﻿19° 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  they 
  were 
  in 
  any 
  

   way 
  connected 
  with 
  it, 
  except 
  in 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  in- 
  

   juries 
  to 
  the 
  wires 
  by 
  falling 
  trees, 
  houses, 
  etc. 
  From 
  Shillong, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  the 
  reports 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  nature 
  and 
  the 
  facts 
  sufficiently 
  

   striking 
  to 
  justify 
  their 
  being 
  recorded. 
  

  

  Nothing 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  great 
  shock, 
  the 
  destruction 
  was 
  

   too 
  rapid 
  and 
  complete 
  to 
  allow 
  of 
  any 
  observations 
  being 
  made, 
  but 
  

   when 
  communication 
  was 
  being 
  restored, 
  four 
  days 
  after 
  the 
  earth- 
  

   quake, 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  aftershocks, 
  then 
  still 
  going 
  on, 
  were 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  electric 
  currents 
  of 
  sufficient 
  force 
  to 
  cause 
  

   severe 
  shocks 
  to 
  the 
  operators, 
  and 
  sparks 
  on 
  the 
  instruments. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  best 
  to 
  reproduce 
  the 
  original 
  reports. 
  The 
  first 
  of 
  

  

  these 
  is 
  from 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Morgan, 
  Assistant 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  

  

  Telegraphs, 
  Shillong 
  Sub-Division, 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  to 
  the 
  Director 
  General 
  

  

  of 
  Telegraphs, 
  dated 
  12th 
  July 
  1898 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  As 
  stated 
  before 
  I 
  noticed 
  no 
  thunder 
  or 
  lightning 
  on 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  the 
  12th, 
  

   But 
  when 
  I 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  office, 
  trying 
  to 
  restore 
  communication, 
  in 
  handling 
  the 
  

   w 
  ires, 
  the 
  Telegraph 
  Master, 
  Signallers 
  and 
  I 
  experienced 
  many 
  electric 
  shocks, 
  

   some 
  of 
  them 
  of 
  considerable 
  severity. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  these 
  shocks 
  were 
  sometimes 
  

   preceded 
  but 
  more 
  often 
  followed 
  by 
  an 
  earth 
  tremor. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  testing 
  

   instruments 
  and 
  indicators 
  being 
  buried 
  under 
  the 
  office 
  ruins, 
  I 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  find 
  

   the 
  direction 
  of 
  these 
  currents. 
  At 
  Nangpoh 
  too, 
  while 
  I 
  was 
  working 
  Shillong 
  on 
  

   the 
  evening 
  of 
  the 
  16th, 
  I 
  noticed 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  thing. 
  The 
  line 
  was 
  being 
  

   worked 
  in 
  closed 
  circuit 
  with 
  copper 
  to 
  earth 
  at 
  Shillong, 
  and 
  I 
  observed 
  insulation 
  

   several 
  times 
  lasting 
  for 
  periods, 
  varying 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  seconds 
  to 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  

   minutes, 
  in 
  every 
  case 
  an 
  earth 
  tremor 
  made 
  itself 
  fell 
  almost 
  and 
  immediately 
  

   after. 
  No 
  thunder 
  or 
  lightning 
  was 
  noticed 
  by 
  me 
  at 
  the 
  time." 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  is 
  extracted 
  from 
  letter 
  No. 
  80 
  of 
  the 
  Telegraph 
  

  

  Master, 
  Shillong, 
  to 
  the 
  Director 
  General 
  of 
  Telegraphs, 
  dated 
  20th 
  

  

  July 
  1897 
  »- 
  

  

  u 
  I 
  should, 
  however, 
  like 
  to 
  note 
  the 
  peculiar 
  phenomenon 
  experienced 
  on 
  the 
  

   evening 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  day 
  on 
  which 
  communication 
  was 
  restored, 
  viz., 
  on 
  the 
  16th 
  

   June 
  between 
  19 
  and 
  20 
  hours. 
  Though 
  working 
  continuously 
  with 
  Gauhati 
  from 
  

   14 
  to 
  about 
  19 
  hours 
  (on 
  the 
  closed 
  circuit 
  with 
  batteries 
  at 
  both 
  ends) 
  without 
  

   any 
  stoppages, 
  frequent 
  insulations 
  were 
  now 
  noticed 
  varying 
  in 
  duration 
  from 
  5 
  

   to 
  13 
  minutes. 
  This 
  continued 
  for 
  about 
  an 
  hour 
  before 
  1 
  discovered 
  that 
  in 
  each 
  

   case 
  the 
  insulation 
  occurred 
  with 
  a 
  shock 
  of 
  earthquake 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  insulation 
  

   continued 
  until 
  the 
  next 
  shock 
  restored 
  the 
  current 
  on 
  the 
  line. 
  It 
  then 
  appeared 
  

  

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  ) 
  

  

  