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  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  3. 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  my 
  recent 
  tours 
  in 
  thana 
  Sariakandi, 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  by 
  

   several 
  intelligent 
  observers 
  that 
  the 
  flood 
  water 
  in 
  this 
  season 
  used 
  to 
  submerge 
  

   the 
  fields 
  of 
  village 
  Ram 
  Chandrapwr 
  before 
  those 
  of 
  village 
  Mathnrapara. 
  

   This 
  year, 
  however, 
  the 
  case 
  is 
  reversed, 
  and 
  the 
  people 
  think 
  that 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  

   a 
  relative 
  upheaval 
  or 
  subsidence 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  villages. 
  

  

  4. 
  Fissures 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  the 
  outpourings 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  are 
  confined 
  

   to 
  the 
  soft 
  pali 
  soil 
  between 
  the 
  Karatoya 
  and 
  the 
  Daskoba 
  rivers. 
  They 
  are 
  

   absent 
  in 
  the 
  hard 
  khiar 
  soil 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  river. 
  These 
  fissures 
  

   were 
  very 
  numerous. 
  The 
  openings 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  however, 
  seldom 
  exceed 
  two 
  

   feet 
  in 
  breadth, 
  but 
  their 
  length 
  varied 
  very 
  much 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  the 
  same 
  fissures 
  

   being 
  observed 
  over 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  more. 
  Their 
  general 
  direction 
  was 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  

   south. 
  The 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  fissures 
  increased 
  in 
  those 
  places 
  (very 
  numerous 
  also) 
  

   whence 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  were 
  ejected. 
  These 
  outpourings 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  are 
  in 
  

   local 
  language 
  called 
  bhorka. 
  From 
  my 
  own 
  house 
  I 
  noticed 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  

   oozing 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Karatoya, 
  and 
  a 
  stream 
  of 
  

   water 
  was 
  flowing 
  down 
  the 
  sloping 
  bank 
  into 
  the 
  river. 
  I, 
  however, 
  did 
  not 
  

   witness 
  the 
  bhorka 
  s 
  (seen 
  and 
  described 
  by 
  many 
  other 
  people) 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   water 
  ejected 
  rose 
  several 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  ground. 
  Most 
  remarkable 
  is 
  the 
  story 
  

   told 
  by 
  one 
  Rahaman 
  Ali, 
  Mondal 
  of 
  Bonepara, 
  and 
  I 
  give 
  the 
  substance 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  

   his 
  own 
  words 
  — 
  " 
  My 
  house 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Deakoba 
  river. 
  I 
  was 
  out 
  to 
  

   see 
  fields 
  when 
  the 
  shock 
  came. 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  stand 
  erect, 
  and 
  I 
  had 
  to 
  sit 
  down. 
  

   The 
  stream 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  much 
  agitated 
  as 
  if 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  strong 
  gale. 
  But 
  

   in 
  a 
  gale 
  the 
  waves 
  move 
  in 
  one 
  direction, 
  on 
  this 
  occasion 
  they 
  moved 
  in 
  all 
  

   directions. 
  The 
  water 
  seemed 
  to 
  swell, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  the 
  surface 
  was 
  covered 
  all 
  

   over 
  with 
  foam, 
  so 
  that 
  I 
  saw 
  only 
  foam 
  and 
  no 
  water 
  I 
  then 
  observed 
  a 
  large 
  

   spout 
  of 
  water 
  issue 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  the 
  north-east. 
  The 
  column 
  rose, 
  I 
  think, 
  

   50 
  haths 
  1 
  over 
  the 
  surface, 
  I 
  see 
  the 
  mast 
  of 
  the 
  Magistrate's 
  boat 
  (Note 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  24 
  

   cubits 
  in 
  height). 
  That 
  column 
  of 
  water 
  was 
  much 
  higher 
  than 
  this, 
  and 
  in 
  cir- 
  

   cumference 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  70 
  or 
  80 
  haths. 
  This 
  I 
  saw 
  as 
  the 
  sound 
  resembling 
  

   cannonade 
  was 
  heard. 
  I 
  ran 
  towards 
  my 
  house 
  in 
  great 
  terror 
  from 
  the 
  char, 
  2 
  As 
  

   I 
  looked 
  back, 
  the 
  column 
  of 
  water 
  seemed 
  to 
  diminish. 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  look 
  at 
  it 
  

   again. 
  A 
  fissure 
  has 
  appeared 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  my 
  house, 
  which 
  I 
  think 
  is 
  three 
  

   miles 
  long 
  and 
  about 
  two 
  haths 
  in 
  breadth. 
  Sand, 
  charcoal, 
  rotten 
  vegetable 
  

   matter 
  issued 
  in 
  large 
  quantities 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  fissures." 
  

  

  5. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  likely 
  that 
  the 
  witness 
  exaggerated 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  column 
  of 
  

   Qater 
  that 
  he 
  saw, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  the 
  said 
  column 
  of 
  water 
  

   really 
  rose 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  or 
  from 
  a 
  char 
  in 
  the 
  river. 
  But 
  the 
  

   Sub- 
  Manager 
  of 
  the 
  Dighapatia 
  State, 
  Babu 
  Rakhhyakar 
  Moitra 
  of 
  Nowkhila, 
  an 
  

   intelligent 
  and 
  educated 
  man, 
  and 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  District 
  Board, 
  who 
  happened 
  

   to 
  be, 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  in 
  the 
  char 
  of 
  the 
  Deakoba 
  river, 
  saw 
  springs 
  of 
  water 
  rise 
  to 
  

   the 
  height 
  of 
  several 
  feet 
  above 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  He 
  described 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  ap- 
  

   pearance 
  like 
  small 
  conical 
  temples 
  rising 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  haths. 
  As 
  

   he 
  ran 
  towards 
  the 
  village, 
  he 
  was 
  at 
  one 
  place 
  surrounded 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  with 
  these 
  

   bhurkas. 
  I 
  have 
  visited 
  several 
  places 
  where 
  these 
  bhorkas 
  appeared. 
  Indeed 
  

  

  1 
  i.e., 
  Cubits. 
  : 
  Sandbank. 
  

  

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