﻿340 
  OLDHAM: 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  Letter 
  No. 
  6S6, 
  dated 
  North 
  Lakhimpur, 
  the 
  30th 
  October 
  1897, 
  f 
  r0 
  " 
  1 
  H- 
  A. 
  C. 
  

   Colquhoun, 
  Esq., 
  B.A., 
  I.C.S., 
  Subdivisional 
  Officer, 
  North 
  Lakhimpur, 
  to 
  the 
  

   Deputy 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Lakhimpur. 
  

  

  With 
  reference 
  to 
  your 
  memorandum 
  No. 
  492c, 
  dated 
  the 
  21st 
  August 
  1897, 
  

   I 
  have 
  the 
  honour 
  to 
  forward 
  a 
  report 
  supplying 
  the 
  information 
  available. 
  

  

  1. 
  (a) 
  Fissures 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  outpouring 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  were 
  very 
  

   general 
  throughout 
  the 
  subdivision 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Subansiri. 
  They 
  occurred 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  rivers 
  and 
  on 
  low 
  lying 
  or 
  swampy 
  ground. 
  The 
  fissures 
  

   were 
  usually 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  in 
  breadth 
  and 
  two 
  feet 
  in 
  depth, 
  and 
  often 
  exceeded 
  

   100 
  yards 
  in 
  length. 
  The 
  emission 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  was 
  accompanied 
  in 
  

   most 
  cases 
  by 
  sulphurous 
  smells. 
  General 
  subsidence 
  also 
  occurred 
  in 
  parts 
  

   affected 
  by 
  fissures. 
  This 
  is 
  especially 
  noticeable 
  along 
  the 
  left 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  

   Dikrang 
  for 
  four 
  miles 
  above 
  Narainpur. 
  The 
  bank 
  has 
  been 
  deeply 
  fissured, 
  and 
  

   the 
  surrounding 
  country 
  inundated 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  subsidence 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  At 
  

   Kadam 
  tea 
  garden, 
  again, 
  an 
  acre 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  tea 
  has 
  been 
  destroyed 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   soil 
  having 
  become 
  water-logged, 
  and 
  the 
  garden 
  has 
  been 
  subjected 
  to 
  unusual 
  

   floods. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  these 
  floods 
  have 
  been 
  caused 
  in 
  fact 
  by 
  silting 
  up 
  

   of 
  the 
  Dikrang 
  and 
  Kadam 
  river 
  beds, 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  prepared 
  to 
  say 
  to 
  what 
  ex- 
  

   tent. 
  That 
  considerable 
  subsidence 
  has 
  occurred 
  is, 
  however, 
  unquestionable. 
  

  

  (6) 
  Neither 
  fissures 
  nor 
  subsidence 
  have 
  been 
  reported 
  from 
  the 
  three 
  mauzas 
  

   east 
  of 
  the 
  Subansiri. 
  

  

  Letter 
  No. 
  749C, 
  dated 
  Sibsagar, 
  the 
  8th 
  September 
  1897, 
  from 
  Bernard 
  V, 
  

   Nicholl, 
  Esq., 
  I.C.S., 
  Deputy 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Sibsagar, 
  to 
  the 
  Director 
  of 
  

   the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  India, 
  Calcutta. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  a 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  information 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  tahsildars 
  

   subordinate 
  to 
  me. 
  

  

  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  cracks 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  from 
  which 
  sand 
  was 
  thrown 
  up, 
  similar 
  

   to 
  those 
  reported 
  from 
  Jorhat 
  and 
  Golaghat, 
  also 
  took 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  

   portion 
  of 
  this 
  subdivision. 
  

  

  The 
  spots 
  where 
  these 
  phenomena 
  were 
  observed 
  are 
  all 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  

   of 
  water 
  courses. 
  Some 
  people 
  were 
  driven 
  from 
  their 
  houses 
  by 
  the 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  coming 
  up 
  through 
  the 
  floor. 
  A 
  considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  one 
  

   road 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  locality 
  sunk, 
  and 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  thrown 
  up 
  again 
  to 
  raise 
  it 
  

   above 
  water 
  level. 
  A 
  crack 
  described 
  as 
  over 
  200 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  10 
  or 
  12 
  

   cubits 
  in 
  depth 
  and 
  running 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  made 
  its 
  appearance 
  in 
  another 
  road. 
  

   A 
  tank 
  10 
  feet 
  in 
  depth 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  completely 
  filled 
  up 
  with 
  sand 
  ; 
  

   while 
  a 
  low 
  lying 
  cattle-track 
  has 
  been 
  converted 
  into 
  a 
  raised 
  path 
  by 
  the 
  sand 
  

   forced 
  up 
  from 
  below. 
  

  

  Letter 
  No. 
  1125c, 
  dated 
  Jorhat, 
  the 
  1st 
  September 
  1897, 
  from 
  B. 
  C. 
  Allen, 
  Esq., 
  

   I.C.S., 
  Assistant 
  Commissioner, 
  Jorhat, 
  to 
  the 
  Deputy 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  

   Sibsagar. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  the 
  honour 
  to 
  submit 
  a 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  points 
  mentioned 
  in 
  paragraphs 
  1 
  

  

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  340 
  ) 
  

  

  