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  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  close 
  to 
  where 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Dilma 
  is 
  marked 
  on 
  the 
  Garo 
  Hills 
  

   District 
  map 
  and 
  on 
  sheet 
  124 
  of 
  the 
  Atlas 
  of 
  India, 
  is 
  rather 
  larger. 
  

   The 
  fault 
  here 
  has 
  a 
  throw 
  of 
  about 
  20 
  feet, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  lake 
  two 
  

   Garos 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  drowned. 
  According 
  to 
  the 
  account 
  

   given 
  me, 
  they 
  were 
  travelling 
  along 
  a 
  footpath, 
  which 
  ran 
  down 
  this 
  

   side 
  valley, 
  when 
  the 
  earthquake 
  took 
  place 
  and 
  the 
  waters 
  collected 
  

   with 
  such 
  rapidity 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  drowned. 
  If 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  truth 
  at 
  

   all 
  in 
  the 
  story, 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  they 
  found 
  themselves 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  

   fault 
  line 
  and 
  were 
  stunned 
  either 
  by 
  the 
  violence 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  or 
  by 
  

   a 
  falling 
  tree 
  or 
  rock. 
  

  

  Returning 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  throw 
  of 
  the 
  fault 
  had 
  fallen 
  

   to 
  nothing, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  here 
  again 
  a 
  large 
  pool 
  is 
  formed 
  

   in 
  the 
  main 
  stream, 
  but 
  altogether 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  fault. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   valley 
  being 
  more 
  open, 
  filled 
  with 
  alluvium, 
  and 
  the 
  gradient 
  

   lower, 
  this 
  pool 
  is 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  similar 
  one 
  further 
  up 
  stream. 
  It 
  

   was 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  long 
  and 
  nearly 
  as 
  broad 
  at 
  its 
  broadest 
  

   point, 
  even 
  when 
  I 
  saw 
  it 
  in 
  February, 
  and 
  had 
  evidently 
  extended 
  

   even 
  further 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  over 
  the 
  almost 
  level 
  alluvial 
  plain, 
  

   before 
  the 
  outlet 
  was 
  cut 
  down. 
  Its 
  outlet 
  is 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   upper 
  pool, 
  except 
  that 
  instead 
  of 
  a 
  stony 
  bed 
  there 
  is 
  sandy 
  alluvium 
  ; 
  

   the 
  bed 
  simply 
  sinks 
  under 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  and 
  the 
  change 
  

   from 
  lake 
  to 
  stream 
  is 
  gradual 
  and 
  unaccompanied 
  by 
  any 
  faulting 
  or 
  

   sudden 
  break. 
  

  

  Returning 
  to 
  the 
  fault 
  where 
  we 
  left 
  it, 
  it 
  very 
  soon 
  crosses 
  the 
  

   Chedrang, 
  but 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  being 
  here 
  filled 
  with 
  

   alluvium 
  instead 
  of 
  having 
  a 
  rocky 
  bottom, 
  no 
  waterfall 
  has 
  been 
  

   formed. 
  The 
  alluvium 
  has, 
  however, 
  been 
  greatly 
  eroded 
  and 
  a 
  

   great 
  sandy 
  fan 
  or 
  delta 
  formed 
  immediately 
  down 
  stream. 
  

  

  The 
  fault 
  scarp 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  traced 
  in 
  the 
  alluvium 
  to 
  the 
  

   east 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  bed 
  and, 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  below 
  where 
  it 
  crosses 
  the 
  

   river, 
  had 
  a 
  measured 
  throw 
  of 
  32 
  feet. 
  From 
  here 
  on 
  the 
  fault 
  en- 
  

   ters 
  a 
  region 
  where 
  the 
  alluvium 
  is 
  thick, 
  and 
  no 
  longer 
  shows 
  as 
  a 
  

   broken 
  scarp, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  short 
  slope. 
  Where 
  this 
  runs 
  through 
  forest 
  

   the 
  trees 
  have 
  been 
  tilted 
  over 
  in 
  the 
  remarkable 
  manner 
  seen 
  in 
  

   ( 
  M2 
  ) 
  

  

  