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  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  addition 
  made 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  1850, 
  was 
  in 
  reality 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  " 
  lean-to," 
  thai 
  

   is 
  to 
  say, 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  bonded 
  into 
  the 
  main 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  chapel, 
  but 
  was 
  merely 
  built 
  

   against 
  it, 
  the 
  beams 
  only 
  being 
  built 
  into 
  the 
  main 
  wall. 
  Consequently 
  after 
  the 
  

   shock 
  took 
  place, 
  the 
  periods 
  of 
  vibration 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  building 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  porch 
  

   L 
  feing 
  different, 
  these 
  two 
  structures 
  must 
  at 
  some 
  particular 
  moment 
  have 
  been 
  

   vibrating 
  in 
  opposite 
  directions 
  ,* 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  was 
  that 
  while 
  these 
  two 
  elements 
  

  

  1 
  tra 
  veiling 
  away 
  from 
  one 
  another, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  wooden 
  beams 
  supporting 
  

   the 
  roof 
  of 
  the 
  porch 
  and 
  running 
  nearly 
  east 
  to 
  west 
  drew 
  out 
  and 
  fell 
  down, 
  but 
  

   when 
  the 
  two 
  vibrating 
  bodies 
  were 
  approaching 
  one 
  another 
  the 
  beams 
  were 
  

   thrown 
  into 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  compression. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  beams 
  of 
  the 
  porch 
  were 
  of 
  wood, 
  

   while 
  a 
  few 
  consisted 
  of 
  iron 
  girders 
  put 
  in 
  at 
  different 
  times 
  to 
  replace 
  unsafe 
  

   wooden 
  ones. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  iron 
  girders 
  furnishes 
  ample 
  proof 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  

   of 
  the 
  above 
  strain, 
  for 
  it 
  has 
  remained 
  fixed 
  at 
  both 
  ends 
  but 
  has 
  been 
  bent 
  

   in 
  the 
  middle 
  owing 
  to 
  horizontal 
  thrusts 
  from 
  the 
  ends. 
  

  

  The 
  remaining 
  observations 
  are 
  of 
  no 
  great 
  value, 
  referring 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  fall 
  

   of 
  parapets 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  directions 
  of 
  cracks 
  through 
  the 
  houses. 
  

  

  The 
  cracks 
  may 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  sets, 
  those 
  running 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  and 
  

   those 
  running 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  ; 
  the 
  former 
  would 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  structures 
  

   vibrated 
  east 
  to 
  west, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  to 
  vibrations 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  that 
  direction 
  : 
  

   and 
  during 
  the 
  earthquake 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  these 
  vibrations 
  was 
  clearly 
  seen. 
  

   A 
  good 
  example 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  No. 
  13, 
  Theatre 
  Road, 
  which 
  house 
  I 
  was 
  

   carefully 
  watching 
  throughout 
  almost 
  the 
  whole 
  duration 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  

   When 
  I 
  reached 
  the 
  compound 
  (a 
  few 
  seconds 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  tremor), 
  1 
  

   found 
  that 
  the 
  house 
  was 
  violently 
  vibrating 
  east 
  to 
  west, 
  and 
  soon 
  a 
  crack 
  opened 
  

   through 
  the 
  house 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  and 
  the 
  western 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  could 
  

   be 
  seen 
  vibrating 
  outwards, 
  the 
  large 
  cracks 
  opening 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  four 
  inches 
  and 
  

   then 
  closing 
  again. 
  This 
  was 
  observed 
  from 
  the 
  southern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  

   Suddenly, 
  however, 
  the 
  motion 
  appeared 
  to 
  change, 
  the 
  crack 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  wall 
  

   ceased 
  to 
  open 
  and 
  on 
  passing 
  round 
  to 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  the 
  

   building 
  appeared 
  now 
  to 
  be 
  swinging 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south 
  and 
  vertical 
  cracks 
  

   began 
  to 
  open 
  over 
  windows 
  and 
  along 
  lines 
  of 
  weakness 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  wall, 
  but 
  they 
  

   did 
  not 
  gape 
  to 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  extent 
  as 
  the 
  large 
  crack 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  wall. 
  

   Nevertheless, 
  judging 
  by 
  the 
  fallen 
  portions 
  of 
  other 
  houses, 
  the 
  greatest 
  damage 
  

   was 
  due 
  to 
  this 
  second 
  series 
  of 
  vibrations, 
  for 
  at 
  No. 
  3, 
  Theatre 
  Road, 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  parapet 
  fell 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  wall. 
  At 
  No. 
  9, 
  Harrington 
  Street 
  (Plate 
  XXI 
  II, 
  

   fig. 
  I) 
  the 
  parapet 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  wall 
  (over 
  the 
  porch) 
  fell, 
  while 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  

   wall 
  of 
  No. 
  8, 
  Circular 
  Road, 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  mentioned. 
  Other 
  examples 
  of 
  this 
  

   are 
  No. 
  6, 
  Badeapara 
  Lane, 
  Bhowanipur, 
  where 
  an 
  old 
  two-storeyed 
  house 
  in 
  the 
  

   bazar 
  has 
  partly 
  fallen, 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  1 
  and 
  the 
  building 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  

   Asiatic 
  Society, 
  a 
  skylight 
  on 
  the 
  roof 
  having 
  been 
  tilted 
  through 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  

   5° 
  to 
  the 
  north. 
  At 
  No. 
  6, 
  Alipur 
  Lane, 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Raja 
  of 
  Burdwan, 
  the 
  

   porch, 
  which 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  has 
  come 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  body 
  

  

  JAbout 
  80 
  yards 
  further 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  howe 
  ver, 
  the 
  house 
  at 
  the 
  corner 
  of 
  Badeapara 
  Lane 
  

   and 
  Shambhu 
  Nath 
  Pandit 
  Road 
  has 
  lost 
  the 
  south 
  -west 
  corner 
  which 
  fell 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  south- 
  

   west. 
  

  

  ( 
  278 
  ) 
  

  

  