﻿40 
  OLDHAM 
  ; 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  approximately), 
  on 
  that 
  evening. 
  About 
  5-30 
  o'clock 
  (this 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  guess, 
  as 
  no 
  

   one 
  looked 
  at 
  their 
  watches) 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  tank 
  started 
  going 
  backwards 
  and 
  

   forwards 
  just 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  a 
  basin 
  had 
  been 
  tilted 
  backwards 
  and 
  forwards 
  ; 
  

   the 
  maximum 
  rise 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  tank 
  was 
  18 
  inches. 
  This 
  

   movement 
  lasted 
  about 
  3 
  minutes. 
  The 
  movement 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  from 
  west 
  to 
  

   east 
  as 
  near 
  as 
  we 
  could 
  judge. 
  People 
  standing 
  on 
  the 
  bank 
  could 
  feel 
  nothing. 
  

   No 
  cracks, 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  aware 
  of, 
  occurred 
  in 
  any 
  buildings 
  or 
  bridges." 
  

  

  Some 
  other 
  accounts 
  from 
  Burma 
  make 
  specific 
  mention 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  undulatory 
  motion. 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  F. 
  Gilbert, 
  Executive 
  Engineer, 
  

   Bhamo, 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  his 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  as 
  felt 
  at 
  

   Nahakaung, 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Katha 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Mu 
  Valley 
  line, 
  

   writes 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  I 
  have 
  experienced 
  considerably 
  more 
  severe 
  earthquakes 
  

   in 
  the 
  Himalayas, 
  but 
  the 
  sensation 
  of 
  sea-sickness 
  which 
  accom- 
  

   panied 
  this 
  one, 
  and 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  noticed 
  by 
  everyone 
  

   almost, 
  is 
  quite 
  a 
  new 
  feature." 
  At 
  Bhamo 
  Mr. 
  P. 
  D. 
  C. 
  Pereira, 
  

   Inspector 
  of 
  Police, 
  reports 
  that 
  the 
  shock 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  usual 
  short 
  

   jerks, 
  but 
  resembled 
  more 
  a 
  gently 
  rocking 
  motion. 
  It 
  caused 
  a 
  

   sensation 
  of 
  nausea 
  in 
  several 
  people. 
  

  

  These 
  two 
  accounts 
  are 
  valuable 
  as 
  being 
  comparative 
  and 
  show- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  disturbance 
  produced 
  

   by 
  a 
  very 
  severe 
  earthquake 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  from 
  its 
  centre, 
  and 
  the 
  

   possibly 
  more 
  severe, 
  disturbance 
  of 
  a 
  slighter 
  earthquake 
  at 
  a 
  short 
  

   distance 
  from 
  its 
  centre. 
  

  

  Such 
  are 
  the 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  shock. 
  Besides 
  

   those 
  printed, 
  many 
  more 
  have 
  been 
  received, 
  but 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  add 
  

   anything 
  of 
  importance. 
  From 
  them 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  gathered 
  that 
  there 
  

   was 
  everywhere 
  a 
  marked 
  undulatory 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  the 
  waves 
  being 
  shorter 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  area 
  and 
  length- 
  

   ening 
  out 
  as 
  they 
  progressed. 
  In 
  the 
  central 
  area, 
  and 
  wherever 
  

   they 
  were 
  small 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  as 
  wave-like 
  undulations 
  of 
  the 
  

   surface, 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  have 
  only 
  been 
  locally 
  produced 
  

   waves, 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  but 
  not 
  spreading 
  far, 
  or 
  travel- 
  

   ling 
  at 
  anything 
  like 
  the 
  speed 
  of 
  the 
  real 
  earthquake 
  wave, 
  this 
  

   being 
  of 
  too 
  great 
  a 
  length 
  and 
  travelling 
  too 
  rapidly 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  At 
  

   greater 
  distances, 
  where 
  the 
  shock 
  was 
  only 
  slightly 
  felt 
  or 
  not 
  felt 
  

   (40) 
  

  

  