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  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  whole 
  town 
  has 
  suffered 
  least 
  is 
  built 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   tank. 
  This 
  building 
  is 
  the 
  Dewan's 
  house, 
  but 
  it 
  owes 
  its 
  escape 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  built 
  on 
  a 
  raised 
  mound 
  of 
  earth 
  which 
  apparently 
  acted 
  as 
  a 
  cushion 
  

   and 
  enabled 
  the 
  house 
  to 
  escape 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  cracks 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  one 
  

   small 
  cupcla 
  from 
  the 
  parapet. 
  

  

  The 
  Palace 
  was 
  rather 
  badly 
  injured, 
  but 
  chiefly 
  by 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  numerous 
  

   immense 
  turrets 
  which 
  carried 
  with 
  them 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  adjacent 
  walls, 
  and 
  often 
  

   crashed 
  through 
  the 
  roof 
  carrying 
  all 
  before 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  Superintendent's 
  house 
  was 
  seriously 
  injured, 
  in 
  fact 
  ruined, 
  by 
  a 
  fissure 
  

   opening 
  beneath 
  it, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  the 
  building 
  was 
  broken 
  into 
  two. 
  It 
  was. 
  

   however, 
  like 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  buildings, 
  built 
  on 
  sand, 
  which 
  in 
  its 
  turn 
  lies 
  

   on 
  another 
  bed 
  of 
  soft 
  water-bearing 
  sand 
  (almost 
  a 
  quicksand). 
  

   The 
  chief 
  directions 
  of 
  overthrow 
  at 
  Kuch 
  Bihar 
  are 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Palace 
  turrets 
  fell 
  S 
  42 
  E. 
  1 
  

  

  W 
  28 
  N. 
  

   E 
  28 
  S. 
  

   E 
  2 
  3 
  i°S. 
  

   E 
  20 
  S. 
  

   A 
  marble 
  vase 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  palace 
  fell 
  . 
  . 
  E 
  20 
  S. 
  

   Lansdowne 
  Hall.— 
  Clock 
  tower 
  fell 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  E 
  18 
  S. 
  

   Superintendent's 
  house.— 
  Urn 
  from 
  turret 
  fell 
  . 
  E 
  20 
  S. 
  

   Brick 
  gate 
  post 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  , 
  . 
  . 
  Si2§°E. 
  

   A 
  tall 
  brick 
  watch-tower 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  fell 
  . 
  . 
  N 
  8° 
  E. 
  

  

  Minaret 
  of 
  a 
  mosque 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  W 
  28 
  N. 
  

   Between 
  Kuch 
  Bihar 
  and 
  Alipur 
  Duars 
  the 
  road 
  is 
  fissured 
  and 
  bridges 
  

   broken, 
  while 
  at 
  Alipur 
  the 
  western 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  gaol 
  fell. 
  Between 
  Alipur 
  and 
  

   the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  not 
  much 
  damage 
  has 
  been 
  done, 
  as 
  

   Baxa 
  Duars. 
  tlie 
  country 
  }s 
  most 
  i 
  v 
  protected 
  by 
  forest, 
  but 
  at 
  Baxa 
  

  

  (about 
  2 
  5 
  ooo 
  feet) 
  all 
  stone 
  buildings 
  were 
  damaged, 
  while 
  many 
  collapsed 
  com- 
  

   pletely. 
  The 
  hill 
  sides 
  are 
  everywhere 
  scarred 
  by 
  landslips, 
  and 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  

   road 
  between 
  Santrabari 
  and 
  Baxa 
  was 
  carried 
  away. 
  Owing 
  to 
  reflection 
  of 
  

   the 
  waves, 
  objects 
  fell 
  in 
  every 
  direction, 
  but 
  the 
  prevailing 
  direction 
  at 
  Baxa 
  and 
  

   the 
  neighbouring 
  picquets 
  was 
  E 
  48 
  S. 
  Near 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  hills, 
  however, 
  a 
  tree 
  

   felltoW 
  3 
  8 
  N. 
  

  

  3. 
  Report 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  E. 
  Grimes, 
  Assistant 
  Superintendent, 
  Geological 
  

  

  Survey 
  of 
  India. 
  

  

  Calcutta, 
  Eastern 
  Bengal, 
  Cachar. 
  

  

  Calcutta.- 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  I 
  was 
  lying 
  

   down 
  reading 
  on 
  a 
  sofa 
  in 
  a 
  room 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  storey 
  of 
  No. 
  11, 
  Middleton 
  Row 
  

   and 
  the 
  first 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  which 
  I 
  perceived 
  was 
  a 
  loud 
  rumbling 
  noise 
  

   and 
  a 
  shaking 
  of 
  the 
  wooden 
  partition, 
  as 
  if 
  something 
  very 
  heavy, 
  much 
  heavier 
  

   ' 
  The 
  weight 
  of 
  this 
  turret 
  was 
  calculated 
  to 
  be 
  12 
  tons 
  1 
  1 
  cwt. 
  20 
  lbs. 
  It 
  fell 
  from 
  a 
  height 
  

   of 
  38 
  feet, 
  and 
  was 
  found 
  lying 
  at 
  a 
  horizontal 
  distance 
  of 
  26 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  wall. 
  

  

  ( 
  288 
  ) 
  

  

  