﻿2Q0 
  OLDHAM*. 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  At 
  Messrs. 
  Traill 
  & 
  Co.'s 
  business 
  premises, 
  at 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  Greajt 
  Eastern 
  Hotel, 
  

   the 
  front 
  portico 
  and 
  balcony 
  which 
  face 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  were 
  completely 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  

   at 
  the 
  back 
  the 
  eastern 
  parapet 
  wall 
  had 
  fallen 
  over 
  towards 
  the 
  east, 
  and, 
  after 
  

   carrying 
  away 
  the 
  bathroom 
  below, 
  had 
  crashed 
  through 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  the 
  godowns. 
  

   The 
  front 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  in 
  Bentinck 
  Street, 
  opposite 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  Mangoe 
  

   Lane, 
  had 
  fallen 
  forwards 
  into 
  the 
  road 
  (Plate 
  XXI 
  V, 
  fig. 
  2); 
  this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  

   faced 
  the 
  east, 
  the 
  front 
  wall 
  being 
  built-in 
  a 
  direction 
  N 
  io° 
  E— 
  S 
  io° 
  W. 
  

  

  After 
  crossing 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  Howrah 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  here, 
  as 
  in 
  Calcutta, 
  a 
  few 
  houses 
  

   have 
  suffered 
  very 
  severely, 
  whereas 
  others 
  quite 
  close 
  to 
  them 
  have 
  escaped 
  with 
  

   little 
  or 
  no 
  damage. 
  The 
  north-west 
  corner 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  houses 
  facing 
  the 
  Howrah 
  

   Green 
  has 
  fallen 
  out, 
  and 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  rubbish 
  is 
  to 
  N 
  25° 
  W« 
  

   The 
  eastern 
  parapet 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  next 
  house 
  has 
  fallen 
  down. 
  The 
  only 
  

   other 
  badly 
  damaged 
  house 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  examine 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Deputy 
  

   Magistrate 
  of 
  Howrah 
  in 
  the 
  Grand 
  Trunk 
  Road. 
  This 
  was 
  very 
  badly 
  cracked 
  

   everywhere, 
  but 
  the 
  south-east 
  corner 
  had 
  suffered 
  most 
  and 
  fallen 
  outwards. 
  

   At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  the 
  Chaplain 
  of 
  Howrah 
  was 
  watching 
  the 
  water 
  

   in 
  the 
  tank 
  near 
  his 
  house, 
  which 
  was 
  swaying 
  violently 
  to 
  and 
  fro, 
  and 
  the 
  

   direction 
  of 
  this 
  movement, 
  which 
  he 
  pointed 
  out 
  to 
  me, 
  was 
  almost 
  exactly 
  north 
  

   and 
  south. 
  

  

  Looking 
  over 
  the 
  notes 
  above, 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  very 
  little 
  definite 
  evidence 
  

   with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  waves, 
  and 
  nothing 
  from 
  which 
  one 
  

   can 
  calculate 
  its 
  intensity. 
  In 
  Calcutta 
  the 
  fallen 
  walls 
  have 
  mostly 
  gone 
  over 
  

   towards 
  the 
  south 
  or 
  west, 
  and 
  the 
  corners 
  of 
  the 
  houses 
  in 
  Calcutta 
  which 
  have 
  

   suffered 
  the 
  most 
  are 
  the 
  north-east 
  and 
  south-west 
  corners, 
  and 
  this 
  would 
  seem 
  

   to 
  point 
  to 
  a 
  NE 
  and 
  SW 
  direction 
  for 
  the 
  earthquake 
  wave, 
  with 
  variations 
  

   from 
  a 
  direction 
  N 
  and 
  S 
  to 
  one 
  E 
  and 
  W. 
  In 
  Howrah, 
  however, 
  the 
  evidence 
  

   rather 
  points 
  to 
  a 
  N 
  W 
  and 
  SE 
  direction. 
  

  

  Dacca. 
  — 
  At 
  Dacca 
  the 
  earthquake 
  was 
  felt 
  much 
  more 
  severely 
  than 
  in 
  

   Calcutta, 
  and 
  the 
  relative 
  damage 
  is 
  much 
  greater 
  ; 
  almost 
  all 
  the 
  pucca 
  buildings 
  

   in 
  the 
  place 
  being 
  badly 
  damaged, 
  some 
  have 
  entirely 
  collapsed 
  and 
  very 
  many 
  

   were 
  uninhabitable. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  wave 
  the 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  chief 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   e 
  vidence. 
  In 
  almost 
  all 
  the 
  buildings 
  the 
  greatest 
  damage 
  is 
  that 
  done 
  to 
  the 
  

   north-west 
  and 
  south-east 
  corners 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  houses 
  as 
  the 
  club, 
  dak 
  bungalow, 
  

   etc., 
  the 
  south-east 
  corner 
  has 
  fallen 
  out. 
  The 
  top 
  half 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  low 
  pillars 
  

   round 
  the 
  race-course 
  has 
  been 
  broken 
  off 
  and 
  thrown 
  from 
  the 
  base, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  

   lying 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  at 
  the 
  side, 
  the 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  moved 
  being 
  S 
  25 
  E. 
  

   The 
  top 
  ornament 
  of 
  another 
  pillar 
  is 
  broken 
  off, 
  but 
  part 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  left 
  hanging 
  

   on 
  its 
  centre 
  rod, 
  which 
  is 
  bent, 
  and 
  the 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  fallen 
  

   is 
  W 
  15 
  S. 
  Also 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  gate 
  pillars 
  the 
  top 
  is 
  bent 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  

   N 
  io° 
  E. 
  In 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  race-course 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  Hindu 
  temple 
  with 
  

   a 
  lofty 
  narrow 
  spire 
  ; 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  broken 
  off, 
  shifted 
  to 
  one 
  side, 
  and 
  bent 
  

   over, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  prevented 
  from 
  falling, 
  I 
  am 
  told, 
  by 
  a 
  strong 
  iron 
  rod 
  through 
  

   its 
  centre 
  ; 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  top 
  I 
  determined 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  near 
  as 
  

   possible 
  S 
  20 
  E. 
  The 
  Nazir's 
  mutt, 
  a 
  Muhammadan 
  shrine 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  

   the 
  river, 
  has 
  been 
  completely 
  overturned 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  which, 
  as 
  near 
  as 
  

  

  ( 
  *9° 
  ) 
  

  

  