﻿FISSURES 
  AND 
  VENTS. 
  95 
  

  

  affected 
  is 
  several 
  hundred 
  feeU 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  here 
  describing 
  the 
  shifting 
  of 
  the 
  

   permanent 
  way 
  on 
  the 
  bank, 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  bank 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  On 
  examining 
  the 
  

   relative 
  position 
  of 
  embankment, 
  berm, 
  borrow 
  pits 
  and 
  trees, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  

   the 
  lateral 
  shifting 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  displacement 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  not 
  of 
  the 
  bank 
  

   only 
  : 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  fissure 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  bank, 
  no 
  wrenching 
  of 
  one 
  part 
  from 
  

   the 
  other. 
  At 
  the 
  points 
  where 
  the 
  displacement 
  begins 
  and 
  ends 
  the 
  bank 
  was 
  

   much 
  disturbed, 
  practically 
  wrecked, 
  but 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  clean 
  shearing 
  anywhere." 
  

  

  From 
  Mr. 
  Grimes' 
  account, 
  it 
  seems 
  that 
  this 
  cannot 
  be 
  accounted 
  

   for 
  by 
  a 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  alluvium 
  towards 
  a 
  river 
  course, 
  for 
  the 
  

   movement 
  is 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  only 
  river 
  course 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  ; 
  

   it 
  is 
  more 
  probably 
  attributable 
  to 
  the 
  local 
  presence 
  of 
  some 
  

   yielding 
  bed 
  underground, 
  along 
  whose 
  upper 
  surface 
  the 
  superficial 
  

   layers 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  move, 
  the 
  movement 
  being 
  taken 
  up 
  at 
  the 
  

   margins 
  of 
  the 
  displaced 
  tract 
  by 
  a 
  gradual 
  compression, 
  extension, 
  

   or 
  distortion 
  of 
  the 
  alluvium 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  that 
  would 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  

   recognisable 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  accident 
  of 
  the 
  railway 
  line 
  crossing 
  this 
  

   disturbed 
  tract. 
  

  

  Another 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  shifting 
  of 
  the 
  alluvium, 
  due 
  to 
  its 
  power 
  of 
  

   yielding 
  to 
  compression, 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  throughout 
  large 
  areas 
  of 
  

   Northern 
  Bengal, 
  Lower 
  Assam 
  and 
  Maimansingh. 
  Here 
  the 
  rice- 
  

   fields, 
  which 
  are 
  most 
  carefully 
  levelled 
  to 
  allow 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  flooded 
  

   to 
  a 
  shallow 
  and 
  uniform 
  depth, 
  were 
  found, 
  after 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  

   to 
  be 
  thrown 
  into 
  gentle 
  undulations 
  with 
  a 
  difference 
  of 
  level 
  of 
  

   occasionally 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  feet 
  between 
  crest 
  and 
  hollow, 
  

   and 
  this 
  apart 
  from 
  any 
  changes 
  of 
  level 
  directly 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  opening 
  

   of 
  fissures 
  or 
  sand 
  vents. 
  2 
  

  

  The 
  displacement 
  of 
  the 
  piers 
  of 
  bridges 
  might 
  be 
  attributed 
  to 
  

   a 
  similar 
  cause. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  refer 
  at 
  present 
  to 
  the 
  displacement 
  of 
  the 
  

   abutments 
  of 
  the 
  bridges, 
  or 
  the 
  shortening 
  of 
  their 
  span, 
  which 
  is 
  

   everywhere 
  noticeable 
  in 
  the 
  fissured 
  tracts, 
  but 
  to 
  the 
  lateral 
  

  

  1 
  In 
  reply 
  to 
  an 
  enquiry, 
  the 
  Chief 
  Engineer 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  stated 
  this 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   2,400 
  feet. 
  

  

  2 
  The 
  disturbance, 
  which 
  even 
  comparatively 
  deep-seated 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  alluvium 
  were 
  

   Subjected 
  to, 
  is 
  evidenced 
  by 
  the 
  fac^ 
  recorded 
  in 
  Mr. 
  D. 
  R. 
  LyalPs 
  official 
  report 
  to 
  the 
  

   President 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Council, 
  Kuch 
  Bihar, 
  that 
  eleven 
  bends 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  length 
  

   of 
  pipe 
  in 
  a 
  Norton's 
  tube 
  well 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  taken 
  out 
  after 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  

  

  ( 
  95) 
  

  

  