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  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  this 
  greater 
  extent 
  must 
  be 
  ascribed 
  to 
  the 
  greater 
  natural 
  liability 
  

   of 
  the 
  Himalayan 
  hillsides 
  to 
  slip. 
  

  

  One 
  more 
  point 
  may 
  be 
  noticed, 
  that 
  the 
  region 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  

   most 
  numerous 
  lies 
  a 
  little 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  91 
  meridian, 
  or 
  nearly 
  north 
  

   or 
  north-north-west, 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  most 
  developed 
  

   in 
  the 
  Garo 
  and 
  Khasi 
  Hills. 
  

  

  Before 
  finally 
  leaving 
  this 
  subject, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  notice 
  

   some 
  secondary 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  landslips 
  in 
  modifying 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  

   the 
  watercourses. 
  In 
  the 
  sandstone 
  country 
  at 
  the 
  southern 
  edge 
  of 
  

   the 
  Garo 
  and 
  Khasi 
  Hills, 
  the 
  dislodgement 
  of 
  large 
  bodies 
  of 
  wea- 
  

   thered 
  rocks, 
  and 
  to 
  no 
  less 
  an 
  extent 
  the 
  consequent 
  exposure 
  of 
  

   hillsides 
  previously 
  protected 
  by 
  forest, 
  caused 
  enormous 
  volumes 
  

   of 
  sand 
  to 
  be 
  cast 
  into 
  the 
  streams. 
  One 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  form- 
  

   ation 
  of 
  great 
  sand 
  fans 
  along 
  the 
  southern 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  hills, 
  where 
  

   they 
  wrought 
  great 
  havoc 
  in 
  the 
  fields, 
  and 
  more 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  

   orange 
  and 
  areca-nut 
  groves, 
  of 
  Sheila 
  and 
  other 
  villages 
  near 
  the 
  

   southern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  hills. 
  Every 
  stream 
  of 
  any 
  size 
  has 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  

   devastated 
  many 
  square 
  miles 
  of 
  country, 
  and 
  the 
  mischief 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  

   complete 
  ; 
  for 
  not 
  only 
  are 
  there 
  still 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  sand 
  not 
  yet 
  

   removed 
  from 
  the 
  landslips, 
  but 
  the 
  bare 
  faces 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  

   source 
  of 
  fresh 
  supplies 
  of 
  sand 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  scoured 
  by 
  the 
  rain, 
  

   until 
  such 
  time 
  as 
  vegetation 
  once 
  more 
  resumes 
  its 
  sway. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  hills 
  the 
  effect 
  has 
  been 
  no 
  less 
  striking. 
  The 
  burden 
  

   of 
  sand 
  cast 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  streams 
  was 
  far 
  greater 
  than 
  they 
  could 
  carry 
  

   along 
  their 
  old 
  gradients, 
  and 
  everywhere 
  the 
  beds 
  have 
  been 
  raised, 
  

   changing 
  the 
  whole 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  channel 
  in 
  the 
  process. 
  

   Ordinarily, 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  these 
  rivers, 
  which 
  are 
  raging 
  torrents 
  

   when 
  in 
  flood, 
  consist 
  of 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  deep 
  pools 
  separated 
  by 
  

   rocky 
  rapids. 
  After 
  the 
  rains 
  cf 
  1897, 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  pools 
  

   had 
  been 
  filled 
  up, 
  and 
  the 
  rapids 
  obliterated 
  by 
  a 
  great 
  deposit 
  of 
  

   sand, 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  rivers 
  flowed 
  in 
  a 
  broad 
  and 
  shallow 
  stream. 
  

   In 
  this 
  manner 
  the 
  well 
  known 
  fishing 
  pools 
  of 
  the 
  Sameswari 
  and 
  the 
  

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  ) 
  

  

  