﻿28 
  OLDHAM'. 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  calling 
  out 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  something 
  wrong 
  with 
  the 
  bungalow 
  roof. 
  I 
  doubt 
  

   if 
  he 
  felt 
  re-assured 
  when 
  I 
  told 
  him 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  roof 
  but 
  the 
  world 
  that 
  was 
  

   shaking. 
  The 
  other 
  servants 
  could 
  not 
  keep 
  their 
  feet 
  but 
  fell 
  flat 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   while 
  our 
  puppy 
  kept 
  running 
  about, 
  watching 
  the 
  hou^e 
  and 
  barking 
  furiously. 
  

  

  11 
  I 
  suddenly 
  recollected 
  that 
  certain 
  valuable 
  ornaments 
  on 
  the 
  drawing-room 
  

   mantelpiece 
  would 
  be 
  inevitably 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  tried 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  rush 
  to 
  save 
  them 
  

   but 
  was 
  taken 
  aback 
  to 
  discover 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  at 
  first 
  move, 
  and 
  staggered 
  violently 
  

   east 
  and 
  west 
  as 
  if 
  on 
  board 
  a 
  boat 
  in 
  a 
  heavy 
  swell. 
  Eventually 
  as 
  the 
  height 
  

   of 
  the 
  wave 
  diminished 
  I 
  forced 
  my 
  way 
  into 
  the 
  house, 
  dodging 
  the 
  orchids 
  

   hanging 
  in 
  the 
  verandah 
  which 
  were 
  plunging 
  violently 
  to 
  and 
  fro 
  (east 
  and 
  

   west) 
  in 
  a 
  most 
  extraordinary 
  manner 
  about 
  two 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  perpendicular 
  

   each 
  way. 
  Fortunately 
  rot 
  a 
  single 
  ornament 
  had 
  as 
  yet 
  suffered, 
  and 
  I 
  had 
  time 
  

   to 
  remove 
  them 
  all 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  two 
  mantelpieces 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  faced 
  back 
  to 
  

   back, 
  north-west 
  and 
  south-east, 
  that 
  is, 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  opposite 
  to 
  the 
  wave, 
  as 
  

   did 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  shelves 
  and 
  brackets, 
  and 
  consequently, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  one 
  

   small 
  vase 
  laid 
  prostrate, 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  article 
  was 
  thrown 
  down 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  

   period 
  of 
  the 
  wave. 
  I 
  afterwards 
  discovered 
  slight 
  cracks 
  extending 
  upwards 
  in 
  

   both 
  chimneys, 
  and 
  the 
  clock 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  them, 
  whose 
  pendulums 
  swung 
  north- 
  

   east 
  and 
  south-west, 
  stopped 
  short 
  at 
  5-20 
  p.m., 
  local 
  time. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  rum- 
  

   blings 
  or 
  explosion 
  sounds* 
  The 
  appreciable 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  quake 
  lasted 
  some 
  five 
  

   minutes 
  as 
  ascertained 
  afterwards 
  from 
  the 
  Telegraph 
  Master, 
  who, 
  working 
  

   before 
  his 
  clock, 
  had 
  at 
  once 
  noted 
  the 
  hour, 
  viz., 
  from 
  5-24 
  to 
  5-29 
  p.m 
  , 
  local 
  

   time, 
  or 
  16-24 
  to 
  16-30 
  {i.e„ 
  4-24 
  to 
  4-30 
  p.m.) 
  Madras 
  time, 
  which 
  is 
  57 
  minutes 
  

   behind 
  Kohima 
  time. 
  

  

  " 
  After 
  the 
  shock 
  had 
  passed 
  we 
  had 
  time 
  to 
  re-enter 
  the 
  verandah 
  (which 
  I 
  

   had 
  again 
  vacated) 
  and 
  sit 
  down 
  and 
  pass 
  some 
  remarks 
  about 
  the 
  visitation, 
  

   when, 
  some 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  minutes 
  later 
  I 
  guess, 
  we 
  heard 
  several 
  loud 
  explosions 
  

   like 
  guns 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  fort 
  three-quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  north-west 
  which 
  I 
  

   remarked 
  must 
  be 
  either 
  the 
  mountain 
  battery 
  practising 
  or 
  bombs 
  going 
  off 
  in 
  

   honour 
  of 
  the 
  Mohurrum." 
  

  

  Southwards 
  of 
  Kohima, 
  Major 
  H. 
  O'Donnell, 
  D.S.O., 
  writes 
  from 
  

  

  Kunjukphul 
  in 
  Manipur 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  

  

  H 
  The 
  earthquake 
  gave 
  no 
  warning 
  of 
  its 
  coming. 
  It 
  began 
  suddenly 
  and 
  

   severely, 
  and 
  lasted 
  I 
  should 
  say 
  some 
  four 
  minutes. 
  At 
  first 
  the 
  motion 
  was 
  an 
  

   up 
  and 
  down 
  one, 
  and 
  one 
  I 
  had 
  never 
  before 
  experienced. 
  This 
  by 
  degrees 
  gave 
  

   way 
  to 
  the 
  ordinary 
  side 
  to 
  side 
  kind 
  of 
  motion, 
  which 
  was 
  at 
  first 
  a 
  long 
  and 
  

   slow 
  motion, 
  gradually 
  becoming 
  shorter 
  and 
  quicker 
  till 
  it 
  suddenly 
  ceased. 
  The 
  

   hill 
  immediately 
  behind 
  I 
  could 
  distinctly 
  see 
  moving, 
  and 
  appeared 
  to 
  move, 
  turn 
  

   and 
  turn 
  about 
  with 
  the 
  knoll 
  we 
  were 
  on. 
  At 
  the 
  first 
  shock 
  we 
  ran 
  all 
  outside, 
  

   and 
  for 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  it 
  lasted 
  it 
  was 
  difficult 
  to 
  stand. 
  I 
  saw 
  the 
  others 
  in 
  

   motion 
  as 
  you 
  see 
  a 
  person 
  on 
  deck 
  in 
  rough 
  weather." 
  

  

  From 
  Manipur 
  itself 
  Captain 
  H. 
  W. 
  G. 
  Cole, 
  Political 
  Agent, 
  

  

  writes 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  

  

  1 
  Assam 
  Government 
  Official 
  Report, 
  Appendix 
  XI. 
  

  

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  28 
  ) 
  

  

  