﻿334 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  river 
  channels 
  has 
  been 
  filled 
  up 
  with 
  sand, 
  whereby 
  some 
  ferries 
  have 
  been 
  tem- 
  

   porarily 
  closed. 
  Landslips 
  were 
  found 
  at 
  three 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  Bhumesvar 
  Hill, 
  but 
  

   caused 
  no 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  crops, 
  as 
  the 
  land 
  below 
  it 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  grass 
  jungle. 
  

  

  Letter 
  No. 
  2675, 
  <? 
  af 
  e<? 
  Gauhati, 
  the 
  26th 
  November 
  i8q7, 
  from 
  Captain 
  P. 
  R. 
  T. 
  

   Gurdon, 
  ISC., 
  Deputy 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Kamrup,to 
  the 
  Secretary 
  to 
  the 
  

   Chief 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Assam 
  (through 
  the 
  Commissioner, 
  Assam 
  Valley 
  

   Districts). 
  

  

  With 
  reference 
  to 
  your 
  memorandum 
  No. 
  5148-59G., 
  dated 
  the 
  9th 
  August 
  

   last, 
  asking 
  for 
  a 
  special 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  fissures, 
  outpourings 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  

   water, 
  the 
  filling 
  up 
  of 
  river 
  beds, 
  etc., 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honour 
  

   to 
  submit 
  the 
  following 
  report 
  regarding 
  the 
  Gauhati 
  subdivision 
  ; 
  a 
  separate 
  

   report 
  by 
  the 
  Subdivisional 
  Officer 
  of 
  Barpeta 
  is 
  submitted 
  with 
  its 
  enclosures. 
  

  

  2. 
  You 
  are 
  aware 
  that 
  in 
  several 
  places 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  deep 
  fissures 
  were 
  

   formed 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  In 
  the 
  Bordwar 
  Tea 
  Estate, 
  a 
  garden 
  situated 
  

   at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Khasi 
  Hills, 
  two 
  fissures 
  were 
  measured 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Gilman. 
  They 
  

   were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  40 
  and 
  45 
  feet 
  deep, 
  respectively. 
  The 
  fissures 
  varied 
  in 
  width 
  

   from 
  2 
  to 
  4 
  feet. 
  It 
  is 
  observable 
  that 
  the 
  fissures 
  that 
  opened 
  near 
  rivers 
  were 
  

   in 
  a 
  direction 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  banks. 
  The 
  strand 
  road 
  from 
  Sukleswar 
  ghat 
  to 
  

   Bhorolumukh 
  furnished 
  a 
  striking 
  illustration 
  of 
  this. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  the 
  length 
  and 
  breadth 
  of 
  the 
  sadar 
  subdivision 
  cracks 
  were 
  very 
  

   numerous. 
  The 
  road 
  from 
  North 
  Gauhati 
  .to 
  Tambulpur, 
  notably 
  the 
  portion 
  

   between 
  Kamalpur 
  and 
  Rangia 
  and 
  that 
  between 
  the 
  5th 
  and 
  6th 
  mile 
  of 
  the 
  

   Rangia-Tambulpur 
  road, 
  and 
  the 
  road 
  to 
  Hajo 
  from 
  Tambulpur 
  via 
  Barama 
  and 
  

   Nalbari, 
  and 
  the 
  adjoining 
  fields, 
  were 
  fissured 
  in 
  several 
  places. 
  In 
  many 
  

   instances 
  cattle 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  lost 
  their 
  lives 
  by 
  falling 
  into 
  the 
  cracks. 
  

  

  3. 
  As 
  regards 
  effusions 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  water, 
  it 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  in 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  

   tahsils 
  the 
  rice-fields 
  opened 
  in 
  fissures, 
  and 
  through 
  these 
  were 
  ejected 
  sand 
  

   and 
  water, 
  which 
  sometimes 
  rose 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  several 
  feet, 
  and 
  on 
  falling 
  formed 
  

   sand 
  craters. 
  I 
  may 
  mention 
  that 
  I 
  personally 
  saw 
  these 
  sand 
  geysers 
  in 
  the 
  

   rice-field 
  of 
  Nalbari, 
  where 
  I 
  was 
  in 
  camp 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  The 
  

   geysers 
  rose 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  feet. 
  The 
  water 
  was 
  not 
  hot, 
  nor 
  was 
  there 
  

   any 
  sulphurous 
  smell, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  by 
  some 
  correspondents. 
  I 
  should 
  

   like 
  to 
  draw 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  earth-waves 
  were 
  distinctly 
  visible 
  from 
  the 
  

   resthouse 
  compound, 
  which 
  is 
  situated 
  close 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  pathar 
  or 
  series 
  of 
  rice- 
  

   fields. 
  The 
  waves 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  following 
  one 
  another 
  at 
  intervals, 
  the 
  dhu 
  rice 
  

   falling 
  and 
  rising 
  as 
  the 
  waves 
  progressed. 
  The 
  sight 
  was 
  a 
  most 
  extraordinary 
  

   and 
  interesting 
  one. 
  I 
  have 
  forgotten 
  to 
  state 
  that 
  the 
  sand 
  geysers 
  were 
  subse- 
  

   quent 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  shock 
  and 
  continued 
  for 
  quite 
  half 
  an 
  hour. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  

   roads 
  were 
  rendered 
  impassable, 
  and 
  the 
  houses 
  became 
  uninhabitable 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  the 
  sand 
  that 
  was 
  forced 
  up. 
  

  

  4. 
  River 
  beds 
  were 
  raised 
  and 
  rendered 
  shallow 
  by 
  sand 
  emitted 
  from 
  under- 
  

   ground 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  upheaval 
  of 
  the 
  beds. 
  Several 
  rivers, 
  formerly 
  very 
  deep, 
  have 
  

   now 
  become 
  shallow 
  and 
  fordable 
  in 
  places. 
  The 
  Ghoga 
  stream, 
  on 
  the 
  Tambul- 
  

   pur 
  road, 
  which 
  was 
  formerly 
  very 
  deep, 
  had 
  its 
  bed 
  silted 
  up, 
  and 
  could 
  easily 
  

   be 
  forded. 
  The 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  Pagladia, 
  Dimila, 
  Motonga, 
  Borolia, 
  Chenguri, 
  the 
  

  

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