﻿102 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  sand, 
  however, 
  did 
  not 
  rise 
  to 
  anything 
  like 
  this 
  

   height, 
  though 
  there 
  is 
  ample 
  evidence 
  that 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  it 
  rose 
  in 
  

   a 
  solid 
  column 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  2 
  to 
  4 
  feet 
  or 
  more. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  R. 
  R. 
  Morgan, 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  Pilots 
  on 
  the 
  Brahmaputra 
  

   river 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  was, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  proceed- 
  

   ing 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  was 
  an 
  hour's 
  run 
  from 
  Dhubri. 
  The 
  first 
  sensa- 
  

   tion 
  felt 
  made 
  him 
  think 
  the 
  steamer 
  had 
  run 
  aground, 
  and 
  on 
  going 
  

   on 
  deck 
  he 
  saw 
  two 
  spouts 
  rising 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  north, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  on 
  

   the 
  south, 
  whose 
  height 
  he 
  estimated 
  at 
  12 
  feet. 
  

  

  Other 
  credible 
  accounts 
  do 
  not 
  place 
  the 
  height 
  at 
  so 
  high 
  

   a 
  figure, 
  though 
  this 
  need 
  not 
  impugn 
  the 
  statement 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Morgan, 
  

   as 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  locally 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  

   forced 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  height 
  than 
  the 
  average. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  of 
  these 
  accounts 
  may 
  be 
  noticed. 
  At 
  Nalbari, 
  in 
  the 
  

   northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Kamrup 
  district, 
  Captain 
  Gurdon 
  observed 
  the 
  

   water 
  rising 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  from 
  3 
  feet 
  to 
  4 
  feet 
  ; 
  Rai 
  Bahadur 
  Madhub 
  

   Chandra 
  Bardolai, 
  Subdivisional 
  Officer 
  of 
  Barpeta, 
  reports 
  that 
  the 
  

   sand 
  and 
  water 
  rose 
  to 
  heights 
  varying 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  12 
  ft. 
  ; 
  in 
  a 
  report 
  

   by 
  Devendra 
  Bijoy 
  Sur, 
  Munsif 
  of 
  Isvarganj 
  in 
  Maimansingh, 
  he 
  

   states 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  several 
  vents 
  being 
  formed 
  and 
  estimated 
  the 
  

   height 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  water 
  rose 
  at 
  10 
  feet 
  ; 
  at 
  Rangpur 
  the 
  vents 
  were 
  

   seen 
  in 
  action 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J, 
  Elison, 
  who 
  observed 
  them 
  to 
  rise 
  in 
  a 
  solid 
  

   column 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  about 
  1 
  feet 
  6 
  inches 
  

   to 
  2 
  feet. 
  In 
  chapter 
  II, 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  accounts 
  of 
  eye- 
  

   witnesses 
  who 
  estimate 
  that 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  rose 
  to 
  heights 
  

   varying 
  between 
  2 
  and 
  4 
  feet. 
  1 
  

  

  From 
  these 
  accounts 
  we 
  see 
  that, 
  omitting 
  stray 
  splashes 
  or 
  

   exceptional 
  spurts, 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  was 
  forced 
  not 
  

   only 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  solid 
  stream 
  to 
  heights 
  of 
  2 
  to 
  4 
  feet 
  above 
  

   it. 
  The 
  force 
  with 
  which,the 
  water 
  issued 
  from 
  these 
  vents 
  is 
  also 
  

   exemplified 
  by 
  the 
  solid 
  substances 
  brought 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  sand. 
  From 
  

   almost 
  every 
  district 
  where 
  sand 
  vents 
  were 
  formed 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  

  

  1 
  pp. 
  15, 
  20, 
  25, 
  26; 
  see 
  also 
  Appendii 
  B, 
  

   ( 
  I02 
  ) 
  

  

  