A History of Assam c23.70

c23.70

Assam is well known to be subject to earthquakes, and some specially severe ones have already been mentioned. That of 1663, which took place during Mir Jumlah's retreat from Garhgaon, is said to have lasted for half an hour. Another, in Rudra Singh's reign, did serious damage to a number of temples. In modern times the Cachar earthquake of 1869, which did great local mischief, and the one of 1875, which caused some damage to houses in Shillong and Gauhāti, deserve mention. But all recent seismic disturbances were completely thrown into the shade by that which occurred on June 12th, 1897. The focus of this earthquake was not far from Shillong; and, in that neighbourhood, the movements of the earth attained a magnitude and violence of which those who did not personally experience them can form no conception: to stand was impossible; the surface of the ground moved in waves like those of the sea; large trees were swayed backwards and forwards, bending almost to the ground; and huge blocks of stone were tossed up and down like peas on a drum. In the course of a few minutes or, it may be, seconds, all masonry buildings were overthrown. The destruction was almost as complete in Gauhāti and Sylhet. Large rents were made in the alluvial soil; sand and water were belched forth, and the beds of the rivers were silted up. Great alterations were made in the level of the country; extensive tracts of land subsided and became uncultivable; and in many places roads and railway embankments were utterly destroyed. More than fifteen hundred persons lost their lives, chiefly owing to landslips in the hills and the falling in of river banks in Sylhet. Had the catastrophe occurred at night instead of in the afternoon, the loss of life must necessarily have been far greater. Since this earthquake the town of Barpeta has become almost uninhabitable in the rainy season and the sub-divisional head-quarters have been transferred to Barnagar on the Monās river.