﻿*74 
  

  

  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  would 
  take 
  any 
  care 
  of 
  them. 
  It 
  seems 
  then 
  that 
  as 
  the 
  erection 
  of 
  the 
  monoliths 
  

   must 
  date 
  back 
  to 
  a 
  remote 
  antiquity, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  Khasias 
  have 
  for 
  generations 
  

   neglected 
  the 
  custom 
  of 
  putting 
  them 
  up, 
  no 
  shock 
  at 
  all 
  comparable 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  12th 
  June 
  last 
  can 
  have 
  visited 
  the 
  country 
  for 
  very 
  many 
  years, 
  

  

  59. 
  Sylhet. 
  The 
  Telegraph 
  Master 
  can 
  give 
  no 
  accurate 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   time 
  the 
  shock 
  occurred, 
  but 
  says 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  between 
  5-15 
  and 
  5-20 
  p.m., 
  local 
  

  

  Time 
  of 
  shock. 
  tii^ie, 
  which 
  is 
  47 
  minutes 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  Madras 
  time. 
  1 
  

  

  60. 
  All 
  the 
  public 
  buildings 
  in 
  Sylhet 
  suffered 
  more 
  or 
  less, 
  but 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  

  

  are 
  still 
  standing. 
  Several 
  are 
  built 
  on 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  of 
  

   Public 
  buildings. 
  land 
  between 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  tank, 
  the 
  

  

  Nawab 
  Talao, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  affected 
  

   quite 
  as 
  much 
  by 
  settlement 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  as 
  by 
  the 
  shaking 
  they 
  received. 
  Since 
  

   the 
  earthquake 
  occurred 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  cracks 
  in 
  these 
  buildings 
  running 
  parallel 
  to 
  

   the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  or 
  tank 
  have 
  opened 
  out, 
  more 
  than 
  at 
  first, 
  which 
  fact 
  

   certainly 
  points 
  to 
  a 
  gradual 
  settlement 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  

  

  61. 
  This 
  pillar 
  stood 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  a 
  flight 
  of 
  steps 
  leading 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  water 
  

  

  at 
  the 
  north-east 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  Nawab 
  Talao. 
  The 
  corre- 
  

  

  Pi 
  Tala 
  a 
  o. 
  S 
  ' 
  lde 
  ° 
  f 
  NaWEb 
  s 
  P° 
  ndin 
  g 
  P 
  ill 
  a 
  r 
  a 
  * 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  steps 
  has 
  not 
  fallen 
  

  

  and 
  is 
  not 
  even 
  cracked. 
  The 
  fallen 
  one 
  broke 
  off 
  at 
  

  

  ground 
  level, 
  and 
  apparently 
  fell 
  in 
  a 
  northerly 
  direction, 
  but 
  struck 
  the 
  wall 
  on 
  

  

  that 
  side 
  and 
  rolled 
  off 
  to 
  the 
  west. 
  

  

  A 
  gate 
  pillar 
  at 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  near 
  the 
  Government 
  School 
  fell 
  towards 
  

   N4o°E 
  and 
  broke 
  to 
  pieces 
  in 
  the 
  fall. 
  Another 
  near 
  the 
  Deputy 
  Commissioner's 
  

   bungalow 
  fell 
  due 
  N. 
  

  

  62, 
  The 
  cemetery 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  a 
  low 
  knoll 
  near 
  cantonments, 
  and 
  about 
  3 
  miles 
  

   Cemetery. 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  bank. 
  Very 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  tombs 
  have 
  

  

  been 
  damaged 
  by 
  the 
  shock. 
  They 
  are 
  nearly 
  all 
  fairly 
  

   old 
  and 
  built 
  of 
  brick 
  masonry. 
  

  

  A 
  tomb 
  near 
  the 
  east 
  wall, 
  without 
  any 
  inscription. 
  It 
  was 
  surmounted 
  by 
  a 
  

   plaster 
  urn 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  tomb 
  by 
  an 
  iron 
  wire. 
  The 
  urn 
  has 
  fallen 
  

   over 
  to 
  S 
  25 
  E 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  lying 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  tomb. 
  

  

  ♦^i^rtW, 
  

  

  Fig. 
  29. 
  Overturned 
  tomb 
  in 
  Cemetery, 
  Sylhet. 
  

   1 
  A 
  clock 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  tower 
  near 
  the 
  river 
  fell 
  with 
  the 
  tower 
  and'stopped 
  at 
  5-15 
  p.m. 
  

   ( 
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  ) 
  

  

  