[BITList] Sir Henry Pottinger, East India Company and colonial governor
John Feltham
wantok at me.com
Wed Oct 3 21:40:05 BST 2012
This may be of interest of BI folks, it was a strong factor in the growth of the BI.
ooroo
Major Pottinger (or rather his servants) discovered coal in Cutch, and this
went on to affect the life of one of my "Indian" connections, John Croft
Hawkins.
This was at the very beginning of the steam age in India before Railways and
before the Sir Hugh Lindsay streamship.
The story is set out below.
Regards
Nick Balmer
During the summer of 1827 Major Pottinger the Resident at Bhooj[i] in Cutch
reported to the Bombay Government that coal had been found in Cutch and that
pits had been started to mine the coal. Unfortunately water had been struck
very soon after the commencement of these pits, which was holding up efforts
to extract the coal. The Bombay Government began to investigate the use of
steam engines to pump the water out.
On the 23rd of October 1827 Mr Secretary Norris wrote to Major Pottinger: -
"With the view to ascertaining the probable power of the Steam Engine
required for the Coal Mines in Cutch, I am directed by the Hon'ble the
Governor in Council to request that you will be pleased to state your
opinion of the water which it is requisite to remove."
[ii]
Major Pottinger replied on the 10th of November 1827.
"I regret that it is not in my power to afford Government anything like
satisfactory information as to the quantity of water which it may hereafter
become requisite to remove out of the coal mines in Cutch.
At Present there is about 7 feet of water in each of the two shafts which
have been dug, and the same proportion according to their depths is found in
the village wells in the vicinity of the mines: but it may be of course
inferred that this only shows the highest level to which the water will rise
of itself, and which is within about ten feet of the surface consequently,
were the shafts sunk to any great depth, the water would probably be very
greatly and rapidly increased.
In support of this surmise, I may mention that there is a well in the
Residency grounds, in which there is above 50 feet of water, and that during
Mr Gardiner's time, when a man had fallen into it, and had been drowned, an
attempt was made to draw it off, but after employing 4 sets of bullocks at
it, besides people bailing it with buckets from sunrise to sunset; it had
only been decreased five feet, and had attained its usual level the
following morning.
3. It is not however, very likely that, the springs near
the mines will prove so plentiful as the well in question, which is in low
ground, whilst the mines are rather on an elevated plain; but Lieutenant
Clark informs me that he worked a whole day with two sets of bullocks with
the usual apparatus, and had also a number of men drawing with a large cask;
that he could not get one of the shafts clear, before dark; and that it
again accumulated during the night.
4. I am myself quite ignorant of the power of steam, when
used for raising water, or other similar purposes; but I should conceive
that it would be better to have two engines on a moderate scale than one
larger one, and whatever may be done on this subject, it will be
indispensably necessary that a proper person shall be sent with the
Engineer, to direct their application.
I have etc.
Pottinger
[iii]
The Bombay Government must have been investigating the possibilities of
using steam engines. They had discovered that Captain Forbes house, a major
trading company, had on offer for sale a 14 HP engine. Without waiting for
the technical details to be checked, they decided to order the steam engine
from Calcutta where it was located.
Mr Secretary Norris wrote on the 19th of December 1827.
"The Board has authorized a communication to be made to the Bengal
Government requesting it to Purchase and send around to Bombay a 14 horse
power engine to be employed in removing the water from the Kutch Coal mines.
It is therefore probably necessary that steps should be taken to secure the
Services of some Scientific person or persons to receive the engine on its
arrival and superintend the erection and the working of it in Kutch.
The Superintendent of Marine; the Chief Engineer, and Captain Hawkins
ought perhaps to be requested to consider the subject & favor Government
with their joint suggestion.
Signed Sect Norris.
[iv]
The three Bombay Marine Officers must have rapidly got together to consider
the issues involved in trying to use the steam pumps in the mines, for on
the 7th of January 1828, they replied: -
> From the Superintendent of Marine[v], Chief Engineer[vi], and Captain
Hawkins.
In reply we beg you will state to the Hon'ble the Governor in Council we are
of opinion, that Captn Hawkins should be instructed to receive the Engine on
it's arrival, because, from his intimate knowledge of machines of this kind
and with the assistance of the machinists under him, he will be better able
than any other person that occurs to us of ascertaining whether all be
perfect, to complete what may be wanting, and to give plans and directions
for putting it up, and providing some person or persons for working it.
It is, however desirable that we should be furnished with any plan or
description of the Engine which Government may be in possession of, as well
as the information that exists connected with the strata of Coal which it is
proposed to work, for without some knowledge of this kind, it is not
possible to give an opinion as to the place in which the engine should be
fixed, or the best method of doing it, and should it be the intention of the
Honorable the Governor in Council to extend our duties to the working of
mines, we will, on the receipt of the above information, give our opinion as
to what steps it will be proper next to take; for mining is at all times in
some degree, a hazardous speculation, and it is desirable not to make it
more so by disregarding the indications of success or failure which the
science of Geology has put it in our power of attaining.
Captain Hawkins having been absent from the Presidency in
Consequence of indisposition when your letter was received, will, we hope,
be accepted as an apology for the length of time we have taken in replying
to it.
Bombay We have etc.
7th Jany 1828. Thos Buchanan
S Goodfellow J. Hawkins.
[vii]
It is not clear how John Hawkins had become sufficiently experienced to be
seen as a "Scientific Officer", unless he had had some previous experience
with steamers. I think he may have been involved in the construction of the
Hugh Lindsay, the first steamer to travel up the Red Sea.
The master builder Nowrojee Jamsetjee built the hull of the Hugh Lindsay out
of teak at the HEIC's Bombay Dockyard. She used two 80 hp engines were
supplied by Maudslay of Lambeth.
