﻿2;6 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  at 
  ground 
  level 
  and 
  fallen 
  to 
  \V 
  18 
  N. 
  It 
  stood 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  culvert, 
  the 
  wall 
  

   of 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  interfered 
  with 
  its 
  fall. 
  The 
  corresponding 
  pillar 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  culvert 
  is 
  not 
  cracked. 
  Both 
  are 
  built 
  of 
  brick 
  masonry, 
  1 
  foot 
  10 
  inches 
  

   square. 
  The 
  broken 
  piece 
  is 
  5 
  feet 
  long. 
  

  

  64. 
  At 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  bungalow 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Executive 
  Engineer, 
  on 
  

  

  the 
  main 
  road 
  leading 
  north 
  and 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  

  

  overturned. 
  ^ 
  stat 
  i° 
  n 
  > 
  was 
  a 
  wel1 
  irom 
  which 
  water 
  was 
  pumped 
  by 
  an 
  

  

  engine 
  with 
  a 
  vertical 
  boiler. 
  The 
  boiler 
  has 
  fallen 
  over 
  

  

  to 
  W 
  30 
  S. 
  Its 
  dimensions 
  are, 
  height 
  7 
  feet 
  9 
  inches, 
  diameter 
  3 
  feet 
  6 
  inches; 
  

  

  chimney 
  of 
  sheet 
  iron, 
  height 
  4 
  feet, 
  diameter 
  10 
  inches. 
  

  

  65. 
  The 
  Church 
  has 
  fallen 
  entirely. 
  At 
  the 
  gateway 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  wall 
  were 
  two 
  

  

  large 
  pillars 
  of 
  brick, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  partially 
  fallen. 
  

   Church 
  gateway. 
  The 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  gateway 
  apparently 
  fell 
  

  

  due 
  north, 
  struck 
  the 
  churchyard 
  wall 
  and 
  rolled 
  off 
  to 
  

   east. 
  The 
  other 
  fell 
  towards 
  W 
  20 
  S. 
  

  

  The 
  churchyard 
  was 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  low 
  wall 
  on 
  which 
  stood 
  a 
  balustrade 
  of 
  

   clay 
  pilasters, 
  supported 
  by 
  brick 
  pillars 
  at 
  intervals. 
  On 
  the 
  walls 
  facing 
  north 
  

   and 
  south 
  these 
  have 
  nearly 
  all 
  fallen 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  

   walls 
  they 
  are 
  standing. 
  

  

  66. 
  Sonamganj. 
  Everywhere 
  in 
  Sylhet, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  saw, 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  

  

  are 
  fissured 
  for 
  some 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  edge, 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  as 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  „ 
  , 
  , 
  Brahmaputra. 
  At 
  Sonamganj, 
  where 
  the 
  river 
  runs 
  nearly 
  

  

  Fissures 
  m 
  banks 
  of 
  , 
  ? 
  T 
  .. 
  , 
  -j 
  .1 
  j-n- 
  • 
  a 
  

  

  rivers 
  and 
  jheels. 
  " 
  ue 
  west, 
  I 
  noticed 
  a 
  considerable 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  

  

  in 
  which 
  the 
  shock 
  had 
  affected 
  either 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  a 
  large 
  slice, 
  some 
  50 
  or 
  60 
  yards 
  broad, 
  had 
  been 
  detached 
  and 
  

  

  slipped 
  forward 
  and 
  downward, 
  the 
  portion 
  furthest 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  sinking 
  

  

  more 
  deeply 
  than 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  bank, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  now 
  over 
  30 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  

  

  over 
  the 
  inner 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  slipped 
  portion, 
  while 
  over 
  the 
  former 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  bank 
  

  

  the 
  depth 
  is 
  only 
  8 
  or 
  10 
  feet. 
  As 
  the 
  houses 
  are 
  built 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  bank, 
  

  

  this 
  being 
  the 
  only 
  ground 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  that 
  is 
  above 
  the 
  usual 
  flood 
  level, 
  they 
  

  

  were 
  carried 
  down, 
  and 
  the 
  inhabitants, 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  about 
  40 
  were 
  drowned. 
  

  

  Qn 
  the 
  southern 
  bank, 
  however, 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  subsidence 
  of 
  this 
  kind, 
  but 
  the 
  

  

  ground 
  was 
  fissured 
  to 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  30 
  or 
  40 
  yards 
  from 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  bank 
  by 
  a 
  

  

  number 
  of 
  cracks 
  running 
  parallel 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  bank. 
  It 
  seems 
  that 
  

  

  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  the 
  bank 
  was 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  so 
  slid 
  

  

  forward, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  moment 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  violently 
  driven 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  supported 
  that 
  bank. 
  

  

  67. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  country 
  round 
  Sylhet, 
  the 
  rivers 
  were 
  in 
  high 
  

  

  flood, 
  the 
  water 
  over 
  large 
  areas 
  overflowing 
  the 
  banks. 
  

  

  P 
  fis 
  s 
  b 
  u 
  a 
  ring 
  of£\°a 
  f 
  nks 
  e 
  So 
  lon 
  S 
  as 
  the 
  y 
  rema 
  ' 
  m 
  ful1 
  [t 
  is 
  P^bable 
  that 
  the 
  banks 
  

   will 
  not 
  slip 
  down, 
  since 
  they 
  are 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  water. 
  

   But 
  as 
  the 
  rivers 
  fall 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  fissured 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  banks 
  

   will 
  slip 
  down, 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  until 
  they 
  attain 
  their 
  former 
  slope. 
  A 
  large 
  amount 
  

   of 
  silt 
  will 
  thus 
  be 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  far 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  water, 
  with 
  

   its 
  diminished 
  velocity 
  during 
  the 
  cold 
  weather, 
  and 
  its 
  very 
  slight 
  fall, 
  will 
  be 
  

  

  ( 
  2? 
  6 
  ) 
  

  

  