﻿126 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  -EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  records 
  were 
  obtained 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  central 
  

   area 
  were 
  not 
  only 
  remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  shocks 
  recorded, 
  

   but 
  also 
  for 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  

   distinctly 
  local 
  ; 
  shocks 
  being 
  recorded 
  at 
  one 
  station 
  for 
  which 
  no 
  

   equivalent 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  a 
  neighbouring 
  one. 
  To 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  

   this 
  was 
  doubtless 
  due 
  to 
  inevitable 
  imperfections 
  of 
  the 
  records, 
  

   but 
  after 
  making 
  every 
  allowance 
  for 
  this 
  there 
  remained 
  ample 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  character 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  shocks. 
  That 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  

   the 
  subsequent 
  earthquakes 
  did 
  not 
  start 
  from 
  one 
  centre, 
  but 
  from 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  centres 
  scattered 
  over 
  a 
  large 
  area. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  one 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  from 
  which 
  these 
  shocks 
  can 
  be 
  

   considered, 
  which 
  has 
  an 
  important 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  

   the 
  nature 
  and 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  seismic 
  focus. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  distribution 
  

   in 
  space 
  of 
  the 
  shocks 
  felt 
  in 
  the 
  period 
  immediately 
  succeeding 
  

   the 
  earthquake. 
  

  

  At 
  Shillong 
  and 
  Tura 
  they 
  were, 
  as 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  remarked, 
  

   to 
  be 
  numbered 
  by 
  hundreds 
  a 
  day 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  days. 
  At 
  Kau- 
  

   nia 
  the 
  Station 
  Master 
  reports 
  41 
  shocks 
  after 
  the 
  great 
  one, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  15th 
  June. 
  At 
  Maimansingh 
  the 
  meteorological 
  reporter 
  

   counted 
  83, 
  while 
  in 
  north 
  Gauhati, 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  561 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  period 
  according 
  to 
  a 
  correspondent 
  of 
  the 
  Assam 
  

   newspaper 
  : 
  

  

  From 
  15th 
  June 
  to 
  15th 
  July 
  I 
  have 
  records 
  from 
  Kaunia, 
  

   Kuch 
  Bihar 
  and 
  Maimansingh, 
  and 
  from 
  north 
  Gauhati, 
  on 
  the 
  

   authority 
  of 
  the 
  correspondent 
  of 
  the 
  Assam 
  referred 
  to 
  above 
  ; 
  

  

  the 
  number 
  of 
  shocks 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  15 
  to 
  30 
  June. 
  1 
  to 
  15 
  July. 
  

   N. 
  Gauhati 
  ... 
  125 
  84 
  

  

  Kaunia. 
  ... 
  57 
  

  

  Kuch 
  Bihar 
  ... 
  64 
  31 
  

  

  Maimansingh. 
  . 
  . 
  52 
  46 
  

  

  These 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  shocks 
  were 
  much 
  more 
  frequent 
  in 
  north 
  

   Gauhati 
  than 
  would 
  be 
  expected 
  if 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  

   was 
  wholly 
  within 
  the 
  hills 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Brahmaputra 
  Valley, 
  

   ( 
  126 
  ) 
  

  

  