﻿44 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OP 
  1897. 
  

  

  Bihar 
  and 
  the 
  eastern 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  North-West 
  Provinces. 
  About 
  

   Allahabad 
  comes 
  the 
  isoseist 
  No. 
  4 
  and 
  about 
  Agra 
  No. 
  5. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  probably 
  surprise 
  many 
  who 
  were 
  in 
  Calcutta 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  

   to 
  see 
  it 
  stand 
  so 
  low 
  in 
  the 
  scale 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  indicated 
  above, 
  and 
  

   shown 
  on 
  the 
  map 
  No. 
  1, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  recollect 
  the 
  alarm 
  

   caused 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  the 
  ruined 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  shortly 
  after 
  

   the 
  earthquake 
  the 
  surprise 
  is 
  not 
  unnatural. 
  There 
  are, 
  however, 
  

   special 
  causes 
  in 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  Calcutta 
  houses 
  

   which 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  great 
  destruction 
  resulting 
  from 
  the 
  earth- 
  

   quake. 
  

  

  Figure 
  3 
  represents 
  the 
  transverse 
  section 
  of 
  a 
  typical 
  Calcutta 
  

   house. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  central 
  portion 
  built 
  with 
  thick 
  walls, 
  with 
  flat 
  

   cemented 
  roof 
  and 
  cemented 
  or 
  marble 
  floors 
  to 
  each 
  story 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  

   south 
  is 
  a 
  broad 
  verandah, 
  where 
  the 
  roof 
  and 
  floors 
  are 
  carried 
  by 
  

  

  Fig. 
  3. 
  Typical 
  Section 
  of 
  a 
  Calcutta 
  House.. 
  

  

  tall 
  brick 
  pillars, 
  the 
  upper 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  openings 
  being 
  filled 
  hy 
  

   wooden 
  Venetian 
  blinds; 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  porch, 
  often 
  with 
  a 
  

   room 
  built 
  over 
  it, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  figure, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  without 
  

   (44) 
  

  

  