﻿9 
  6 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  displacement 
  of 
  the 
  piers 
  whose 
  foundations 
  are 
  sunk 
  in 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  

   the 
  rivers 
  and 
  could 
  not 
  consequently 
  move 
  laterally 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  

   indicated 
  in 
  fig. 
  8. 
  Instances 
  of 
  such 
  shifting 
  are 
  mentioned 
  in 
  

   Mr. 
  Hayden's 
  report 
  (Appendix 
  A), 
  and 
  the 
  effects 
  in 
  one 
  instance 
  

   are 
  represented 
  in 
  Plate 
  VII, 
  where 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  piers 
  

   have 
  been 
  shifted 
  in 
  an 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  stream 
  direction, 
  and 
  also 
  

   along 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  bridge 
  in 
  such 
  manner 
  as 
  to 
  deprive 
  the 
  ends 
  

   of 
  the 
  girders 
  of 
  their 
  proper 
  support. 
  Another 
  instance 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  

   Plate 
  XXVI, 
  fig. 
  2, 
  where 
  the 
  narrowing 
  of 
  the 
  space 
  between 
  the 
  

   abutments 
  is 
  made 
  very 
  conspicuous 
  by 
  the 
  bending 
  of 
  the 
  hand 
  rails 
  

   and 
  the 
  projection 
  of 
  the 
  girder 
  over 
  the 
  abutments, 
  beyond 
  its 
  

   original 
  bearings. 
  

  

  Though 
  this 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  piers 
  might 
  be 
  attributed 
  to 
  a 
  

   general 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  alluvium, 
  such 
  as 
  that 
  recorded 
  on 
  the 
  

   Assam-Bengal 
  Railway, 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  reasonably 
  attributable 
  to 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   turbing 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  forward 
  thrust 
  of 
  the 
  banks, 
  which 
  has 
  disturbed 
  

   the 
  equilibrium 
  of 
  the 
  alluvium 
  under 
  the 
  river 
  bed 
  and 
  caused 
  its 
  dis- 
  

   placement, 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  foundations 
  of 
  the 
  bridge 
  piers. 
  

  

  The 
  pushing 
  forward 
  of 
  the 
  abutments 
  of 
  bridges 
  was 
  universal 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  fissured 
  tracts 
  and 
  is 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Hayden's 
  

   report 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  Mr. 
  La 
  Touche, 
  and 
  the 
  narrowing 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  

   channels 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  still 
  more 
  conspicuous 
  in 
  places 
  where 
  

   there 
  were 
  no 
  massively 
  built 
  bridges 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  supporting 
  the 
  

   banks. 
  In 
  all 
  cases 
  it 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  throwing 
  off 
  of 
  the 
  unsupported 
  

   river 
  banks 
  and 
  accompanied 
  by 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  fissures. 
  As 
  it 
  

   was 
  important 
  to 
  determine 
  whether 
  this 
  narrowing 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  

   channels 
  was 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  connected 
  with 
  a 
  general 
  compression 
  of 
  

   the 
  country, 
  enquiries 
  were 
  specially 
  instituted 
  with 
  this 
  object, 
  but 
  

   the 
  replies 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  engineers 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  railway 
  lines 
  

   were 
  unanimous 
  in 
  saying 
  that 
  the 
  narrowing 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  channels 
  

   had 
  always 
  been 
  accompanied 
  by 
  breaks 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  

   an 
  equivalent 
  amount. 
  

  

  ( 
  ) 
  

  

  