﻿NARRATIVE 
  ACCOUNTS. 
  ig 
  

  

  the 
  actual 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  much. 
  This 
  I 
  have 
  verified 
  in 
  some 
  instances, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  further 
  proved 
  by 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  wells 
  in 
  the 
  station. 
  Almost 
  

   all 
  the 
  pits 
  have 
  been 
  levelled 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  sand 
  from 
  the 
  cracks. 
  The 
  new 
  bazaar, 
  

   which 
  was 
  very 
  low 
  ground, 
  has 
  benefited 
  considerably 
  by 
  being 
  raised 
  with 
  this 
  

   overflow 
  of 
  sand. 
  It 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  also 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  flooded. 
  This 
  sandy 
  overflow 
  

   was 
  restricted 
  to 
  low 
  lands, 
  more 
  especially 
  as 
  bunded 
  roads 
  showed 
  no 
  sand 
  or 
  

   water 
  on 
  them, 
  till 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  subsided 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  depth. 
  The 
  two 
  bunded 
  

   roads 
  in 
  the 
  station, 
  viz., 
  the 
  Bidyapara 
  and 
  Gauripur 
  roads, 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   branch 
  roads 
  from 
  them, 
  as 
  also 
  the 
  3J 
  miles 
  of 
  road 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  over 
  which 
  I 
  had 
  travelled 
  on 
  13th, 
  have 
  all 
  subsided 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  in 
  places, 
  

   and 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  not 
  a 
  bad 
  comparison 
  to 
  make 
  when 
  I 
  say 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  at 
  present 
  

   very 
  unlike 
  switch-back 
  railway 
  roads 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  scale. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  station 
  is 
  terribly 
  cracked 
  up 
  and 
  has 
  subsided 
  in 
  places, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  

   to 
  be 
  wondered 
  at, 
  more 
  especially 
  when 
  we 
  recollect 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  rains 
  it 
  is 
  

   almost 
  an 
  island, 
  and 
  a 
  very 
  narrow 
  one 
  with 
  rivers 
  on 
  three 
  sides 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  these 
  

   rivers 
  forming 
  three 
  large 
  expanses 
  of 
  water 
  tearing 
  along. 
  The 
  front 
  of 
  this 
  

   station 
  is, 
  as 
  you 
  know, 
  very 
  high 
  land, 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  hill, 
  and 
  on 
  rock. 
  This 
  portion 
  

   was 
  not 
  cracked 
  up, 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  we 
  reach 
  the 
  first 
  road 
  behind 
  the 
  front 
  or 
  

   river 
  side 
  road, 
  which 
  is 
  low 
  land, 
  we 
  notice 
  terrible 
  cracks 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  both 
  in 
  

   numbers 
  and 
  extent, 
  and 
  this 
  road 
  is 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  300 
  yards 
  at 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  side 
  or 
  front 
  road. 
  It 
  is 
  in 
  this 
  high 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  station 
  that 
  natives 
  of 
  all 
  

   classes 
  seek 
  refuge, 
  especially 
  as 
  the 
  evenings 
  begin 
  to 
  close 
  in. 
  I 
  am 
  told 
  the 
  

   Brahmaputra 
  rose 
  several 
  feet 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  Next 
  morning 
  

   when 
  I 
  crossed 
  it, 
  it 
  seemed 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  river 
  : 
  a 
  huge 
  sand-chur 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  

   the 
  station 
  had 
  disappeared 
  ; 
  it 
  seemed 
  in 
  full 
  flood, 
  drift 
  wood 
  was 
  plentiful, 
  and 
  

   I 
  noticed 
  two 
  small 
  boats 
  (empty) 
  being 
  carried 
  along. 
  Bilasipara 
  and 
  Lakhipur 
  

   zamindars* 
  country 
  residences 
  are 
  down 
  in 
  a 
  heap, 
  Gauripur, 
  Rupsi, 
  and 
  Bogri- 
  

   bari 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  badly 
  damaged. 
  The 
  Joldoba 
  or 
  Gara 
  bridge 
  and 
  the 
  Krish- 
  

   nai 
  bridge, 
  our 
  two 
  chief 
  iron 
  bridges, 
  are 
  reported 
  broken. 
  A 
  hill 
  between 
  

   Goalpara 
  and 
  Agia 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  slid 
  forward 
  towards 
  the 
  road. 
  The 
  sdl 
  wood 
  

   railing 
  of 
  the 
  bridge 
  near 
  Jemadarhat 
  is 
  quite 
  8"X 
  8", 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  split 
  ris^ht 
  across 
  

   on 
  one 
  side. 
  On 
  13th 
  night 
  we 
  had 
  heavy 
  rain. 
  It 
  had 
  been 
  fairly 
  cool 
  till 
  

   yesterday, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  it 
  is 
  hot 
  again. 
  It 
  has 
  just 
  rained 
  for 
  five 
  minutes 
  

   at 
  2 
  p.m., 
  and 
  is 
  threatening 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  again. 
  But 
  what 
  about 
  these 
  continuous 
  

   seismic 
  shocks, 
  which 
  are 
  really 
  strong 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  every 
  half 
  or 
  one 
  hour 
  ? 
  A 
  

   severe 
  one 
  again 
  at 
  2-40 
  p.m., 
  and 
  so 
  on 
  all 
  day 
  and 
  night. 
  We 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  

   such 
  a 
  severe 
  beginning 
  and 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  it 
  since 
  that 
  we 
  are 
  quite 
  accustomed 
  to 
  

   shocks 
  that 
  at 
  any 
  other 
  time 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  very 
  serious. 
  

  

  " 
  There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  one 
  continuous 
  tremor 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  going 
  on. 
  I 
  

   attach 
  a 
  tabulated 
  statement 
  regarding 
  the 
  wells 
  in 
  the 
  station, 
  which, 
  I 
  think, 
  

   will 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  interest. 
  It 
  will 
  reveal 
  how 
  they 
  have 
  filled 
  with 
  sand, 
  and 
  also 
  

   that 
  those 
  which 
  had 
  not 
  filled 
  entirely 
  with 
  sand 
  filled 
  almost 
  to 
  overflowing 
  with 
  

   water. 
  In 
  some, 
  both 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  had 
  overflowed. 
  I 
  am 
  afraid 
  this 
  silting 
  

   up 
  of 
  sand 
  in 
  wells, 
  tanks, 
  bheels 
  or 
  jheels, 
  and 
  I 
  presume 
  in 
  rivers, 
  will 
  mean 
  

  

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