Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-03-19
"reminiscences Ct a
Big Indian Earthquake
BY Marshall D. Taylor.

pieces of collins. the relics of past In.
terments, were strewn about the grave.
yard Unfortunately Such was the
force of the quake that the huge
blocks of masonry and cement which
surrounded most of the bodies as a
protection against ghouls were hurled
] forcib!y from their positions many re.
/ tanning their exact form and shape.
The Gurkha troops In garrison at the
! time rendered most heroic service In
caring for the injured. burying the
dead and erecting temporary shelters
for the homeless. but 1t is just what
might be expected Of these men who
| have always been ever foremost and
ready to succor and aid the afflicted
and although they themselves lost sew.
/, eral of their comrades In the destruc.
ton of their barracks. yet they re.
sponded to tibet call with the alercity
! so characteristic Of these brave little
| fighters.
! The Dooars. which might almost be
called the continuation of the Assam
Valley, suffered to the same extent
! The new steel bridge on the Cooch
I Behar State Railway was thrown
bodily into the river, the support fell
with a crash a few hours after the
shock. The Lill.Kooty. the home OF
the British Resident of the State oi
| Cooch Bchar was totally wrecked
while roads, bridges and railway
tracks were so torn up and damaged
rs to impede the mails and traffic for
many days. The town of Cooch Behar
distant some AZ miles from where
was located, was very badly damaged
The magnificent palace of the hos
pitable Maharajah with its newly in
stalled electric light plant became q
total ruin. demonstrating vast ex
penditure to restore II to a semblance
of its former beauty.
II such an earthquake had occurred
In New York or in fact any of the
large cities on the mainland. not one
stone would have been left upon an
other, and the loss Of life would have
been frightful: but though this shock
affected an area many hundreds Of
miles in length. so much of Glis was in
virgin forest. the scattered villages be-
ing far distant from each other, that
the damage to property was slight H.
comparison to San Francisco. Not so
the loss of life, however Hundreds OF
people were killed, mostly natives
whose pretty little matched huts
perched on the hillsides were hurled
| ,,tth hot 70 IN ha
depths below and buried under a per.
feet avalanche of debris.
One of the saddest incidents of this
black day was that OF an American
missionary, Rev. ID. II. Lee. who lost
Ave OF his six children In one of these
landslides. The boarding school ip
Darjeefng In which these children
had been placed was literally buried
under mountain of rock and earth,
killing the occupants to the number
OF $50. The horror of that day can
never be eradicated from my memory
} nor the suspense Of the subsequent
J shocks, which occurring at intervals
throughout the night. kept ones
nerves at highly.strung pitch.
rms earthquake hau i,s hun'orouS
SIDE, however ana man! times ! ia"si'
as picture in my minds eye the vari'
Gus episodes Oh una. e'en'iui "ay, me
'puhgalow III Whicn ! N,eo was NV o'.
OF the most coh'ior'ao'e' III 'ao' "
was hothihg better ,hah sn"cA pere','
ed some seven 'ee' ,ro'h 'he sloul,'
FOR company sake ! KEPT h'eh"seri.
composed Oh e'sh. uoss' one 'a'ne uee,
TWO MONKEYS ana some pWro's' !" uu
diuoh 10 the estate e,ephan. anu
ponies. l was ousS wr'e,hs wne" VI.
, hrst shock occurred, anu pa'u no q.
leh'ioh " IT, '".."'"s vac w 80
playing ABOUT 'he ,ieAe's ,e,an'a"
nut wheh the wafer III my pa'n,uo We
gan 10 Splash over a"u ."e p.'"'ss
, and FURNITURE W lai' "'Mn gu" y,
, tossed ABOUT Tue roo,'' ,e"'seu """'
, verandah steps 10 '"e sa'''' VI '"'
l cOmDOuUu.