﻿OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  "4. 
  Firstly, 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  land. 
  The 
  ground 
  was 
  rent 
  into 
  two 
  by 
  the 
  

  

  violence 
  of 
  the 
  shock. 
  In 
  many 
  places, 
  especially 
  in 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  

  

  the 
  river 
  Brahmaputra, 
  large 
  gaps 
  were 
  made 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  10 
  feet 
  wide, 
  running 
  to 
  

  

  a 
  considerable 
  length, 
  and 
  resembling 
  a 
  canal, 
  from 
  which 
  oozed 
  out 
  sands 
  and 
  

  

  water 
  with 
  or 
  without 
  a 
  considerable 
  force. 
  Within 
  a 
  short 
  time, 
  the 
  canals 
  so 
  

  

  made 
  were 
  full 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  were 
  not 
  fordable 
  in 
  many 
  places. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  

  

  the 
  gaps 
  were 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  3 
  feet 
  wide, 
  and 
  their 
  depth 
  was 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  feet 
  or 
  more. 
  

  

  Water 
  appeared 
  in 
  these 
  gaps 
  a 
  foot 
  or 
  less 
  below 
  the 
  surface. 
  In 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  

  

  same 
  place 
  there 
  were 
  several 
  gaps 
  or 
  fissures 
  running 
  crosswise, 
  causing 
  the 
  

  

  ground 
  heave 
  up 
  in 
  one 
  place 
  and 
  sink 
  in 
  another. 
  These 
  gaps 
  sometimes 
  

  

  passed 
  through 
  houses 
  and 
  buildings' 
  causing 
  the 
  former 
  to 
  sink 
  down 
  with 
  

  

  posts 
  and 
  fencing, 
  and 
  leaving 
  the 
  thatches 
  only 
  above 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  the 
  

  

  latter 
  entirely 
  collapse. 
  In 
  some 
  places, 
  however, 
  the 
  houses 
  and 
  the 
  buildings 
  

  

  were 
  only 
  partially 
  buried. 
  The 
  roads 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  sank 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  

  

  several 
  feet 
  and 
  in 
  others 
  heaved 
  up. 
  They 
  were 
  fcr 
  some 
  time 
  almost 
  impassable, 
  

  

  and 
  up 
  to 
  this 
  day 
  very 
  many 
  nearly 
  remain 
  the 
  same. 
  In 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  corn-fields, 
  

  

  these 
  gaps 
  took 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  little 
  rivulets, 
  which 
  ran 
  sometimes 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  

  

  length, 
  while 
  in 
  others, 
  sands 
  were 
  deposited 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  height 
  that 
  the 
  jute 
  and 
  

  

  the 
  early 
  rice 
  crops, 
  which 
  stood 
  over 
  them, 
  were 
  buried 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  hopes 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  cultivators, 
  which 
  were 
  fastened 
  upon 
  them. 
  In 
  one 
  place, 
  a 
  large 
  tree 
  sank 
  

  

  so 
  deep 
  that 
  only 
  its 
  branches 
  remained 
  above 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  "5. 
  The 
  shock 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  was 
  very 
  severe 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  

  

  which 
  lay 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  Brahmaputra. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  noticed 
  

  

  here 
  that 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  has 
  got 
  an 
  infamy 
  marked 
  upon 
  it 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  Pandavas 
  not 
  having 
  set 
  their 
  foot 
  upon 
  it. 
  There 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  few 
  places 
  on 
  

  

  the 
  northern 
  bank 
  of 
  that 
  river, 
  some 
  shallow 
  rivers, 
  named 
  in 
  the 
  margin 
  were 
  

  

  dried 
  up 
  and 
  sands 
  were 
  deposited 
  on 
  their 
  beds, 
  making 
  

  

  Kharia. 
  them 
  appear 
  like 
  roads 
  newly 
  made. 
  Many 
  tanks 
  

  

  Barakhala. 
  similarly 
  dried 
  up 
  and 
  sands 
  filled 
  up 
  the 
  hollow. 
  This 
  

  

  Barahansha. 
  ... 
  , 
  x1 
  . 
  , 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Rangsha. 
  wl 
  » 
  again 
  cause 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  drinking 
  water 
  in 
  those 
  

  

  Mahamarykhal. 
  places. 
  These 
  gaps, 
  fissures 
  and 
  the 
  deposit 
  of 
  sands 
  

  

  Shomesvar 
  etc., 
  etc. 
  * 
  n 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  corn-fields 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  it 
  

  

  would 
  be 
  impossible 
  for 
  long 
  time 
  to 
  come 
  to 
  bring 
  these 
  

  

  fields 
  under 
  cultivation 
  again, 
  or 
  perhaps 
  never 
  at 
  all. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  an 
  entire 
  

  

  village 
  has 
  sunk, 
  and 
  water 
  come 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  knee 
  or 
  

  

  the 
  loins. 
  The 
  people 
  of 
  such 
  villages 
  had 
  to 
  pass 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  days 
  on 
  crafts 
  

  

  made 
  of 
  plantain 
  barks. 
  The 
  water 
  there 
  subsided 
  gradually. 
  

  

  "6. 
  But 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  good 
  unmixed 
  with 
  evil 
  or 
  no 
  evil 
  unmixed 
  with 
  good. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  earthquake 
  has 
  destroyed 
  and 
  damaged 
  corn-fields 
  either 
  by 
  

  

  depositing 
  sands 
  over 
  them 
  or 
  causing 
  them 
  to 
  sink 
  down 
  with 
  yawning 
  gaps 
  

  

  made 
  through 
  them, 
  yet 
  it 
  has 
  rendered 
  some 
  compensation 
  by 
  causing 
  some 
  

  

  very 
  old 
  bheels 
  to 
  be 
  dried 
  up, 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  course 
  would 
  have 
  never 
  

  

  come 
  under 
  cultivation 
  within 
  the 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  century. 
  These 
  bheels 
  are 
  being 
  

  

  ploughed 
  up 
  and 
  cultivated 
  this 
  very 
  year, 
  and 
  are 
  about 
  to 
  prove 
  an 
  apple 
  of 
  

  

  discord 
  to 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  zemindars. 
  

  

  1 
  That 
  is 
  thatched 
  bamboo 
  huts 
  and 
  brick 
  built 
  buildings— 
  R. 
  D. 
  O. 
  

  

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  22 
  ) 
  

  

  