﻿2g4 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  normal 
  or 
  subnormal 
  to 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  road, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  road 
  is 
  raised 
  on 
  an 
  

   embankment 
  above 
  the 
  general 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  the 
  cracks 
  run 
  parallel 
  to 
  

   the 
  road, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  semiphase 
  of 
  the 
  wave 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  

   from 
  which 
  the 
  earthquake-wave 
  is 
  travelling, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  semiphase 
  of 
  the 
  wave 
  

   on 
  the 
  farther 
  side, 
  tend 
  to 
  throw 
  the 
  cracked 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  embankment 
  outward 
  

   and 
  if 
  these 
  outward 
  movements 
  proceed 
  to 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  embankment, 
  the 
  

   whole 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  lowered 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  sinking 
  in 
  the 
  road 
  at 
  that 
  place. 
  

  

  Muktagachha. 
  — 
  The 
  town 
  of 
  Muktagachha 
  was, 
  I 
  am 
  told, 
  largely 
  built 
  on 
  made 
  

   ground, 
  and 
  here 
  the 
  Assuring 
  and 
  sinking 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  very 
  severe, 
  and 
  

   inconsequence 
  the 
  Rajbari 
  (Rajah's 
  Palace) 
  and 
  the 
  pucca 
  houses 
  near 
  it 
  were 
  com- 
  

   pletely 
  wrecked. 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  two 
  photographs 
  (Plate 
  XXVII 
  1, 
  figs. 
  1 
  and 
  2) 
  

   from 
  amongst 
  these 
  houses. 
  The 
  first 
  is 
  Moish 
  Babu's 
  house, 
  under 
  which 
  are 
  

   two 
  large 
  cracks 
  along 
  which 
  the 
  ground 
  has 
  sunk, 
  and 
  so 
  the 
  plinth 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  

   is 
  faulted 
  by 
  the 
  two 
  cracks 
  in 
  two 
  steps, 
  and 
  one 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  plinth 
  has 
  sunk 
  

   4 
  feet 
  6 
  inches 
  below 
  the 
  higher 
  portion 
  ; 
  the 
  crack 
  under 
  this 
  house 
  has 
  a 
  

   direction 
  W 
  15 
  S. 
  The 
  second 
  photograph 
  shows 
  a 
  more 
  complete 
  ruin, 
  where 
  

   only 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  left 
  standing 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  leaning 
  over 
  

   to 
  the 
  south 
  owing 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  crack 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  just 
  on 
  that 
  side. 
  

  

  Maimansingh 
  to 
  Silchar. 
  — 
  From 
  Maimansingh 
  I 
  went 
  to 
  Silchar, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  

   from 
  Narainganj 
  to 
  Silchar 
  by 
  steamer, 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  observe 
  much, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  rate 
  at 
  which 
  we 
  were 
  travelling, 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  journey 
  being 
  by 
  night 
  

   or 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  dawn. 
  The 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  too, 
  was 
  not 
  very 
  favourable 
  for 
  my 
  

   observations, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  flood, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  banks 
  were 
  covered 
  up 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  often 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  tell 
  if 
  the 
  flooding 
  of 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country 
  was 
  due 
  entirely 
  to 
  the 
  

   rise 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  or 
  partly 
  to 
  sinking 
  of 
  the 
  ground. 
  At 
  many 
  places, 
  

   however, 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  Barak, 
  especially 
  in 
  its 
  upper 
  reaches, 
  the 
  

   sinking 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  was 
  quite 
  evident, 
  and 
  roofs 
  of 
  houses 
  just 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   were 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  several 
  places, 
  a 
  prominent 
  instance 
  of 
  it 
  being 
  at 
  Karimganj 
  

   where 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bazar 
  was 
  under 
  water. 
  

  

  Silchar. 
  — 
  In 
  Silchar 
  station 
  itself 
  very 
  little 
  damage 
  has 
  been 
  done, 
  and 
  from 
  

   the 
  buildings 
  there 
  one 
  can 
  hardly 
  tell 
  that 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  earthquake 
  at 
  all. 
  

   The 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  has 
  cracked 
  and 
  slipped 
  in 
  places, 
  but 
  not 
  badly, 
  except 
  

   perhaps 
  at 
  the 
  bend 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  station. 
  

  

  Practically 
  the 
  only 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  was 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  a 
  cylinder 
  seismometer 
  like 
  that 
  described 
  in 
  Memoirs 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  

   Survey 
  of 
  India, 
  Vol. 
  XIX. 
  This 
  was 
  kept 
  locked 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  separate 
  galvanised 
  iron 
  

   shed 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  meteorological 
  observatory, 
  and 
  was 
  in 
  proper 
  working 
  order 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  The 
  cylinders 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  metal 
  outside, 
  filled 
  with 
  

   cement 
  ; 
  they 
  were 
  12 
  inches 
  high, 
  were 
  numbered 
  o 
  to 
  7 
  and 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  

   diameters 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Diameter 
  of 
  ......... 
  o 
  

  

  I 
  

  

  inch. 
  

  

  Ms 
  

  

  inches. 
  

  

  A 
  

  

  ,, 
  

  

  31 
  

  

  »» 
  

  

  5 
  

  

  >» 
  

  

  6 
  

  

  >» 
  

  

  7 
  

  

  »» 
  

  

  8 
  

  

  

  ( 
  294 
  ) 
  

  

  