﻿302 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897, 
  

  

  iron, 
  which 
  is 
  supported 
  on 
  girders, 
  the 
  main 
  ones 
  of 
  which 
  rest 
  on 
  cast-iron 
  

   pillars 
  let 
  into 
  the 
  side 
  walls, 
  and 
  as 
  only 
  the 
  light 
  cross 
  girders 
  rest 
  on 
  the 
  end 
  

   walls, 
  which 
  have 
  fallen, 
  there 
  was 
  very 
  little 
  pressure 
  from 
  the 
  roof 
  on 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  manager's 
  house 
  was 
  badly 
  cracked, 
  especially 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  (Plate 
  

   XXIX, 
  fig. 
  2)} 
  here 
  in 
  a 
  wall 
  bearing 
  N 
  16 
  E, 
  there 
  are 
  cracks 
  with 
  

   dips 
  of 
  53 
  and 
  54 
  . 
  In 
  the 
  bazar 
  almost 
  all 
  the 
  pucca 
  bouses 
  were 
  wrecked, 
  

   and, 
  after 
  examining 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  them, 
  I 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  

   no 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  shock, 
  as, 
  if 
  in 
  one 
  house 
  the 
  N 
  W 
  and 
  S 
  E 
  

   corners 
  were 
  the 
  worst, 
  in 
  another 
  the 
  N 
  E 
  and 
  S 
  W 
  corners 
  were 
  so. 
  Half 
  

   the 
  post 
  office 
  has 
  fallen 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  south-west, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  probably 
  largely 
  

   due 
  to 
  there 
  being 
  a 
  tank 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  on 
  this 
  side, 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   very 
  badly 
  cracked. 
  In 
  the 
  jail 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  in 
  the 
  south-east 
  

   corner 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  east 
  walls 
  have 
  fallen 
  outwards. 
  The 
  southern 
  

   wall 
  bears 
  W 
  5 
  N, 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  for 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  94 
  feet 
  

   had 
  fallen 
  : 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  before 
  the 
  shock 
  was 
  14 
  feet 
  6 
  inches, 
  and 
  its 
  

   thickness 
  20 
  inches, 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  left 
  standing 
  afterwards 
  was 
  6 
  feet 
  6 
  inches 
  

   high. 
  The 
  eastern 
  wall 
  was 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  southern, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   height 
  and 
  thickness 
  as 
  it, 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  left 
  was 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  height 
  as 
  

   in 
  the 
  other 
  case 
  ; 
  of 
  this 
  wall 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  71 
  feet 
  had 
  fallen. 
  

  

  Both 
  in 
  Sirajganj 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  very 
  badly 
  

   fissured, 
  but 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  these 
  cracks 
  varies 
  very 
  greatly. 
  Although 
  there 
  is 
  

   a 
  tendency 
  for 
  the 
  Dan 
  Bandi 
  River 
  banks 
  to 
  be 
  fissured 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  stream, 
  

   these 
  cracks 
  are 
  quite 
  subordinate, 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  fissures 
  run 
  obliquely 
  to 
  the 
  river, 
  

   and 
  even 
  cross 
  it, 
  still 
  keeping 
  their 
  direction. 
  As 
  at 
  every 
  other 
  place 
  I 
  have 
  

   visited, 
  which 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  newer 
  alluvium, 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  was 
  forced 
  up 
  through 
  

   the 
  fissures, 
  and 
  has 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country, 
  and 
  in 
  appearance 
  the 
  

   deposited 
  sand 
  is 
  exactly 
  like 
  that 
  seen 
  at 
  other 
  places. 
  I 
  was 
  told 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  

   watched 
  it 
  that 
  the 
  liquid 
  mud 
  continued 
  to 
  be 
  forced 
  up 
  for 
  about 
  half 
  an 
  hour 
  

   after 
  the 
  earthquake 
  ceased, 
  probably 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  fissured 
  surface 
  

   beds 
  pressing 
  on 
  the 
  semi-liquid 
  stratum 
  below. 
  Of 
  the 
  depth 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   sand 
  came 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  visible 
  evidence, 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  told 
  that 
  when 
  digging 
  wells 
  

   at 
  Sirajganj, 
  they 
  find 
  first 
  25 
  feet 
  of 
  mud 
  and 
  'then 
  sand 
  like 
  that 
  forced 
  up. 
  

   -Tanks 
  and 
  other 
  excavations 
  were 
  points 
  of 
  weakness 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  bed 
  of 
  mud, 
  

   and 
  into 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  has 
  been 
  forced 
  up» 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  

   the 
  tanks 
  are 
  entirely 
  silted 
  up. 
  

  

  Within 
  half 
  an 
  hour 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  the 
  Dan 
  Bandi 
  River 
  at 
  Sirajganj 
  

   had 
  risen 
  4 
  feet, 
  but 
  this 
  rise 
  went 
  down 
  during 
  the 
  next 
  two 
  days. 
  

  

  (4) 
  Report 
  by 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  Vredenburg, 
  Assistant 
  Superintendent, 
  Geological 
  

   Survey 
  of 
  India. 
  

  

  Westekn 
  Bengal. 
  

  

  Bhagalpur.— 
  The 
  intensity 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  judged 
  by 
  the 
  

   damage 
  done 
  to 
  buildings, 
  was 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  at 
  Bhagalpur 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  at 
  

   Calcutta, 
  possibly 
  a 
  shade 
  less. 
  

   ( 
  302 
  ) 
  

  

  