﻿ISOSEISTS 
  AND 
  SEISMIC 
  AREA. 
  47 
  

  

  precipitated 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  carrying 
  with 
  it 
  any 
  projections 
  that 
  

   stood 
  in 
  its 
  way 
  (PI. 
  XXIII, 
  fig. 
  1). 
  

  

  Little 
  less 
  dangerous 
  were 
  the 
  heavy 
  cornices 
  which 
  adorn 
  not 
  only 
  

   the 
  outside 
  of 
  these 
  houses, 
  but 
  are 
  often 
  repeated 
  in 
  the 
  interior. 
  

   They 
  project 
  two 
  feet 
  or 
  more 
  (in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Town 
  Hall 
  over 
  five 
  

   feet) 
  and, 
  being 
  constructed 
  of 
  ordinary 
  brick 
  and 
  mortar 
  covered 
  with 
  

   stucco, 
  have 
  little 
  transverse 
  strength 
  at 
  their 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  

   main 
  wall. 
  In 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  project 
  so 
  far, 
  

   but 
  are 
  often 
  a 
  foot 
  or 
  more 
  wide 
  and 
  made 
  principally 
  of 
  plaster. 
  

   These 
  heavy 
  cornices 
  proved 
  especially 
  liable 
  to 
  damage; 
  long 
  

   lengths 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  broken 
  off, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  fall 
  caused 
  wreckage 
  

   and 
  damage. 
  

  

  Yet 
  another 
  reason 
  for 
  the 
  great 
  apparent 
  damage 
  done 
  was 
  the 
  

   almost 
  universal 
  practice 
  of 
  coating 
  the 
  brickwork 
  with 
  a 
  thick 
  coat 
  

   of 
  stucco. 
  This 
  is 
  done 
  for 
  climatic 
  reasons, 
  a 
  house 
  so 
  treated 
  

   being 
  much 
  cooler 
  than 
  one 
  in 
  which 
  bricks 
  are 
  left 
  bare, 
  but 
  the 
  

   plaster 
  is 
  easily 
  detached 
  when 
  the 
  whole 
  house 
  is 
  caused 
  to 
  rock, 
  

   as 
  was 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  and 
  an 
  appearance 
  of 
  great 
  

   damage 
  was 
  produced 
  where, 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  stucco 
  coating, 
  the 
  house 
  

   would 
  have 
  been 
  almost 
  uninjured. 
  Plate 
  XXIII, 
  fig. 
  2, 
  is 
  a 
  view 
  which 
  

   may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  typical 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  houses 
  after 
  the 
  earth- 
  

   quake, 
  where 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that, 
  apart 
  from 
  the 
  detachment 
  of 
  

   plaster 
  and 
  the 
  damage 
  done 
  by 
  its 
  fall, 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  practically 
  

   uninjured. 
  

  

  After 
  making 
  allowance 
  for 
  these 
  special 
  considerations, 
  and 
  for 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  brick-built 
  houses 
  are 
  far 
  more 
  numerous 
  than 
  any- 
  

   where 
  else 
  in 
  Bengal, 
  and 
  that, 
  consequently, 
  the 
  number 
  seriously 
  

   injured 
  would 
  naturally 
  be 
  greater, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  destruc- 
  

   tiveness 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  was, 
  proportionately, 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  north-eastern 
  portion 
  of 
  Bengal; 
  a 
  conclusion 
  which 
  

   is 
  borne 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  comparatively 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  damage 
  done 
  in 
  

   the 
  native 
  quarters 
  of 
  the 
  town, 
  where 
  a 
  different 
  mode 
  of 
  construc- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  adopted 
  and 
  brick 
  buildings 
  are, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  smaller 
  and 
  more 
  

   homogeneous 
  than 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  European 
  quarters. 
  Another 
  source 
  

  

  (47) 
  

  

  