﻿THE 
  LANDSLIPS. 
  121 
  

  

  Paniathit 
  have 
  been 
  obliterated, 
  and 
  many 
  smaller 
  streams 
  converted 
  

   from 
  deep, 
  clear, 
  rocky 
  mountain 
  streams 
  to 
  a 
  shallow 
  spread 
  of 
  

   muddy 
  water, 
  flowing 
  over 
  a 
  sandy 
  bed. 
  

  

  That 
  this 
  change 
  is 
  entirely 
  an 
  indirect 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  

   and 
  a 
  direct 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  landslips 
  it 
  gave 
  rise 
  to, 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  within 
  the 
  sandstone 
  area, 
  where 
  landslips 
  

   are 
  numerous, 
  that 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  are 
  raised 
  in 
  this 
  manner. 
  

   When 
  we 
  get 
  further 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  hills, 
  where 
  landslips 
  are 
  few 
  

   and 
  where 
  the 
  crystalline 
  rocks 
  exposed 
  by 
  them 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  weathered 
  

   or 
  so 
  easily 
  washed 
  down 
  as 
  the 
  tertiary 
  sandstones, 
  and 
  where, 
  in 
  

   consequence, 
  the 
  additional 
  burden 
  cast 
  on 
  the 
  streams 
  was 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  small, 
  we 
  at 
  once 
  enter 
  on 
  an 
  area 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  stream 
  

   beds 
  retain 
  their 
  original 
  character 
  unchanged. 
  

  

  Cases 
  where 
  streams 
  were 
  ponded 
  up 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  

   two 
  were 
  rare. 
  One 
  instance 
  I 
  saw 
  at 
  a 
  village 
  called 
  Chochalja 
  

   about 
  8 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Damra, 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Garo 
  

   Hills. 
  Here 
  a 
  landslip 
  bad 
  come 
  down 
  and 
  shot 
  out 
  about 
  400 
  yards 
  

   into 
  the 
  open 
  valley, 
  crossing 
  the 
  drainage 
  channel 
  and 
  giving 
  rise 
  to 
  

   a 
  shallow 
  pond, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  completely 
  filled 
  up 
  with 
  sand 
  by 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  January 
  1898. 
  A 
  much 
  more 
  remarkable 
  instance 
  was 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  landslips 
  near 
  Sinya, 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Rambrai, 
  which 
  dammed 
  

   up 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  for 
  nearly 
  three 
  months 
  and 
  gave 
  rise 
  

   to 
  a 
  destructive 
  flood. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Sinya, 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  Khasi 
  Hills, 
  the 
  Scob 
  

   river 
  flows 
  in 
  a 
  narrow 
  gorge 
  of 
  about 
  2,000 
  feet 
  in 
  depth, 
  whose 
  

   sides 
  are 
  scored 
  throughout 
  its 
  length 
  by 
  innumerable 
  landslips. 
  

   Near 
  Sinya 
  village 
  one 
  much 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  rest 
  came 
  down 
  and, 
  

   shooting 
  across 
  the 
  valley, 
  formed 
  a 
  barrier, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  remains 
  

   are 
  more 
  than 
  200 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  present 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  bed. 
  

   Above 
  this 
  barrier, 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Scob 
  accumulated 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  

   lake 
  till, 
  about 
  the 
  7th 
  September, 
  — 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  

   exact 
  date 
  — 
  the 
  barrier 
  burst 
  and 
  a 
  flood 
  of 
  water 
  rushed 
  down 
  

   the 
  valley. 
  Three 
  miles 
  lower 
  there 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  another 
  

  

  ( 
  "I 
  ) 
  

  

  