﻿NARRATIVE 
  ACCOUNTS. 
  2g 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  first 
  tremor 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  my 
  notice 
  by 
  a 
  servant, 
  but 
  after 
  he 
  had 
  

   pointed 
  it 
  out 
  it 
  was 
  some 
  seconds 
  before 
  I 
  noticed 
  any 
  motion. 
  The 
  motion 
  

   then 
  became 
  rapidly 
  more 
  severe, 
  and 
  I 
  went 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  lawn. 
  By 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  

   I 
  reached 
  it 
  the 
  motion 
  was 
  sufficiently 
  severe 
  to 
  render 
  standing 
  very 
  difficult, 
  if 
  

   not 
  impossible. 
  The 
  ground 
  seemed 
  to 
  undulate 
  from 
  south 
  to 
  north. 
  I 
  momen- 
  

   tarily 
  expected 
  the 
  cracking 
  of 
  the 
  straining 
  timbers 
  to 
  be 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  crash 
  of 
  

   their 
  breaking, 
  but 
  just 
  as 
  severe 
  damage 
  seemed 
  inevitable 
  the 
  undulating 
  

   motions 
  decreased 
  in 
  severity, 
  and 
  were 
  succeeded 
  by 
  what 
  seemed 
  to 
  me 
  a 
  tilting 
  

   motion 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south." 
  * 
  

  

  Turning 
  now 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  the 
  earthquake 
  was 
  observed 
  at 
  Silchar 
  

   by 
  Revd 
  O. 
  O. 
  Williams, 
  D.D., 
  who 
  had 
  just 
  arrived 
  from 
  Karimganj, 
  

   and 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  mission 
  bungalow. 
  He 
  writes 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  first 
  thing 
  I 
  noticed 
  was 
  a 
  wave-like 
  motion 
  passing 
  under 
  my 
  feet, 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  like 
  the 
  swing 
  of 
  a 
  suspension 
  bridge. 
  Two 
  or 
  three 
  waves 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  

   were 
  felt, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  perceptible 
  interval 
  between 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  one 
  wave 
  and 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  next, 
  and 
  I 
  just 
  felt 
  the 
  rising 
  and 
  falling 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  an 
  earthquake 
  

   being 
  far 
  away 
  from 
  my 
  thoughts. 
  Direction 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south. 
  The 
  second 
  

   thing 
  I 
  noticed 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  canvas 
  ceiling 
  was 
  thrown 
  into 
  undulations, 
  the 
  waves 
  

   travelling 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  the 
  house 
  being 
  situated 
  exactly 
  facing 
  the 
  four 
  

   points 
  of 
  the 
  compass. 
  The 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  waves 
  from 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  room 
  to 
  

   the 
  other 
  could 
  be 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  eye, 
  and 
  my 
  impression 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  

   ceiling 
  was 
  thrown 
  into 
  about 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  waves. 
  

  

  "Although 
  more 
  than 
  surprised 
  at 
  this 
  phenomenon 
  my 
  thoughts 
  were 
  with 
  

   the 
  rats, 
  which 
  I 
  believed 
  were 
  then 
  running 
  about 
  distractedly 
  on 
  the 
  moving 
  

   ceiling. 
  I 
  confess 
  I 
  was 
  wondering 
  how 
  the 
  rats 
  could 
  cause 
  such 
  waves, 
  and 
  

   was 
  coming 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  some 
  much 
  bigger 
  animal 
  was 
  required, 
  when, 
  

   in 
  the 
  third 
  place, 
  the 
  walls 
  claimed 
  my 
  attention. 
  A 
  peculiar 
  shaking 
  and 
  sound 
  

   of 
  knocking 
  began, 
  when 
  the 
  shaking 
  and 
  knocking 
  suddenly 
  increased 
  in 
  violence 
  

   and 
  I 
  saw 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  room, 
  where 
  I 
  had 
  located 
  the 
  knocking 
  sound, 
  

   give 
  one 
  great 
  bulge, 
  the 
  convexity 
  being 
  to 
  the 
  south. 
  ' 
  Earthquake 
  ' 
  now 
  flashed 
  

   into 
  my 
  mind 
  * 
  *, 
  I 
  backed 
  promptly 
  intojthe 
  verandah 
  and 
  got 
  * 
  * 
  a 
  few 
  

   yards 
  from 
  the 
  house 
  when 
  the 
  vvave 
  motion 
  made 
  it 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  stand. 
  

   My 
  impression 
  at 
  this 
  moment 
  was 
  very 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  simple 
  one 
  at 
  the 
  beginning. 
  

   It 
  was 
  the 
  feeling 
  of 
  a 
  boat 
  tossed 
  in 
  a 
  choppy 
  sea, 
  i.e., 
  a 
  crossing 
  of 
  great 
  waves. 
  

   These 
  waves 
  were 
  certainly 
  not 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  

   most 
  pronounced 
  were 
  from 
  the 
  north-west." 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Williams 
  describes 
  his 
  movements 
  and 
  impressions 
  during 
  

   the 
  earthquake 
  and 
  continues 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  have 
  mentioned 
  the 
  above 
  details 
  that 
  you 
  may 
  form 
  a 
  conception 
  how 
  long 
  

   it 
  lasted. 
  It 
  seemed 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  minutes; 
  but 
  half 
  an 
  hour 
  or 
  so 
  after 
  the 
  shock 
  

  

  ( 
  *9 
  ) 
  

  

  