﻿338 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1 
  897. 
  

  

  5. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  curious 
  phenomena 
  resulting 
  from 
  the 
  earthquake 
  of 
  

   12th 
  June 
  was 
  the 
  lowering 
  of 
  high, 
  and 
  the 
  raising 
  of 
  low 
  places. 
  Many 
  localities 
  

   which 
  never 
  used 
  to 
  be 
  under 
  water 
  before 
  were 
  flooded 
  immediately 
  after 
  the 
  

   earthquake 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  beds 
  of 
  rivers 
  and 
  bits 
  have 
  been 
  raised. 
  This 
  

   raising 
  has 
  been 
  affected 
  in 
  three 
  ways 
  ; 
  one 
  by 
  sand 
  deposited 
  by 
  geysers 
  

   another 
  by 
  subsidence 
  of 
  the 
  banks, 
  and 
  the 
  third 
  by 
  upheaval. 
  That 
  there 
  has 
  

   been 
  actual 
  upheaval 
  of 
  river 
  beds, 
  etc., 
  can 
  be 
  inferred 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  portions 
  

   of 
  several 
  roads 
  have 
  been 
  raised 
  in 
  a 
  curious 
  fashion. 
  Undulations 
  are 
  seen 
  on 
  

   the 
  surface 
  of 
  roads 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  under 
  water, 
  and 
  several 
  bridges 
  have 
  been 
  

   raised 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  timber 
  posts 
  which 
  supported 
  them 
  having 
  been 
  forced 
  up 
  

   by 
  the 
  upheaval. 
  One 
  such 
  bridge 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  road 
  leading 
  from 
  Tenga- 
  

   gaon 
  to 
  Roha, 
  where 
  the 
  centre 
  somewhat 
  resembles 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  a 
  triangle. 
  

  

  6. 
  The 
  Singra 
  was 
  a 
  deep 
  stream 
  before 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  and 
  we 
  could 
  not 
  

   generally 
  fathom 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  bamboo 
  poles, 
  about 
  20 
  feet 
  long, 
  which 
  we 
  carried 
  

   for 
  pushing 
  the 
  boats. 
  But 
  after 
  the 
  earthquake 
  it 
  became 
  so 
  shallow 
  that 
  our 
  

   canoes, 
  which 
  drew 
  about 
  a 
  foot 
  of 
  water, 
  grounded 
  in 
  several 
  places. 
  In 
  the 
  

   Kapla 
  bil, 
  in 
  the 
  Sarukhetri 
  mauza, 
  my 
  holong 
  boat, 
  which 
  drew 
  about 
  2 
  feet 
  of 
  

   water, 
  grounded 
  several 
  times. 
  I 
  learnt 
  that 
  the 
  Kapla 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  deep 
  bil 
  before 
  

   the 
  earthquake. 
  I 
  observed 
  the 
  same 
  phenomenon 
  in 
  the 
  Chaulkhoa, 
  the 
  Mara 
  

   Manas, 
  and 
  the 
  Kaldia 
  rivers. 
  In 
  the 
  Bajali 
  tahsil 
  I 
  found 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  tanks 
  

   quite 
  dry, 
  the 
  interior 
  having 
  been 
  filled 
  up 
  by 
  silt 
  and 
  raised 
  to 
  a 
  level 
  with 
  the 
  

   surrounding 
  banks. 
  

  

  Letter 
  No. 
  ojp-G., 
  dated 
  Tezpur, 
  the 
  26th 
  August 
  i8g7, 
  from 
  Lieutenant-Colonel 
  

   M. 
  A. 
  Grey, 
  B.A., 
  I.C.S., 
  Deputy 
  Commissioner, 
  Darang, 
  to 
  the 
  Secretary 
  to 
  

   the 
  Chief 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Assam 
  {through 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  ■, 
  Assam 
  Valley 
  

   Districts). 
  

  

  4. 
  In 
  the 
  Sadr 
  subdivision 
  there 
  were 
  fissures 
  everywhere 
  in 
  low-lying 
  

   lands, 
  and 
  in 
  several 
  places 
  the 
  cracks 
  were 
  several 
  feet 
  wide 
  and 
  deep 
  on 
  the 
  

   west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Bharalu 
  river. 
  Large 
  quantities 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  sand 
  were 
  ejected 
  

   from 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  Tezpur-Balipara 
  tramway 
  line 
  was 
  very 
  severely 
  injured 
  

   in 
  this 
  way 
  between 
  the 
  Sessa 
  and 
  Rangapara 
  Stations. 
  I 
  visited 
  this 
  portion 
  

   of 
  the 
  district 
  on 
  the 
  two 
  following 
  days— 
  the 
  13th 
  and 
  14th 
  June— 
  and 
  can 
  only 
  

   say 
  that 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  rails 
  were 
  thrown 
  about, 
  and 
  twisted 
  

   into 
  all 
  manner 
  of 
  curious 
  shapes, 
  almost 
  baffles 
  description. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  

   low 
  lying 
  tract 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  about 
  the 
  Rangapara 
  station 
  was 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  little 
  

   geysers, 
  out 
  of 
  which 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  had 
  poured 
  out. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  jets 
  

   of 
  water 
  were 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  four 
  feet 
  in 
  height. 
  The 
  sand 
  

   thrown 
  up 
  had 
  a 
  peculiar 
  smell, 
  like 
  sulphur, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  black- 
  

   ish 
  colour, 
  though 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  my 
  personal 
  experience 
  has 
  enabled 
  me 
  to 
  speak, 
  the 
  

   ejected 
  sand 
  was 
  aU 
  white. 
  The 
  same 
  thing 
  also 
  occurred 
  pretty 
  well 
  all 
  over 
  

   the 
  MangsJdai 
  subdivision. 
  In 
  many 
  places 
  the 
  deposits 
  of 
  sand 
  covered 
  

   several 
  bighas 
  of 
  land. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  Chapori 
  near 
  Mangaldai 
  itself 
  was 
  

   completely 
  riddled 
  with 
  fissures, 
  some 
  being 
  more 
  than 
  200 
  yards 
  long. 
  The 
  

  

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