﻿loS 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  volumes 
  of 
  water 
  poured 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  sand 
  vents. 
  Surgeon 
  Major 
  

   Dobson's 
  account 
  1 
  shows 
  clearly 
  how 
  this 
  might 
  affect 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  

   water 
  in 
  the 
  drainage 
  channels, 
  and 
  other 
  accounts 
  also 
  describe 
  how 
  

   streams 
  that 
  were 
  nearly 
  dry 
  suddenly 
  filled 
  with 
  the 
  water 
  which 
  

   issued 
  from 
  the 
  ground. 
  This 
  cause 
  would, 
  in 
  many 
  instances, 
  account 
  

   for 
  the 
  sudden 
  rise 
  in 
  the 
  smaller 
  drainage 
  channels, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  larger 
  

   streams 
  the 
  rise 
  was 
  too 
  sudden 
  arid 
  followed 
  too 
  promptly 
  on 
  the 
  

   earthquake 
  to 
  be 
  explained 
  in 
  this 
  manner. 
  Here 
  we 
  must 
  look 
  to 
  

   the 
  raising 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  beds 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  it, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  gradual 
  

   scouring 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  barriers 
  so 
  formed 
  for 
  the 
  subsequent 
  fall 
  in 
  level. 
  

   The 
  raising 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  beds 
  was 
  probably 
  continuous 
  to 
  a 
  

   greater 
  or 
  less 
  extent 
  all 
  along 
  the 
  channels, 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  

   lifted 
  bodily 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent 
  by 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  but 
  the 
  major 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  rise 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  different 
  cause. 
  The 
  

   forcing 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  beds 
  was 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  uniform, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  

   places 
  was 
  more 
  extensive 
  than 
  in 
  Others 
  ; 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  barriers 
  were 
  

   formed 
  across 
  the 
  stream, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  up 
  stream 
  side 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  

   ponded 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  maximum 
  rise 
  of 
  the 
  next 
  barrier 
  

   down 
  stream. 
  Thus 
  a 
  greater 
  rise 
  of 
  water 
  level 
  occurred 
  than 
  would 
  

   have 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  if 
  the 
  raising 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  beds 
  had 
  been 
  uniform, 
  

   while 
  the 
  barriers, 
  being 
  composed 
  of 
  loose 
  sand, 
  were 
  more 
  easily 
  

   scoured 
  away 
  and 
  the 
  material 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  composed 
  dis. 
  

   tributed 
  along 
  the 
  stream 
  bed 
  in 
  such 
  manner 
  as 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  water 
  

   lower 
  than 
  the 
  level 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  had 
  risen 
  immediately 
  after 
  the 
  

   earthquake, 
  though 
  a 
  little 
  higher 
  than 
  it 
  was 
  before. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  only 
  where 
  the 
  blocking 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  channels 
  took 
  this 
  form, 
  

   and 
  where 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  strong 
  current, 
  with 
  its 
  consequent 
  power 
  of 
  

   scouring, 
  that 
  the 
  channels 
  reopened. 
  Where 
  the 
  current 
  was 
  slack 
  

   the 
  beds 
  were 
  not 
  scoured 
  out 
  and 
  remained 
  choked 
  when 
  the 
  floods 
  

   of 
  August 
  and 
  September 
  subsided 
  ; 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  channel 
  was 
  con- 
  

   tinuously 
  and 
  completely 
  choked, 
  the 
  streams 
  have 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  

   deserted 
  their 
  old 
  channels 
  and 
  formed 
  new 
  ones. 
  

  

  ( 
  108 
  ) 
  - 
  Seepage 
  15. 
  

  

  