On the 16th of January 1828 Charles Norris, the Secretary to the Bombay
Government wrote: -
"It appears to the Governor in Council a necessary preliminary measure, that
a scientific Officer should report, from inspection of the mines, on the
best mode of proceeding when the steam engine arrives. Captn Hawkins would
on every ground be the fittest officer to depute, on such a Duty to which
the Governor in Council is accordingly pleased to appoint him.
I have etc.
Bombay Castle Chas Norris.
16 Jany 1828 Sect to Govt
[viii]
John Hawkins was sent the following letter: -
Chas Norris Esq.
Secty to Govt
To Captain Hawkins.
Sir,
I am directed to inform you that the Hon'ble the Governor in
Council is pleased to appoint you to proceed to cutch to inspect the Coal
mines, and to report on the best mode of proceeding when the steam engine
which is expected from Calcutta to work the mines arrives.
I have etc.
Bombay Castle Sign'd Chas Norris
16 Jany 1828 Secty to Govt
[ix]
John Hawkins must have set off almost immediately to travel to the site of
the mines at Cutch, because by the 10th of March 1828 he was back in Bombay
and writing his report to the Government.
> From the Marine Superintendent, Chief Engineer,
and Captain Hawkins dated 10 March 1828.
Sir,
In reply to your letter of the 16th January last, we have now the
honor to submit for the consideration of the Hon'ble the Governor in Council
the memorandum of Captain Hawkins on the Coal Strata in Cutch, with a few
observations thereon.
2. We think the information afforded by this paper is
sufficient to warrant the further search for that mineral, the possession of
which is so desirable to promote steam navigation on this side of India, as
well for working steam engines at present here, as for the introduction of
others, and various other purposes connected with the business of the smith
and the founder, and generally, for the improvement of machinery and
manufacturers.
3. As the Coal obtained from the present strata appears
scarcely worth the labour of extracting, we think that any other galleries
that may be found necessary to make in it should not be larger than
sufficient for a man to work in, and this should be done only when any
favourable consideration presents itself in order to ascertain the quality
of the Coal and the thickness of the strata, or for the purpose of
Ventilation or draining.
4. It is we think probable that other strata of coal of a
Superior quality and greater quantity may be found lying beneath this; and
we are of opinion that it would be proper to take the usual method of
ascertaining this by boring or sinking shafts.
5. We would therefore recommend that this operation be
commenced upon as soon as Rods and a model with instructions for using them
can be prepared, but we think it would be better for future operation to get
boring rods from England. For they would be of a superior quality to any
that can be made here, and they may become useful on other occasions.
6. We would also recommend that a Geological Survey and
sketch of the Country in the Vicinity of the Coal mines should be commenced.
In it should be the information gained from the mine by boring or otherwise.
This we think could be done by the Executive Engineer at Bhooj at little or
no expense, and would be valuable not only as a guide to the future
operations here, but to the science of Geology in general.
7. In the present state of these mines, we see no purpose
to which the steam engine can be applied, and it is probable, when future
discoveries point out the spots in which it could be advisable to erect it,
some part of it will require new modelling, it being now calculated to lift
water only 20 feet, whereas in all probability, many times that depth will
be required, but we are not of opinion any alteration should be made until
it is ascertained that Coal worth working is to be found, and at what depth,
and if the Engine be not already purchased, we think it would be better to
get an Engine suited to the purpose from England when required and which
might probably be obtained at less expense.
Bombay 10th March 1828 We have etc.
Signed T.
Buchanan
S Goodfellow
J
Hawkins
[x]
John's actual Memorandum survives, and is especially interesting because it
describes the actual workings themselves. Sadly, the diagrams that original
accompanied the Memorandum appear to have been lost.
Memorandum
Conformably to the instructions contained in Mr
Secretary Norris's letter dated the 16th Ultimo to our Committee, I
proceeded to Cutch, and have examined the Coal work, in the neighbourhood of
the village of Tromoo and also the indication of Coal in its Vicinity.
The sketch no 1 represents the north bank of the River, where the
stratum of Coal which has been worked shews of about 20 inches thick mixed
with a kind of slate, and covered by Soft Sand Stone Rock & upwards of 30
feet thick. The miners began by cutting down the face of the bank of the
River, to lay the coal stratum bare, but finding this scheme tedious they
commenced driving a Tunnel A about 8 feet wide and 7 feet high into the
bank, a few inches above the level of the water in the River in the dry
season.
In the digging of the Tunnel inwards, the Coal Stratum was found
to "dip" or incline downwards in a North Easterly direction (See Section No
3) at about ¾ of inch to a foot, so that the River water soon found its way
into the Tunnel, and obliged the miners to abandon it. In the rains the
tunnel completely filled with water.
A second Tunnel B higher up the stratum was then commenced, but it
also soon inclined under the level of the River water (see sketch No 2) and
was likewise abandoned. A Gallery C, was cut at right angles with the
Tunnel with the intention of examining the Coal in that direction.
The late Mr Quin attempted to bore in the Spot D but his boring
rods were erroneously constructed, and as ill worked, so that they made
little progress in boring and broke at the depth of 25 feet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[i] Modern day Bhuj.
[ii] OIOC IOR/F/4/1131/30216 folio 15.
[iii] OIOC IOR/F/4/1131/30216 folio 17 to 21.
[iv] OIOC IOR/F/4/1131/30216 folio 22.
[v] Thomas Buchanan.
[vi] S Goodfellow.
[vii] OIOC IOR/F/4/1131/30216 folio 29-33.
[viii] OIOC IOR/F/4/1131/30216 folio 34-35
[ix] OIOC IOR/F/4/1131/30216 folio 36.
[x] OIOC IOR/F/4/1131/30216 folio 37
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