﻿l62 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  In 
  investigating 
  the 
  facts 
  and 
  their 
  interpretation 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  separate 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  these 
  vastly 
  pre- 
  

   ponderating 
  influences, 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  such 
  permanent 
  changes 
  of 
  

   level, 
  as 
  may 
  have 
  taken 
  place. 
  One 
  or 
  two 
  facts, 
  pointing 
  to 
  such 
  

   changes 
  having 
  taken 
  place 
  may, 
  however, 
  be 
  noticed. 
  

  

  At 
  Gauhati, 
  a 
  river 
  gauge, 
  fixed 
  on 
  the 
  rocky 
  bank, 
  is 
  regularly 
  

   read 
  and 
  a 
  record 
  kept 
  of 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  peculiar 
  

   sudden 
  rise, 
  and 
  subsequent 
  slower 
  fall, 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  has 
  already 
  

   been 
  noticed 
  ' 
  and 
  ior 
  some 
  months, 
  the 
  river 
  levels 
  appeared 
  to 
  

   be 
  normal 
  ; 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  the 
  daily 
  variations 
  in 
  level 
  were 
  too 
  

   great 
  to 
  allow 
  any 
  small 
  permanent 
  change 
  to 
  be 
  noticed. 
  In 
  the 
  

   months 
  of 
  January 
  and 
  February, 
  however, 
  the 
  water 
  level 
  is 
  

   ordinarily 
  very 
  steady 
  and 
  at 
  its 
  lowest. 
  The 
  readings 
  for 
  these 
  

   months 
  in 
  1898, 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  level 
  was 
  about 
  a 
  foot 
  

   higher 
  than 
  usual, 
  and 
  consequently 
  point 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  permanent 
  

   change 
  in 
  level, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  gradient 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  below 
  Gauhati. 
  No 
  

   great 
  dependence 
  can, 
  however, 
  be 
  placed 
  on 
  this 
  till 
  the 
  ob- 
  

   servations 
  of 
  several 
  years 
  have 
  been 
  accumulated, 
  for 
  the 
  difference 
  

   is 
  so 
  small 
  that 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  or 
  

   more 
  probably, 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  channel, 
  

   which 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  raised 
  through 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  200 
  miles, 
  has 
  not 
  

   yet 
  been 
  completely 
  scoured 
  out 
  to 
  its- 
  old 
  level. 
  

  

  More 
  definite 
  indications 
  of 
  a 
  change 
  of 
  level 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  

   and 
  below 
  the 
  hill 
  of 
  Hathimora. 
  Here 
  the 
  river 
  banks 
  during 
  the 
  

   dry 
  weather 
  were 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  feet 
  lower 
  than 
  usual, 
  or 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  

   river 
  bed 
  was 
  that 
  much 
  higher 
  than 
  usual, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  

   crest 
  of 
  the 
  banks. 
  In 
  part 
  this 
  is 
  due 
  doubtless 
  to 
  a 
  sinking 
  of 
  the 
  

   banks, 
  but 
  not 
  wholly, 
  for 
  a 
  rock 
  which 
  used 
  to 
  stand 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  near 
  Hathimora 
  is 
  now 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  sandy 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  

   showing 
  that 
  the 
  river 
  bed 
  has 
  been 
  raised, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  

   hill. 
  This 
  banking 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  bed 
  may 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  subsidence 
  

   of 
  the 
  underlying 
  rocky 
  floor 
  and 
  consequent 
  accumulation 
  of 
  

  

  t 
  * 
  Chapter 
  Vli, 
  p. 
  107. 
  

  

  i 
  162 
  ) 
  

  

  