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  OLDHAM 
  : 
  tjREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  recorded 
  throughout 
  the 
  Gangetic 
  alluvial 
  plain 
  and 
  the 
  northern 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  peninsular 
  rock 
  area. 
  From 
  Giridih, 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  A. 
  Dyer 
  

  

  writes 
  : 
  

  

  11 
  On 
  turning 
  to 
  look 
  at 
  the 
  house 
  I 
  found 
  extraordinary 
  movements 
  taking 
  

   place 
  in 
  the 
  verandah 
  roof 
  supported 
  by 
  pillars, 
  which 
  movements 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  

   detect 
  at 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  ends, 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  rooms 
  with 
  outside 
  walls. 
  '1 
  hey 
  

   (movements) 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  wavy 
  kind, 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south 
  or 
  south 
  to 
  north 
  

   and 
  moved 
  a 
  few 
  tiles 
  from 
  out 
  their 
  places 
  up 
  near 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  rows 
  and 
  shot 
  

   them 
  downwards, 
  by 
  what 
  looked 
  like 
  small 
  repeated 
  shoves, 
  to 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  

   5 
  tiies 
  length 
  in 
  two 
  cases, 
  and 
  6 
  tiles 
  in 
  one 
  case. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  could 
  see 
  most 
  distinctly 
  the 
  heaving 
  motion, 
  and 
  compared 
  it 
  in 
  my 
  mind 
  

   to 
  what 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  produced 
  by 
  an 
  elephant 
  under 
  such 
  a 
  roof, 
  if 
  he 
  had 
  

   rubbed 
  his 
  back 
  against 
  it 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south. 
  I 
  ought 
  to 
  state 
  that 
  my 
  bungalow 
  

   stands 
  east 
  and 
  west, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  pucca 
  roof 
  over 
  four 
  centre 
  rooms 
  running 
  east 
  

   and 
  west 
  and 
  a 
  sloping 
  thatched 
  roof 
  with 
  country 
  tiles 
  over 
  the 
  thatch, 
  all 
  round 
  

   the 
  four 
  sides, 
  which 
  tiled 
  roof 
  is 
  supported 
  partly 
  on 
  side 
  dressing 
  and 
  bathroom 
  

   walls, 
  and 
  front 
  and 
  back 
  on 
  strong 
  double 
  pillars, 
  with 
  beams 
  on 
  them, 
  to 
  

   support 
  the 
  rafters. 
  It 
  was 
  only 
  over 
  the 
  pillars 
  and 
  beams 
  that 
  the 
  movements 
  

   could 
  be 
  detected 
  by 
  me. 
  I 
  carefully 
  looked 
  to 
  the 
  parts 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  walls 
  

   of 
  the 
  rooms 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  (I 
  was 
  on 
  that 
  side 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  earthqake), 
  

   but 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  observe 
  movements 
  there.' 
  We 
  stood 
  so 
  long 
  in 
  the 
  sunshine, 
  

   that 
  I 
  dreaded 
  a 
  sunstroke, 
  and 
  ran 
  for 
  shelter 
  and 
  shade 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  house 
  from 
  

   which 
  I 
  observed 
  the 
  continued 
  movements, 
  and 
  1 
  also 
  observed 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  a 
  

   godown, 
  near 
  at 
  hand, 
  vibrating 
  upwards 
  and 
  downwards 
  only." 
  

  

  At 
  Lucknow, 
  the 
  earthquake 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  commenced 
  with 
  a 
  

   series 
  of 
  rapid 
  waves 
  like 
  a 
  choppy 
  sea, 
  which 
  gave 
  w 
  T 
  ay 
  to 
  longer 
  

   ones 
  resembling 
  a 
  heavy 
  swell. 
  The 
  former 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  lasted 
  

   two 
  minutes, 
  the 
  longer 
  waves 
  for 
  one 
  minute. 
  The 
  tall 
  column 
  of 
  

   the 
  Martiniere 
  swayed 
  backwards 
  and 
  forwards 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  quite 
  

   three 
  feet. 
  

  

  From 
  Allahabad, 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  Mr. 
  R. 
  Warneford 
  for 
  some 
  

   interesting 
  particulars. 
  The 
  earthquake 
  here 
  was 
  of 
  sufficient 
  vio- 
  

   lence 
  to 
  displace 
  crockery, 
  etc., 
  standing 
  on 
  tables 
  and 
  caused 
  some 
  

   cracks 
  to 
  form 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  buildings, 
  apparently 
  old 
  and 
  not 
  of 
  

   sound 
  construction. 
  At 
  Mr. 
  Warneford's 
  house 
  he 
  noticed 
  that 
  

   hanging 
  lamps 
  and 
  saddles 
  suspended 
  from 
  the 
  ceiling 
  were 
  set 
  

   oscillating 
  in 
  an 
  east-south-east 
  to 
  west-north-west 
  direction 
  ; 
  water 
  

   in 
  tubs 
  was 
  oscillating 
  backwards 
  and 
  forwards 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direc- 
  

  

  (36) 
  

  

  