﻿60 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  From 
  Budge-Budge, 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Calcutta, 
  MV. 
  

  

  Thomas 
  Harris, 
  Deputy 
  Wharf 
  Supervisor, 
  Customs 
  Department, 
  

  

  writes 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  "On 
  Saturday, 
  12th 
  instant, 
  I 
  left 
  my 
  office 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  to 
  5 
  o'clock 
  and 
  

   proceeded 
  to 
  the 
  petroleum 
  depot 
  to 
  supervise 
  the 
  landing 
  of 
  kerosine 
  oil 
  cases 
  

   from 
  the 
  fc 
  S. 
  c 
  S. 
  Nedjed 
  t 
  at 
  No. 
  3, 
  Port 
  Commissioner's 
  pontoon, 
  and 
  exactly 
  at 
  

   5 
  o'clock 
  by 
  my 
  watch 
  (this 
  time 
  is 
  daily 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  telegraph 
  office 
  

   clock), 
  which 
  keeps 
  excellent 
  time, 
  I 
  felt 
  the 
  ground 
  beneath 
  me 
  quake, 
  followed 
  

   by 
  a 
  rumbling 
  sound. 
  " 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  Government 
  Central 
  Telegraph 
  Office 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  

   commencement 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  was 
  noted 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Sub-Assistant 
  Superin- 
  

   tendent 
  Stow 
  as 
  -J 
  minute 
  after 
  5. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  also 
  received 
  information, 
  both 
  verbal 
  and 
  written, 
  from 
  

   many 
  individuals, 
  all 
  of 
  whom 
  claimed 
  to 
  have 
  noticed 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  and 
  determined 
  it 
  by 
  watches 
  which 
  

   had 
  been 
  checked 
  by 
  the 
  daily 
  time-gun 
  at 
  one 
  o'clock. 
  The 
  times 
  

   given 
  vary 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  3; 
  minutes 
  past 
  five, 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  being 
  beyond 
  

   that 
  limit. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  times 
  recorded 
  agree 
  very 
  closely 
  ; 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  tide 
  gauge; 
  

   which 
  gives 
  the 
  commencement 
  at 
  5I1., 
  of 
  Babu 
  Pyari 
  Lai 
  Mukho- 
  

   padyaya 
  who 
  makes 
  it 
  51 
  seconds 
  after 
  5, 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Harris 
  who 
  makes 
  

   it 
  immediately 
  after 
  5 
  o'clock, 
  and 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Stow, 
  who 
  made 
  it 
  

   i 
  minute 
  after 
  5. 
  All 
  are 
  in 
  very 
  fair 
  agreement 
  with 
  other 
  careful 
  

   observations, 
  and 
  the 
  true 
  time 
  may 
  be 
  assumed 
  as 
  about 
  5I1. 
  im„ 
  

   P.M. 
  by 
  local 
  time. 
  

  

  At 
  Howrah 
  Railway 
  station, 
  the 
  terminus 
  of 
  the 
  East 
  Indian 
  Rail- 
  

   way, 
  the 
  time, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  Station 
  Master, 
  was 
  i6h. 
  28m., 
  Madras 
  

   time. 
  The 
  Fairlie 
  Place, 
  Chitpore 
  and 
  Armenian 
  Ghat 
  offices 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  company 
  give 
  i6h. 
  27m. 
  Other 
  stations 
  gave 
  returns 
  which! 
  

   are 
  evidently 
  only 
  approximate. 
  

  

  1 
  Many 
  clocks 
  were 
  stopped, 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  the 
  astronomical 
  clocks 
  at 
  the 
  Alipur 
  

   Observatory. 
  One, 
  whose 
  pendulum 
  swung 
  east-west, 
  stopped 
  at 
  5h. 
  3m. 
  5'3is 
  p.m. 
  local 
  

   time 
  • 
  the 
  other, 
  whose 
  pendulum 
  swings 
  north 
  and 
  south, 
  at 
  sh. 
  4m. 
  1171s. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  

   that 
  no 
  dependence 
  can 
  be 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  stoppage 
  of 
  clocks, 
  as 
  it 
  never 
  ccincides 
  with 
  

   any 
  definite 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  shock; 
  moreover, 
  a 
  pendulum 
  may 
  go 
  staggering 
  on 
  for 
  some 
  

   minutes 
  after 
  it.has 
  received 
  the 
  impulse, 
  which 
  ultimately 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  stoppage 
  of 
  the 
  clocks 
  

   ( 
  60 
  ) 
  

  

  