The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1900-10-25
HOMES SWEPT FROM SIGHT.
Singular Phenomena DARING the
Earthquake of July ~. ts07,
In lnals.

The Indian government Inns only
just published the report OF the geo
logical survey on the great earth
quake of July ~. 1897. which dcvas-
tatcd the entire western portion Of
Assam. The report makes volume
Of more than 400 large pages. with
many plates. II contains several H.
lustrations OF disasters similar to
that In the Nco valley, Japan. in the
earthquake OF 1891. when the earth
opened and swallowed whole houses
trace except that the roofs projecting
beyond the walls OF the building were
too wide To fall into the rift aud
were left on the surface.
The same explanation OF this phe.
aomenon. says the New York sun,
Is made IN India as In Japan. The
houses had been built along "a straight
opened and the houses had fallen into
the chasn. Then the opening had
closed aud all persons who were IN
the houses at the time were buried
in the houses. no one knows how
deep. No attempt wns made to re-.
cover their bodies. for there were
many hundreds Of wounded who re-
quired attention and the living had
to he thought Of before the dead.
Only the roofs were tn be seen, and
on looking under them instead Of the
confused heap of rubbish found under
the other wrecked buildings there
was merely the surface of the ground
on the same level inside ~ outside.
This great Indian carthqunk, has
been the occasion OF other expensive
publications, chiefly by the Japanese
government. Japan IL keenly alive
to the necessity Of adopting methods
of building houses aud engineering
| coIspt ructions that will best with.
stand the effects Of earthquake
shocks. All Investigations an this
subject are In the hands of the earth.
quake investigating committee ~ la
pan.
As scon ~ the serious nature ~ the
catastrophe that had Oycrtal<r,l
northeast India was understood a
part of the japanese committee was
Mt once iispatche to the scene and
the reports they wrote form two
volumes Of the committees publica'
tions. Their researches have proved
Ia he particularly instructive and i'm
portunt for earthquake couptr rics
The volumes, for example. contain
many pictures and plans, Ms well as
much lettcrpress, contrasting differ
cnt forms Of concrete flooring, root
and other timber work. varieties %
joints, types Of archwny aud the like
which failed. with corresponding con
II rtictions which successfully resist
ed the destructive forces. The tex,
is In Chinese characters. but man,
of the pictures show at u glance that
| while certain forms of structure,
withstood or were only slightly af
fected by the shocks others entirely
| failed.
One interesting fact observed wa,
that buildings resting upon the caril
or upon stones flush with the earth
escaped with little damage, Will,
others near them that were raise,
ON foundations above the surfnr,
were destroyed or badly damaged
The general conclusion reached b.,
the Japanese investigators was thu
u building with light roof aud cen
structed entirely Of timber. In whicl
the joints are replaced by iron strap
and east iron shoes, may be mad,
ms capable of withstanding II yiolcn
rackiug as "a wicker basket.