﻿2Q2 
  CLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  examination 
  of 
  the 
  grass 
  underneath 
  snowed 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  long 
  in 
  itsi 
  

   present 
  position. 
  The 
  pillar 
  was 
  old 
  and 
  considerably 
  weathered, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  course, 
  where 
  the 
  parting 
  occurred, 
  the 
  weathering 
  had 
  almost 
  

   entirely 
  loosened 
  the 
  top 
  part 
  from 
  the 
  bottom, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  very 
  little 
  cohesion 
  

   between 
  them. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  duration 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  the 
  only 
  evidence 
  at 
  all 
  reliable 
  was 
  

   that 
  obtained 
  at 
  Dacca 
  by 
  the 
  Traffic 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  Dacca-Mymensing 
  

   Railway, 
  who 
  looked 
  at 
  his 
  watch 
  directly 
  he 
  felt 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  He 
  tells 
  me 
  

   that 
  the 
  shock 
  started 
  at 
  5.1 
  1 
  p.m. 
  local 
  time, 
  and 
  lasted 
  almost 
  exactly 
  go 
  seconds. 
  

   Dacca-Mymensing 
  Railway.— 
  Of 
  the 
  damage 
  done 
  to 
  the 
  railway 
  line 
  

   between 
  Dacca 
  and 
  Maimansingh 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  see 
  much, 
  as 
  the 
  line 
  had 
  been 
  

   largely 
  repaired 
  and 
  the 
  trains 
  were 
  running 
  again 
  when 
  I 
  travelled 
  over 
  it. 
  I 
  

   could, 
  however, 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  serious 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  line 
  had 
  been 
  at 
  its 
  

   northern 
  end; 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  two-thirds 
  at 
  least 
  of 
  the 
  journey 
  I 
  saw 
  practically 
  no 
  

   damage, 
  and 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  was 
  through 
  dense 
  jungle 
  growing 
  on 
  the 
  reddish 
  

   lateritic 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  alluvium 
  at 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Madhupur 
  jungle. 
  

   During 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  journey, 
  however, 
  the 
  railway 
  was 
  running 
  on 
  the 
  

   newer 
  alluvium, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  here 
  that 
  damage 
  was 
  done 
  and 
  the 
  lines 
  curved 
  

   and 
  bent 
  by 
  the 
  earthquake 
  ; 
  this 
  curving 
  and 
  bending 
  had 
  been 
  entirely 
  removed 
  

   before 
  I 
  got 
  there, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  evidence 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  some 
  bent 
  rails 
  lying 
  at 
  the 
  side, 
  

   and 
  these 
  showed 
  that 
  the 
  shock 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  severe. 
  Across 
  the 
  line 
  and 
  

   running 
  through 
  the 
  fields 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  there 
  were 
  very 
  many 
  fissures 
  in 
  the 
  

   ground 
  from 
  which 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  had 
  been 
  forced 
  up 
  and 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  

   ground 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  fissure. 
  This 
  sand, 
  when 
  I 
  saw 
  it, 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  light 
  

   bluish-white 
  colour, 
  but 
  1 
  was 
  told 
  that, 
  when 
  it 
  first 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  it 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  

   blackish 
  colour, 
  and 
  had 
  a 
  strong 
  sulphurous 
  smell. 
  To 
  these 
  fissures 
  and 
  the 
  

   sand 
  from 
  them 
  I 
  shall 
  refer 
  later 
  on. 
  This 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  was 
  saved 
  from 
  

   more 
  serious 
  damage 
  by 
  its 
  running 
  along 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  ; 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  

   been 
  on 
  raised 
  embankments, 
  like 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Assam-Bengal 
  Railway, 
  

   these 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  most 
  probably 
  fissured 
  and 
  overturned, 
  the 
  bridges 
  over 
  

   the 
  streams 
  been 
  broken 
  and 
  buckled, 
  and 
  the 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  line 
  much 
  greater 
  

   than 
  it 
  was. 
  

  

  Maimansingh. 
  — 
  At 
  this 
  place 
  the 
  earthquake 
  was 
  very 
  severe, 
  and 
  the 
  damage 
  

   done 
  was 
  enormous. 
  Almost 
  all 
  the 
  pucca 
  buildings 
  were 
  at 
  least 
  partially 
  wrecked 
  

   and 
  many 
  were 
  complete 
  ruins. 
  Of 
  the 
  church, 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  at 
  

   one 
  end 
  was 
  left 
  standing; 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Hindu 
  temples 
  has 
  fallen 
  completely 
  down 
  ; 
  

   the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Rajah's, 
  Palace 
  had 
  all 
  fallen, 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  story 
  was 
  very 
  

   severely 
  damaged 
  ; 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Judge's 
  cutcherry 
  had 
  likewise 
  gone, 
  

   the 
  Judge's 
  house 
  also 
  ; 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Collector's 
  cutcherry 
  was 
  in 
  ruins, 
  and, 
  

   besides 
  these, 
  many 
  other 
  places 
  too 
  numerous 
  to 
  mention, 
  including 
  the 
  bazar, 
  

   which 
  was 
  a 
  complete 
  wreck. 
  

  

  In 
  Maimansingh 
  the 
  collapse 
  of 
  a 
  structure 
  is 
  usually 
  so 
  complete 
  and 
  the 
  

   different 
  parts 
  interfere 
  with 
  one 
  another 
  so 
  much 
  that 
  indications 
  of 
  the 
  direction 
  

   of 
  the 
  earthquake-wave 
  are 
  rare, 
  and 
  then 
  are 
  mostly 
  somewhat 
  vitiated. 
  The 
  

   best 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  direction 
  is 
  the 
  following. 
  The 
  top 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Hindu 
  

   temples 
  (Dcota 
  Din 
  Siwala) 
  in 
  the 
  bazar 
  has 
  fallen 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  N 
  48 
  E 
  

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  292 
  ) 
  

  

  