﻿20 
  OLDHAM; 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  lSgj. 
  

  

  great 
  misery 
  for 
  the 
  villagers 
  and 
  their 
  cattle 
  when 
  the 
  dry 
  season 
  sets 
  in, 
  and 
  

   especially 
  if 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  long 
  drought." 
  

  

  Though 
  not 
  within 
  the 
  area 
  oi 
  the 
  seismic 
  vertical, 
  the 
  northern 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  Maimansingh 
  district 
  lies 
  very 
  close 
  to 
  its 
  limits, 
  and 
  

   from 
  here 
  we 
  have 
  an 
  account 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  Mercer, 
  Superin- 
  

   tendent 
  of 
  Telegraphs, 
  who 
  writes 
  as 
  follows, 
  in 
  a 
  report 
  addressed 
  

   to 
  the 
  Director 
  General 
  of 
  Telegraphs 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  "On 
  the 
  izth 
  June, 
  I 
  was 
  at 
  Attrabari 
  in 
  the 
  Mymensing 
  district, 
  with 
  

   Mr. 
  Parrott, 
  Sub-Assistant 
  Superintendent. 
  We 
  were 
  stopping 
  in 
  a 
  timber 
  and 
  

   mat 
  building 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  zemindar. 
  Shortly 
  after 
  5 
  p.m., 
  Calcutta 
  time, 
  the 
  . 
  

   building 
  began 
  to 
  sway 
  and 
  creak, 
  at 
  first 
  thinking 
  it 
  only 
  an 
  ordinary 
  slight 
  

   earthquake 
  we 
  did 
  not 
  move; 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  motion 
  increased 
  we 
  went 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  

   garden 
  ; 
  we 
  had 
  gone 
  about 
  five 
  paces 
  from 
  the 
  house 
  when 
  the 
  ground 
  rocked 
  

   violently 
  and 
  we 
  were 
  both 
  thrown 
  down, 
  as 
  we 
  got 
  up 
  I 
  looked 
  at 
  my 
  watch 
  and 
  

   noted 
  the 
  time 
  5 
  hours 
  6-7 
  minutes 
  p.m., 
  Calcutta 
  time. 
  The 
  shock 
  appeared 
  

   to 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  south-west, 
  and 
  on 
  looking 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   earth 
  waves 
  approaching 
  over 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  exactly 
  like 
  rollers 
  on 
  the 
  

   sea 
  coast, 
  as 
  these 
  passed 
  us 
  we 
  had 
  some 
  difficulty 
  in 
  standing, 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  these 
  

   waves 
  reached 
  the 
  intensity 
  of 
  the 
  first, 
  which 
  had 
  overthrown 
  us. 
  It 
  was 
  raining 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  compass 
  but 
  by 
  marking 
  a 
  clump 
  of 
  trees 
  which 
  

   appeared 
  to 
  be 
  directly 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  waves 
  with 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  we 
  were 
  

   standing, 
  and 
  checking 
  it 
  next 
  morning 
  at 
  sunrise; 
  I 
  estimated 
  that 
  the 
  shocks 
  

   were 
  from 
  almost 
  south-south-west 
  to 
  north-north-east. 
  As 
  the 
  waves 
  above 
  

   referred 
  to 
  subsided 
  the 
  ground 
  began 
  to 
  crack 
  at 
  our 
  feet, 
  a 
  long 
  crack 
  appearing 
  

   at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  waves 
  ; 
  not 
  knowing 
  what 
  further 
  

   surprises 
  might 
  be 
  in 
  store 
  for 
  us 
  we 
  left 
  the 
  garden 
  and 
  went 
  out 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  main 
  

   road, 
  as 
  we 
  reached 
  it 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  " 
  geysers 
  " 
  springing 
  up 
  in 
  some 
  waste 
  

   ground 
  on 
  the 
  far 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  road, 
  pouring 
  out 
  sand 
  and 
  water, 
  the 
  highest 
  of 
  

   these 
  reached, 
  I 
  should 
  say, 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  ; 
  on 
  seeing 
  these 
  I 
  ran 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  

   house 
  to 
  get 
  my 
  camera, 
  in 
  the 
  hopes 
  of 
  getting 
  a 
  photograph 
  of 
  one, 
  although 
  

   as 
  it 
  was 
  raining 
  slightly 
  I 
  had 
  not 
  much 
  expectation 
  of 
  getting 
  a 
  good 
  result. 
  I 
  

   had 
  some 
  difficulty 
  in 
  taking 
  a 
  photograph 
  as 
  just 
  as 
  I 
  focussed 
  the 
  camera 
  on 
  

   the 
  largest, 
  a 
  new 
  one 
  sprang 
  up 
  at 
  my 
  feet 
  making 
  it 
  necessary 
  to 
  shift 
  rapidly, 
  

   moreover 
  these 
  geysers 
  varied 
  in 
  intensity 
  considerably, 
  one 
  would 
  spring 
  up 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  feet 
  and 
  then 
  suddenly 
  die 
  down 
  and 
  another 
  rise 
  on 
  a 
  different 
  spot. 
  The 
  

   water 
  I 
  noted 
  was 
  not 
  hot. 
  

  

  » 
  • 
  # 
  * 
  # 
  • 
  * 
  

  

  " 
  On 
  my 
  way 
  to 
  Isvarganj 
  and 
  Ramgopalpur 
  I 
  noticed 
  literally 
  hundreds 
  of 
  

   miniature 
  craters 
  where 
  these 
  mud 
  and 
  water 
  geysers 
  had 
  sprung 
  up, 
  in 
  one 
  span 
  

   of 
  100 
  yards 
  I 
  counted 
  52 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  posts 
  in 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  ground 
  about 
  20 
  feet 
  

   wide, 
  the 
  largest 
  had 
  a 
  dimension 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  and 
  was 
  above 
  

   1 
  foot 
  high. 
  

  

  ( 
  20 
  ) 
  

  

  