﻿54 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  bad 
  lengthened 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  comparatively 
  short 
  and 
  conspicuous 
  

  

  waves 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  within 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  seismic 
  vertical 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  was 
  taking 
  levels 
  on 
  the 
  railway 
  bank 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  

   of 
  Panchkura, 
  and 
  was 
  about 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  reading 
  when 
  I 
  noticed 
  the 
  bubble 
  

   oscillating, 
  and 
  I 
  at 
  first 
  thought 
  some 
  one 
  had 
  touched 
  the 
  legs. 
  In 
  5 
  or 
  10 
  

   seconds 
  I 
  could 
  feel 
  the 
  bank 
  shaking 
  to-and 
  fro 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  which 
  gave 
  me 
  

   the 
  impression 
  of 
  being 
  from 
  south-south-east 
  to 
  north-north-west. 
  Unfortunate- 
  

   ly 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  watch 
  with 
  me. 
  I 
  tried 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  exact 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  waves 
  by 
  

   turning 
  the 
  level 
  round 
  on 
  its 
  axis, 
  but 
  the 
  legs 
  were 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  right 
  position. 
  

   Stacks 
  of 
  bricks 
  near 
  me, 
  about 
  3 
  feet 
  high, 
  were 
  shaking, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  fall. 
  

   The 
  shock 
  appeared 
  to 
  last 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  minutes, 
  but, 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  5 
  minutes 
  after 
  all 
  

   shaking 
  had 
  apparently 
  ceased, 
  my 
  level 
  indicated 
  that 
  the 
  vibrations 
  were 
  still 
  

   continuing, 
  and 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  I 
  put 
  away 
  the 
  level. 
  Towards 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  

   worst 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  shock, 
  I 
  turned 
  the 
  telescope 
  to 
  the 
  staff 
  being 
  held 
  about 
  150 
  

   feet 
  due 
  east 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  although 
  the 
  bubble 
  was 
  oscillating 
  most 
  erratically, 
  the 
  

   level 
  and 
  the 
  staff 
  were 
  perfectly 
  motionless 
  relatively 
  to 
  each 
  other. 
  When 
  

   1 
  got 
  back, 
  it 
  was 
  4-44 
  p.m. 
  by 
  Madras 
  time, 
  and 
  I 
  estimated 
  it 
  was 
  about 
  15 
  or 
  

   20 
  minutes 
  after 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  I 
  also 
  set 
  up 
  the 
  level 
  to 
  test 
  roughly 
  at 
  what 
  

   angle 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  tilted, 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  maximum 
  angle 
  during 
  the 
  great 
  

   shock 
  was 
  o° 
  48' 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  lesser 
  oscillation 
  afterwards 
  o° 
  1' 
  ; 
  the 
  former 
  

   angle 
  is 
  probably 
  inaccurate.'* 
  

  

  From 
  Midnapur, 
  Mr. 
  Davies, 
  Telegraph 
  Master, 
  reports 
  that 
  

  

  the 
  shock 
  commenced 
  with 
  a 
  rumbling, 
  and 
  the 
  cot 
  on 
  which 
  he 
  

   was 
  lying 
  rattled 
  to 
  the 
  speed 
  of 
  it, 
  an 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  roll 
  such 
  as 
  

   could 
  be 
  made 
  with 
  a 
  signalling 
  key, 
  equalling 
  a 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  word 
  

   per 
  minute 
  pace. 
  This 
  roll 
  lasted 
  about 
  2 
  minutes, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  passed 
  

   eastwards 
  the 
  doors 
  rattled 
  to 
  the 
  kick 
  of 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  motion 
  changed 
  

   to 
  an 
  undulating 
  south-north 
  one. 
  He 
  tried 
  to 
  rush 
  from 
  the 
  house 
  

   but 
  had 
  to 
  hold 
  on 
  to 
  a 
  pillar 
  and 
  felt 
  distinctly 
  sea-sickish 
  ; 
  the 
  

   ground 
  was 
  distinctly 
  billowy, 
  and 
  it 
  seemed 
  that 
  " 
  these 
  were 
  waves 
  

   of 
  motion 
  going 
  forward 
  north 
  but 
  receding 
  south 
  on 
  the 
  forward 
  

   movement, 
  such 
  as 
  a 
  water 
  wave 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  tide 
  does." 
  The 
  

   total 
  duration 
  was 
  4J 
  minutes. 
  

  

  From 
  Balasor 
  the 
  Telegraph 
  Master 
  reports 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  first 
  

   signs 
  of 
  the 
  shock, 
  after 
  noting 
  the 
  time, 
  he 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  battery 
  

   cells 
  and 
  found 
  the 
  liquid 
  in 
  them 
  undulating 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west 
  ; 
  

   this 
  motion 
  lasted 
  for 
  about 
  90 
  seconds, 
  when 
  the 
  movement 
  changed 
  

   to 
  north 
  to 
  south 
  for 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  

  

  (34) 
  

  

  