﻿6$ 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  other 
  returns 
  received 
  are 
  evidently 
  approximations 
  and 
  

   in 
  many 
  cases 
  palpably 
  inaccurate. 
  

  

  Though 
  these 
  times 
  are 
  given 
  here 
  as 
  appantly 
  good 
  records, 
  

   it 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  make 
  any 
  use 
  of 
  them, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  

   that 
  they 
  were 
  too 
  discordant/ 
  There 
  is, 
  besides, 
  a 
  constant 
  error 
  

   of 
  some 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  minutes 
  of 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  them, 
  which 
  

   is 
  easily 
  explicable. 
  The 
  daily 
  time 
  signal 
  originates 
  from 
  Madras, 
  

   but 
  before 
  it 
  reaches 
  the 
  Burma 
  stations 
  it 
  requires 
  to 
  be 
  repeated 
  

   so 
  often 
  by 
  relays 
  that 
  a 
  considerable 
  retardation 
  occurs. 
  I 
  have 
  

   been 
  informed 
  that 
  when, 
  some 
  years 
  ago, 
  the 
  longitude 
  of 
  Man- 
  

   dalay 
  was 
  determined 
  telegraphically, 
  ft 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   daily 
  time 
  signal 
  was 
  between 
  two 
  and 
  three 
  minutes 
  late 
  in 
  arriving 
  

   there. 
  This 
  error, 
  if 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  records 
  from 
  Burma, 
  would 
  

   bring 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  into 
  very 
  fair 
  accordance 
  with 
  those 
  from 
  Northern 
  

   India, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  error 
  exists, 
  and 
  as 
  its 
  amount 
  is 
  unknown, 
  it 
  has 
  

   not 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  harmonise 
  these, 
  time 
  records, 
  and 
  no 
  further 
  

   use 
  will 
  be 
  made 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  Turning 
  now 
  to 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  these 
  records, 
  we 
  have 
  those 
  

   from 
  Calcutta 
  and 
  Bombay 
  forming 
  a 
  class 
  by 
  themselves 
  as 
  regards 
  

   accuracy 
  and 
  authoritativeness. 
  The 
  others, 
  comprising 
  those 
  alone 
  

   which 
  seem 
  on 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  them 
  good 
  observations, 
  fall 
  into 
  three 
  

   geographical 
  groups. 
  The 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  comprises 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  stations 
  

   running 
  north 
  and 
  south, 
  between 
  Calcutta 
  and 
  Darjiling, 
  and 
  those 
  

   lying 
  within 
  a 
  hundred 
  miles 
  or 
  so 
  on 
  either 
  hand 
  of 
  this 
  line. 
  

   The 
  second 
  forms 
  a 
  long 
  series 
  stretching 
  approximately 
  west- 
  

   ward 
  across 
  Northern 
  India, 
  and 
  the 
  third 
  another 
  long 
  series 
  

   stretching 
  approximately 
  south-south-east 
  to 
  south-east 
  through 
  

   Burma. 
  

  

  In 
  making 
  use 
  of 
  these 
  time 
  observations 
  to 
  deduce 
  the 
  rate 
  at 
  

   which 
  the 
  earthquake 
  travelled, 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  know 
  the 
  centre 
  

   from 
  which 
  it 
  started, 
  and 
  hence 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  considered 
  more 
  appro- 
  

   priate 
  to 
  defer 
  this 
  chapter 
  till 
  after 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  position 
  

   (68 
  ) 
  

  

  

  