 
  They 
  had 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  

   2. 
  Assam 
  Government 
  report, 
  Appendix 
  V. 
  

  

  ( 
  '5 
  ) 
  

  

  