﻿THE 
  EPICENTRAL 
  TRACT. 
  143 
  

  

  Plate 
  XVI, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  outer 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  hills, 
  near 
  Kacharipara 
  of 
  

   the 
  Survey 
  of 
  India 
  maps, 
  it 
  runs 
  through 
  the 
  rice 
  fields, 
  which 
  

   have 
  been 
  tilted 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  smooth, 
  unbroken 
  slope 
  between 
  the 
  upper 
  

   and 
  lower 
  levels 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  fault. 
  

  

  Here 
  the 
  fault 
  runs 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  open 
  plain, 
  where 
  the 
  thick- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  alluvium 
  is 
  very 
  great, 
  and 
  consequently 
  cannot 
  be 
  followed 
  

   with 
  definiteness, 
  but 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  die 
  out, 
  for 
  its 
  effects, 
  as 
  those 
  

   of 
  another 
  fault 
  on 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  run, 
  are 
  very 
  noteworthy 
  at 
  

   Jhira. 
  

  

  The 
  village 
  of 
  Jhira, 
  which 
  owed 
  what 
  importance 
  it 
  had 
  to 
  a 
  

   weekly 
  fair, 
  was 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Krishnai, 
  about 
  

   three 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  confluence 
  of 
  the 
  Chedrang. 
  The 
  bazar 
  is 
  

   now 
  flooded, 
  and 
  in 
  February 
  there 
  was 
  about 
  three 
  feet 
  depth 
  of 
  

   water 
  over 
  it. 
  Northwards 
  from 
  Jhira, 
  and 
  extending 
  to 
  the 
  foot 
  

   of 
  the 
  hills 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  broad 
  sheet 
  of 
  water, 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  

   and 
  a 
  half 
  long, 
  about 
  three 
  quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  broad, 
  and 
  some 
  12 
  

   feet 
  deep. 
  At 
  Jhira, 
  the 
  river 
  bed 
  is 
  obliterated 
  by 
  the 
  waters 
  

   which 
  stand 
  above 
  its 
  banks 
  ; 
  following 
  the 
  old 
  channel 
  down 
  

   stream 
  the 
  banks 
  gradually 
  rise 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  which 
  gets 
  shallower 
  

   till 
  finally 
  the 
  river 
  bed 
  rises 
  in 
  a 
  gentle 
  slope 
  of 
  dry 
  sand. 
  Ac- 
  

   cording 
  to 
  the 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  engineer 
  who 
  was 
  deputed 
  by 
  the 
  

   Assam 
  Government 
  to 
  enquire 
  into 
  the 
  floods 
  consequent 
  on 
  the 
  

   earthquake, 
  this 
  barrier 
  rises 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  about 
  15 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  

   present 
  dry 
  weather 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  Krishnai 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  a 
  

   quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  to 
  where 
  the 
  bed 
  again 
  carries 
  water, 
  brought 
  into 
  

   it 
  by 
  a 
  tributary. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Jhira 
  lake 
  there 
  is 
  ample 
  evidence 
  of 
  

   change 
  of 
  level, 
  for 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  dry 
  land 
  was 
  formerly 
  jhil 
  and 
  per- 
  

   petually 
  under 
  water, 
  and 
  at 
  one 
  place 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  irri- 
  

   gation 
  channel 
  can 
  be 
  seen, 
  which 
  formerly 
  carried 
  water 
  to 
  the 
  

   low 
  lands 
  on 
  the 
  east, 
  but 
  now 
  rises 
  steeply 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  level. 
  

   At 
  the 
  northern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  the 
  drainage 
  now 
  makes 
  its 
  escape 
  

   in 
  a 
  broad 
  and 
  shallow 
  sheet 
  of 
  water 
  over 
  what 
  was 
  once 
  high 
  

   land 
  covered 
  with 
  sal 
  forest. 
  After 
  a 
  short 
  course 
  of 
  this 
  nature 
  it 
  

  

  ( 
  "43 
  ) 
  

  

  