﻿206 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  sounds 
  heard 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  are 
  seismic 
  in 
  their 
  

   nature. 
  1 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  many 
  communications 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  regarding 
  the 
  

   great 
  earthquake 
  of 
  1897 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  facts 
  recorded 
  which 
  point 
  to 
  

   the 
  seismic 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  ( 
  Barisal 
  guns.' 
  One 
  is 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  reported 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  numerous 
  and 
  noticeable 
  about 
  Haldibari 
  and 
  

   Jaipur 
  Hat, 
  which 
  are 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  western 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  epicentral 
  

   tract, 
  previous 
  to 
  12th 
  June 
  1897. 
  The 
  other, 
  which 
  has 
  come 
  to 
  me 
  

   from 
  several 
  independent 
  sources, 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  noticed 
  in 
  

   Barisal 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  half 
  of 
  1897, 
  and 
  were 
  certainly 
  much 
  less 
  

   numerous 
  than 
  usual. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  understand 
  that 
  so 
  great 
  a 
  displacement 
  in 
  the 
  

   earth's 
  crust 
  as 
  that 
  which 
  gave 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  earthquake 
  of 
  1897 
  

   would 
  lead 
  to 
  a 
  redistribution 
  of 
  strain 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  surrounding 
  regions. 
  

   In 
  the 
  deltaic 
  region 
  of 
  eastern 
  Bengal, 
  this 
  redistribution 
  seems 
  to 
  

   have 
  taken 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  relief 
  of 
  the 
  preexisting 
  strains 
  which 
  gave 
  

   rise 
  to 
  the 
  small 
  movements 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  

   the 
  ■ 
  Barisal 
  guns', 
  and 
  hence, 
  till 
  this 
  strain 
  is 
  reestablished, 
  they 
  

   will 
  be 
  less 
  frequent 
  than 
  before. 
  

  

  In 
  ascribing 
  a 
  seismic 
  origin 
  to 
  the 
  * 
  Barisal 
  guns 
  ' 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  dis- 
  

   tinctly 
  understood 
  that 
  other 
  causes 
  are 
  not 
  excluded. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  

   that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  sounds 
  classed 
  as 
  * 
  Barisal 
  guns' 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  fireworks 
  

   or 
  firearms, 
  or 
  to 
  distant 
  thunder. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  too 
  that 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  

   they 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  surf 
  breaking 
  on 
  a 
  flat 
  coast 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  falling 
  in 
  of 
  

   river 
  banks 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  even 
  possible 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  at 
  times 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  concentration 
  of 
  sound 
  by 
  reflection, 
  as 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   committee 
  of 
  the 
  Asiatic 
  Society. 
  But 
  behind 
  and 
  beyond 
  all 
  these 
  

   causes 
  there 
  is 
  another 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  confined 
  to 
  one 
  spot, 
  nor 
  limited 
  

   to 
  the 
  Gangetic 
  delta, 
  but 
  is 
  world-wide 
  and 
  perennial. 
  This 
  can 
  

  

  1 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  this 
  explanation 
  would 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  impression 
  prevalent 
  in 
  the 
  

   deltaic 
  districts, 
  where 
  these 
  sounds 
  are 
  heard, 
  and 
  borne 
  out 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  by 
  the 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  1888 
  recorded 
  by 
  the 
  subcommittee 
  of 
  the 
  Asiatic 
  Society; 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  preva- 
  

   lent 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  rainy 
  season 
  than 
  at 
  other 
  times 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  At 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  

   soil 
  of 
  lower 
  Bengal 
  is 
  completely 
  waterlogged, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  condition 
  forms 
  a 
  better 
  conducting 
  

   medium 
  for 
  sound-waves 
  than 
  the 
  dryer 
  and 
  more 
  porous 
  soil 
  cf 
  other 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

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