﻿»80 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  straightened, 
  but 
  the 
  engineer 
  in 
  charge 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  displacement 
  had 
  

  

  amounted 
  to 
  3 
  feet 
  10 
  inches, 
  while 
  the 
  sinking 
  of 
  the 
  piers 
  had 
  converted 
  the 
  

  

  line 
  into 
  a 
  switch-back*. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  point 
  onwards 
  damage 
  had 
  been 
  considerable 
  and 
  was 
  noticeable 
  

  

  . 
  everywhere, 
  and 
  on 
  reaching 
  the 
  Atrai 
  river 
  fissures 
  were 
  

  

  seen 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time; 
  here 
  they 
  run 
  almost 
  due 
  east 
  and 
  

  

  west, 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  continue 
  for 
  several 
  hundred 
  yards, 
  

  

  with 
  a 
  breadth 
  of 
  (on 
  an 
  average) 
  6 
  to 
  8 
  inches. 
  

  

  At 
  Atrai 
  railway 
  station 
  the 
  buildings 
  were 
  badly 
  cracked, 
  and 
  portions 
  of 
  

  

  the 
  houses 
  had 
  fallen. 
  

  

  At 
  Raninagar 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  much 
  fissured 
  ; 
  the 
  fissures 
  were 
  often 
  three 
  

  

  _ 
  . 
  hundred 
  yards 
  long 
  and 
  ran 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  railway, 
  and 
  the 
  

  

  Ramna^ar. 
  .. 
  J 
  , 
  * 
  ,. 
  . 
  , 
  r 
  J 
  

  

  rails 
  were 
  frequently 
  displaced. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  neighbourhood 
  numerous 
  huts 
  collapsed, 
  chiefly 
  towards 
  the 
  east 
  

  

  They 
  were 
  built 
  of 
  bamboo 
  and 
  thatch, 
  and 
  the 
  bamboo 
  posts 
  had 
  in 
  most 
  

  

  instances 
  broken 
  near 
  the 
  centre. 
  

  

  At 
  Sultanpur 
  the 
  railway 
  station 
  and 
  other 
  brick 
  buildings 
  have 
  suffered, 
  

  

  Sultanpur. 
  gable 
  walls 
  and 
  corners 
  having 
  fallen. 
  The 
  south 
  

  

  western 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  railway 
  station 
  fell 
  to 
  the 
  south. 
  

  

  At 
  Tilakpur 
  several 
  bamboo 
  huts 
  collapsed, 
  but 
  the 
  railway 
  station, 
  which 
  

  

  __., 
  , 
  was 
  a 
  low, 
  squat 
  building, 
  and 
  apparently 
  new, 
  was 
  

  

  Tilakpur. 
  . 
  . 
  , 
  < 
  rMr 
  J 
  

  

  uninjured. 
  

  

  At 
  Akhalpur 
  the 
  north-west 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  railway 
  station 
  fell 
  to 
  east-south- 
  

  

  Akhalpur. 
  east, 
  carrying 
  with 
  it 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  the 
  verandah. 
  

  

  At 
  Saidpur 
  buildings 
  suffered 
  badly 
  : 
  several 
  houses 
  were 
  badly 
  cracked 
  and 
  

   portions 
  of 
  walls 
  fell, 
  but 
  no 
  good 
  indications 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   pur. 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  wave 
  were 
  obtained. 
  

  

  Three 
  miles 
  beyond 
  Saidpur 
  the 
  fissures 
  were 
  very 
  marked. 
  They 
  were 
  seen 
  

   -crossing 
  the 
  railway 
  transversely, 
  running 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  for 
  many 
  hundred 
  

   yards, 
  and 
  often 
  having 
  a 
  width 
  of 
  over 
  2 
  feet. 
  

  

  About 
  two 
  miles 
  beyond 
  Darwani 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  much 
  fissured, 
  and 
  the 
  gate- 
  

   house 
  at 
  telegraph 
  post 
  No. 
  129/22 
  is 
  completely 
  wrecked, 
  having 
  fallen 
  to 
  the 
  

   east. 
  

  

  At 
  Nilphamari 
  railway 
  station 
  the 
  fissures 
  run 
  north 
  and 
  south, 
  and 
  are 
  often 
  

  

  as 
  much 
  as 
  10 
  feet 
  wide, 
  while 
  areas 
  of 
  from 
  40 
  to 
  50 
  

  

  Nilphaman. 
  feet 
  long 
  by 
  IQ 
  feet 
  in 
  w 
  ; 
  dth 
  haye 
  subbed 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  

  

  of 
  3 
  feet, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  nearly 
  4 
  feet. 
  The 
  goods 
  shed 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  

  

  the 
  line 
  was 
  badly 
  injured, 
  the 
  southern 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  floor 
  having 
  subsided. 
  In 
  places 
  

  

  the 
  ground 
  beneath 
  the 
  rails 
  has 
  sunk, 
  and 
  rails 
  and 
  sleepers 
  remain 
  suspended. 
  

  

  Similarly 
  at 
  Haldibari 
  railway 
  station 
  the 
  permanent 
  way 
  and 
  platform 
  are 
  

  

  cut 
  up 
  by 
  fissures 
  running 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  

  

  Haldiban. 
  portion 
  of 
  platform 
  has 
  subsided. 
  Between 
  the 
  railway 
  

  

  station 
  and 
  the 
  dak 
  bungalow 
  there 
  are 
  fissures 
  and 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  circular 
  holes 
  

  

  from 
  which, 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  were 
  ejected 
  during 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  bridge 
  runs 
  north 
  and 
  south. 
  

  

  ( 
  a8o 
  ) 
  

  

  