﻿194 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  All 
  accounts 
  agree 
  in 
  selecting 
  some 
  sound 
  of 
  deep 
  pitch, 
  near 
  the 
  

   lower 
  range 
  of 
  audibility, 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  a 
  continuous 
  rumble 
  or 
  

   rattle, 
  prolonged 
  and, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  increasing 
  gradually 
  in 
  loudness 
  and 
  

   subsiding 
  as 
  gradually 
  into 
  silence. 
  Besides 
  these 
  sounds, 
  however, 
  

   the 
  reports 
  from 
  certain 
  places 
  mention 
  explosive 
  sounds, 
  short 
  and 
  

   loud, 
  commencing 
  suddenly 
  like 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  a 
  cannon-shot. 
  

  

  Sounds 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  have 
  been 
  noticed 
  before, 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   earthquakes 
  they 
  have 
  recorded 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  two 
  previous 
  

   earthquakes 
  in 
  India, 
  that 
  of 
  1869 
  and 
  of 
  1881 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  case 
  

   they 
  were 
  mistaken 
  for 
  signals 
  of 
  distress, 
  and 
  the 
  station 
  steamer 
  

   at 
  Port 
  Blair 
  was 
  despatched 
  to 
  search 
  for 
  the 
  supposed 
  wreck. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  this 
  earthquake, 
  the 
  accounts 
  from 
  Kohima 
  mention 
  

   that 
  shortly 
  (one 
  account 
  says 
  fifteen 
  minutes) 
  after 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  

   the 
  shock 
  three 
  loud 
  explosive 
  sounds 
  were 
  heard, 
  which 
  seemed 
  

   to 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  or 
  south-west. 
  Similar 
  sounds 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  heard 
  at 
  Wokha 
  and 
  Lumding. 
  

  

  Another 
  account, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  quoted, 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  E. 
  

   English, 
  I. 
  C. 
  S. 
  

  

  Date, 
  from 
  looking 
  at 
  my 
  diary, 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  12th 
  June 
  : 
  time, 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  5 
  and 
  6 
  p.m. 
  On 
  return 
  from 
  a 
  stroll 
  after 
  game, 
  at 
  jungle 
  camp 
  on 
  bank 
  of 
  

   ' 
  Theingale,' 
  which 
  is 
  some 
  7 
  miles 
  south-west 
  of 
  Kyouko 
  village, 
  and 
  about 
  19 
  

   miles 
  east 
  of 
  Tagaung, 
  I 
  noticed 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  tank, 
  which 
  was 
  an 
  old 
  river 
  

   course 
  containing 
  about 
  300 
  yards 
  of 
  shallow 
  water, 
  lapping 
  up 
  against 
  the 
  bank 
  

   below 
  my 
  tent. 
  My 
  hunters 
  said 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  elephants 
  bathing, 
  but 
  on 
  looking 
  

   there 
  were 
  none 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  end. 
  Some 
  one 
  then 
  pointed 
  to 
  the 
  trees 
  shaking, 
  

   and 
  we 
  knew 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  an 
  earthquake. 
  To 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  my 
  memory, 
  about 
  § 
  hour 
  

   or 
  less 
  after 
  this 
  I 
  heard 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  distinct 
  booms 
  like 
  cannon 
  shots, 
  and 
  came 
  

   out 
  of 
  my 
  tent 
  and 
  joined 
  my 
  hunters 
  and 
  followers 
  who 
  had 
  also 
  come 
  out 
  and 
  

   were 
  listening 
  and 
  counting 
  the 
  booms. 
  We 
  counted 
  about 
  25 
  distinct 
  booms 
  at 
  in- 
  

   tervals 
  of 
  about 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  seconds. 
  The 
  booms 
  were 
  about 
  as 
  loud 
  and 
  distinct 
  as 
  a 
  

   shot 
  from 
  a 
  71b. 
  gun 
  turned 
  away 
  from 
  one 
  at, 
  say, 
  four 
  miles 
  or 
  more, 
  if 
  the 
  

   country 
  was 
  very 
  flat. 
  

  

  After 
  these 
  25 
  booms 
  there 
  were 
  some 
  less 
  distinct 
  rattling 
  noises. 
  

  

  We 
  speculated 
  on 
  the 
  cause, 
  and 
  self 
  and 
  hunters 
  all 
  concluded 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  

   heavy 
  guns 
  firing 
  from 
  a 
  steamer 
  at 
  Tagaung 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  no 
  one 
  

   thought 
  the 
  sounds 
  were 
  caused 
  by 
  an 
  earthquake. 
  

  

  On 
  asking 
  some 
  cartmen 
  (Maung 
  Bya 
  of 
  Pongon) 
  who 
  arrived 
  next 
  morning 
  

   from 
  Pongon 
  (2 
  miles 
  S. 
  E. 
  of 
  Tagaung) 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  heard 
  the 
  noises 
  and 
  what 
  

   they 
  were, 
  they 
  said 
  * 
  Yes, 
  cannon 
  firing 
  at 
  Tigyaing 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  river.' 
  

  

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  194 
  ) 
  

  

  

  