﻿NARRATIVE 
  ACCOUNTS. 
  2J 
  

  

  was 
  one 
  mass 
  of 
  cracks, 
  the 
  roof 
  began 
  to 
  leak 
  badly 
  all 
  over, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  

   bungalow 
  had 
  settled 
  down, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  could 
  not 
  shot 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  doors 
  that 
  were 
  

   opened 
  nor 
  open 
  the 
  doors 
  that 
  were 
  shut." 
  

  

  Captain 
  P. 
  R. 
  T, 
  Gurdon, 
  Deputy 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Kamrup, 
  who 
  

   was 
  in 
  camp 
  at 
  Nalbari 
  — 
  a 
  place 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  within 
  the 
  

   area 
  of 
  the 
  seismic 
  vertical, 
  and 
  was 
  certainly 
  close 
  to 
  it, 
  — 
  reports 
  

   that 
  earth-waves 
  were 
  distinctly 
  visible 
  from 
  the 
  rest 
  house 
  compound, 
  

   which 
  is 
  situated 
  close 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  pathar 
  or 
  series 
  of 
  rice-fields. 
  The 
  

   waves 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  following 
  one 
  another 
  at 
  intervals, 
  the 
  ahu 
  rice 
  

   falling 
  and 
  rising 
  as 
  the 
  waves 
  progressed. 
  On 
  subsequent 
  enquiry 
  

   Captain 
  Gurdon 
  stated 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  recollect 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  these 
  

   waves, 
  but 
  that 
  their 
  rate 
  of 
  travel, 
  though 
  decidedly 
  faster 
  than 
  a 
  

   man 
  could 
  walk, 
  was 
  not 
  so 
  fast 
  as 
  he 
  could 
  run. 
  We 
  may 
  take 
  it 
  that 
  

   the 
  rate 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  between 
  two 
  and 
  four 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  

  

  From 
  Kohima, 
  in 
  the 
  Angami 
  Naga 
  Hills, 
  an 
  account 
  by 
  a 
  corre- 
  

   spondent 
  to 
  the 
  Englishman 
  Newspaper, 
  may 
  be 
  reprinted 
  :— 
  

  

  "Notwithstanding 
  a 
  delay 
  which 
  was 
  inevitable, 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  

   in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  Upper 
  Assam 
  may 
  prove 
  not 
  uninteresting. 
  First, 
  as 
  to 
  Kohima, 
  

   which 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  known 
  Civil 
  and 
  Military 
  station 
  4,oSo 
  feet 
  above 
  sea-level, 
  

   standing 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  Naga 
  range 
  on 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Frontier 
  of 
  Upper 
  

   Assam, 
  distant 
  92 
  miles 
  north 
  from 
  Manipur 
  and 
  123 
  miles 
  south 
  from 
  Nigriting 
  

   (or 
  Shikarighat) 
  steamer 
  ghat, 
  on 
  the 
  Brahmaputra. 
  It 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  latitude 
  

   with, 
  and 
  some 
  200 
  miles 
  east 
  of, 
  Shillong. 
  

  

  "On 
  the 
  12th 
  instant 
  at 
  about 
  5-20 
  p.m., 
  local 
  time, 
  we 
  felt 
  the 
  first 
  shock 
  of 
  

   the 
  earthquake, 
  whose 
  violence 
  made 
  us 
  somehow 
  feel 
  anxious 
  in 
  particular 
  for 
  

   Shillong 
  and 
  Calcutta, 
  where 
  we 
  knew 
  the 
  numerous 
  masonry 
  buildings 
  would 
  

   have 
  but 
  little 
  chance 
  if 
  the 
  earth-waves 
  were 
  even 
  half 
  as 
  severe 
  as 
  we 
  had 
  

   experienced. 
  I 
  was 
  sitting 
  in 
  my 
  garden, 
  facing 
  east, 
  just 
  outside 
  my 
  bungalow 
  

   examining 
  a 
  flower-bed, 
  when 
  I 
  suddenly 
  began 
  to 
  feel 
  dizzy 
  from 
  an 
  apparent, 
  at 
  

   first 
  gentle, 
  fore 
  and 
  aft 
  movement. 
  Not 
  having 
  been 
  well, 
  I 
  naturally 
  conceived 
  

   I 
  was 
  going 
  off 
  into 
  a 
  faint 
  and 
  instinctively 
  pressed 
  my 
  forehead 
  and 
  eyes 
  with 
  my 
  

   hands; 
  but 
  the 
  peculiarity 
  of 
  the 
  motion 
  and 
  vibration 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  

   became 
  more 
  violent, 
  immediately 
  acquainted 
  me 
  with 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  an 
  

   earthquake, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  at 
  once 
  confirmed 
  by 
  hearing 
  the 
  creaking 
  of 
  the 
  wood 
  

   and 
  iron 
  work 
  of 
  my 
  bungalow 
  behind 
  and 
  observing 
  the 
  consternation 
  and 
  

   alarm 
  of 
  my 
  sister 
  who 
  then 
  rushed 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  verandah, 
  and 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  servants 
  

   who 
  also 
  very 
  speedily 
  vacated 
  the 
  house. 
  On 
  rising 
  and 
  looking 
  around 
  I 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  the 
  whole 
  house 
  bodily 
  rocking 
  — 
  I 
  should 
  say 
  at 
  least 
  six 
  inches 
  each 
  way 
  

   from 
  the 
  perpendicular 
  at 
  the 
  highest 
  point 
  (25 
  feet) 
  — 
  distinctly 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  (not 
  

   to 
  be 
  too 
  particular), 
  the 
  exact 
  situation 
  width-wise 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  being 
  south-east 
  

   and 
  north-west, 
  and 
  my 
  sister 
  staggering 
  about 
  trying 
  to 
  maintain 
  her 
  equili- 
  

   brium, 
  almost 
  believing 
  that 
  the 
  world 
  was 
  coming 
  to 
  an 
  end 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  cook 
  in 
  

   horrified 
  alarm 
  rushed 
  forth 
  from 
  his 
  kitchen 
  repeating 
  aloud 
  the 
  Kulma 
  and 
  

  

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