﻿*9 
  6 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  explanation 
  it 
  would 
  place 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  sound 
  at 
  "a 
  distance 
  of 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  heard, 
  and, 
  even 
  if 
  it 
  

   were 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  sound 
  waves 
  could 
  travel 
  this 
  distance, 
  it 
  

   would 
  necessitate 
  a 
  loudness 
  at 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  origin, 
  and 
  an 
  extent 
  of 
  

   country 
  over 
  which 
  they 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  heard, 
  which 
  is 
  much 
  in 
  

   excess 
  of 
  what 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  evidence 
  for 
  assuming. 
  

  

  More 
  information 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  gathered 
  from 
  the 
  numerous 
  small 
  

   after 
  shocks 
  which 
  were 
  accompanied 
  by, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  consisted 
  

   only 
  of, 
  sounds. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  noticed 
  that 
  these 
  sounds 
  were 
  not, 
  as 
  has 
  

   sometimes 
  been 
  stated, 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  rocky 
  ground 
  but 
  were 
  heard 
  

   equally 
  in 
  the 
  hills 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  alluvial 
  plain. 
  I 
  have 
  good 
  evidence 
  that 
  

   nearly 
  all 
  the 
  shocks 
  which 
  originate 
  under 
  the 
  Borpeta 
  plain 
  are 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  distinctly 
  audible 
  rumblings, 
  and 
  this 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  

   case 
  of 
  those 
  very 
  feeble 
  shocks 
  which 
  are 
  barely 
  perceptible, 
  and 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  unrecognised 
  at 
  other 
  stations, 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  local 
  origin 
  and 
  

   small 
  extent. 
  

  

  During 
  my 
  tour 
  through 
  the 
  epicentral 
  tract 
  I 
  had 
  numerous 
  oppor- 
  

   tunities 
  of 
  observing 
  these 
  sounds, 
  which 
  were 
  of 
  frequent 
  occurrence 
  

   and 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  almost 
  continuous. 
  Some 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  frequency 
  of 
  

   these 
  sounds 
  may 
  be 
  gathered 
  from 
  a 
  record, 
  kept 
  on 
  21st, 
  22nd 
  and 
  

   23rd 
  January, 
  of 
  the 
  times 
  at 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  heard 
  at 
  Naphak, 
  in 
  the 
  

   Garo 
  hills: 
  — 
  

  

  21st 
  Jan. 
  16-8 
  22nd 
  Jan. 
  10-47 
  23rd 
  Jan, 
  14-15 
  

  

  16-15 
  "-8 
  14-28 
  

  

  16-25 
  11-16 
  14-39 
  

  

  17-15 
  13-33 
  15-8 
  

  

  17-25 
  13-52* 
  15-12 
  

  

  18-4 
  13-57* 
  15-29 
  

  

  18-9 
  ... 
  16-3 
  

  

  18-35 
  »5-54 
  18-3 
  

  

  19-15 
  16-25 
  18-30 
  

  

  20-12 
  16-35 
  18-33 
  

  

  21-33 
  17-6 
  20-42 
  

  

  21-44* 
  >8-7 
  

  

  22-0 
  18-12* 
  

  

  22-9 
  18-33* 
  

  

  22-26 
  18-55* 
  

  

  22-32 
  19-51 
  

  

  22-39 
  20-30 
  

  

  22-41* 
  20-33 
  

  

  22-45 
  

   22-49 
  

  

  ( 
  196 
  ) 
  

  

  