﻿32 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  From 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  received 
  from 
  Dr. 
  Pyari 
  Lai 
  

   Mukhopadhyaya, 
  I 
  extract 
  the 
  following 
  passage, 
  which, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  

   seen, 
  agrees 
  with 
  the 
  Revd. 
  Father 
  Lafont's 
  account 
  in 
  discriminat- 
  

   ing 
  two 
  distinct 
  phases 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  "The 
  first 
  shocks 
  or 
  vibratory 
  motions 
  were 
  indiscriminate 
  or 
  all 
  sided. 
  No 
  

   particular 
  direction 
  could 
  be 
  marked. 
  They 
  were 
  rapid, 
  say 
  some 
  seven 
  or 
  eight 
  

   per 
  second. 
  Then 
  followed 
  the 
  undulatory 
  motions 
  as 
  the 
  rolling 
  of 
  a 
  mighty 
  

   ship. 
  They 
  were 
  regular, 
  keeping 
  even 
  time 
  like 
  the 
  movement 
  of 
  a 
  pendulum, 
  

   telling 
  the 
  second 
  as 
  exactly. 
  The 
  motions 
  first 
  were 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south 
  as 
  we 
  

   ordinarily 
  call 
  it 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  exact 
  direction 
  was 
  from 
  north-east 
  to 
  south-west 
  of 
  the 
  

   compass. 
  I 
  could 
  make 
  it 
  out 
  by 
  a 
  hanging 
  lantern 
  and 
  a 
  cage 
  of 
  a 
  canary 
  

   bird. 
  Both 
  of 
  them 
  began 
  to 
  swing 
  from 
  north-east 
  to 
  south-west. 
  The 
  rope 
  to 
  

   which 
  the 
  lantern 
  was 
  hung 
  measures 
  8 
  feet 
  5 
  inches. 
  When 
  the 
  shocks 
  were 
  

   severe 
  it 
  swung 
  about 
  3^ 
  feet 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  that 
  is 
  described 
  an 
  arc 
  of 
  about 
  7 
  feet. 
  

   As 
  these 
  shocks 
  seemed 
  about 
  to 
  subside, 
  some 
  rude 
  and 
  fearful 
  jerks 
  we~e 
  felt, 
  the 
  

   lantern 
  and 
  the 
  cage 
  moving 
  from 
  north-west 
  to 
  south-east, 
  so 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  

   those 
  jerks 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  from 
  due 
  west 
  to 
  east, 
  or 
  the 
  lantern 
  and 
  the 
  cage 
  

   could 
  not 
  have 
  moved 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  (north-west 
  to 
  south-east) 
  that 
  they 
  did. 
  " 
  

  

  As 
  an 
  instance 
  of 
  how 
  difficult 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  tell 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  move* 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  wave 
  particle 
  from 
  mere 
  sensations 
  or 
  the 
  movements 
  

   impressed 
  on 
  objects 
  of 
  such 
  composite 
  character 
  as 
  houses, 
  I 
  may 
  

   quote 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Hayden's 
  note 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  cracks 
  may 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  sets, 
  those 
  running 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  and 
  

   those 
  running 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  ; 
  the 
  former 
  would 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  structures 
  

   vibrated 
  east 
  and 
  west, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  to 
  vibrations 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  that 
  direction 
  ; 
  

   and 
  during 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  these 
  vibrations 
  was 
  clearly 
  seen. 
  A 
  

   good 
  example 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  No. 
  13 
  Theatre 
  Road, 
  which 
  house 
  I 
  was 
  carefully 
  

   watching 
  throughout 
  almost 
  the 
  whole 
  duration 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  When 
  I 
  reached 
  

   the 
  compound, 
  a 
  few 
  seconds 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  tremor, 
  I 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  house 
  was 
  

   violently 
  vibrating 
  east-west, 
  and 
  soon 
  a 
  crack 
  opened 
  through 
  the 
  house 
  from 
  

   north 
  to 
  south, 
  and 
  the 
  western 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  vibrating 
  outwards 
  

   the 
  large 
  crack 
  opening 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  4 
  inches 
  and 
  then 
  closing 
  again. 
  This 
  was 
  

   observed 
  from 
  the 
  southern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  Suddenly, 
  however, 
  the 
  motion 
  

   appeared 
  to 
  change, 
  the 
  crack 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  wall 
  ceased 
  to 
  open, 
  and 
  on 
  passing 
  

   round 
  to 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  the 
  building 
  appeared 
  now 
  to 
  be 
  swinging 
  

   north 
  to 
  south, 
  and 
  vertical 
  cracks 
  began 
  to 
  open 
  over 
  windows 
  and 
  along 
  lines 
  

   of 
  weakness 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  wall, 
  but 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  gape 
  to 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  extent 
  as 
  

   the 
  large 
  crack 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  wall. 
  " 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  this 
  account 
  places 
  the 
  relative 
  order 
  of 
  the 
  

   north-south 
  and 
  the 
  east-west 
  vibrations 
  exactly 
  the 
  reverse 
  of 
  the 
  

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