Bhore Ghat
A 21 km section on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway between Padusdhurree (Palasdhari) and Khandala.
'The summit of the Bhore Ghat (Bhor Ghat) incline is at 2,027 feet. The maximum gradient is 1 in 37 with extreme curvature. It has 25 tunnels of a total length of almost 4,000 yards, two of the longest being 435 yards and 341 yards respectively. There are eight viaducts having a total length of 2,961 feet. Two of the largest are more than 500 feet long with a maximum height of 1,160 and 163 feet. There are 22 bridges of spans from 7 to 30 feet and 81 culverts of various size.'
The project was marred by industrial unrest, disease and accidents. Thousands of workers died during construction.
The first engineer appointed to the project was James John Berkley.
When Berkley's health failed, the contract for the section was awarded to William Frederick Faviell.
According Wikipedia, Faviell 'mistreated his workers and underpaid his subcontractors, leading to riots by the workers that resulted in the death of one of the European managers attempting to subdue the unrest. Following a Government investigation, Faviell's contract was taken away from him and granted to Solomon Tredwell, who arrived in 1859 to restart the works. Tredwell died within days, of dysentery or cholera. His wife, Alice then took over the contract, completing it with success by 1863.'[1]. Alice appointed Adamson and Clowser to manage the contract.
See this article for an indication of the depridations suffered by those who worked on the project.
Site of a disastrous accident when a train overran the reversing station.
1859 'GREAT INDIAN PENINSULA RAILWAY. The nineteenth half-yearly general meeting of this company took place on Friday at the London Tavern; Mr. Mr. J. Hamilton in the chair. The Chairman, in moving its adoption of the report, observed that the contents of that document would show the progress which had been made in their works during the year. With regard to the second paragraph in the report, the directors regretted to inform the proprietors that upon the Bhaur Ghat incline, Mr. Faviell, the contractor, had failed to carry on the works in a manner satisfactory to the engineer. Mr. Faviell originally undertook the works at an estimate much below that of the engineer, and also agreed to complete the line within a much shorter time than was contemplated by the engineer. Probably he had done so without making himself sufficiently acquainted (living, as he was, in England at the time) with the difficulties of the undertaking — difficulties which were aggravated by the fact that considerable trouble was experienced in obtaining skilled labour, especially that of skilled masons. Mr. Berkley, the engineer, being dissatisfied, had sent home a report upon the subject, which report the directors took into their consideration, and, after conferring with Mr. Stephenson, their consulting engineer, forwarded to Mr. Berkley instructions to make such arrangements as he might deem advisable to ensure greater activity in completing the line. He (the chairman) was not prepared to say (looking at the correspondence which had taken place on the subject) that Mr. Faviell had not good ground for seeking to obtain an increase upon some of the items of his contract. In the meantime, however, before the instructions from the directors arrived in India, Mr. Faviell volunteered to surrender the works to the company, and Mr. Berkley advised the Bombay directors to accept the offer. In all probability, therefore, when steps were taken to complete this portion of the line, the works would be carried on more satisfactorily. In this state of things it might naturally be asked whether the completion of the undertaking would be materially delayed or not, and he was happy to say that Mr. Berkley's expressed opinion was, that if his measures were properly carried out, this part of the line would be completed within three months of the time contemplated in the original estimate, and at a cost not exceeding the amount of that estimate. With regard to the progress of the other parts of the line, he was happy to state that it was highly satisfactory. The line from Poonah to Decksal had been completed ..... He was sorry to say that Mr. Berkley, their chief engineer, owing to the great exertions he had used to promote the interests of the company, had been obliged to obtain temporary leave to return to England for the benefit of his health; but during his absence his place would be filled by one of his assistants, whose ability was well known, and in whom the directors had every confidence. After a few dormitory remarks the report was unanimously adopted, and the retiring directors and auditor re-elected.'[2]
1860 'Contract No. 7.—The Bhore Ghat Incline, 13 3/4 Miles.
Attention was called in paragraph 8 of the last annual report to the satisfactory progress which Mr. F. W. Faviell, the contractor, was making upon this contract, and a hope was expressed that considerable improvement would take place in consequence of measures which had a short time previously been adopted by Mr. J. J. Berkley, site chief resident engineer. This hope was not, however, realised, and Mr. Berkley finding, early in the subsequent working season, that the interests of the Company were being seriously prejudiced by the contractor's inefficient management, issued to him formal notice under the contract to increase the number of workmen on those points of the lines which were most backward. Mr. Faviell thereupon represented that he found himself unable to comply with the requirements made upon him, and offered on certain terms to surrender the contract into the hands of the Company, which offer was after mature consideration accepted by the committee of Directors in Bombay and the Bombay Government. The works were accordingly transferred from Mr. Faviell on the 31st March, 1859, and from that date down to the 30th June, the close of the official year, they were carried on by Messrs. Adamson and Clowser, the assistant engineers stationed upon the works, under the able directions of Mr. C. B. Ker, acting chief resident engineer, Mr. Berkley having then left Bombay for England sick leave. Owing to the change in the management of the works occurring within a few weeks of the usual period of the migration of labourers from the district for the season, a large number of the workmen employed seized the opportunity then to proceed to their homes, notwithstanding every effort made to retain them on the works. Those who remained were judiciously concentrated upon those works on which the timely completion of the entire contract depended, and the progress made by them has enabled Mr. Ker to state that the parts upon which they were so placed have been as much advanced as they would have been if the whole of the workmen had remained. The value of the work requiring skilled labour executed in the three months from 1st of April to the 30th June amounted to £7,880, as compared with £7,150, the value of the same description of work executed by Mr. Faviell in the corresponding period of the previous year, a result which reflects the highest credit upon Messrs. Ker, Adamson and Clowser ; the lateness of the period of the working season at which the transfer of the works was effected, and the difficulties naturally attendant upon the organization of new arrangement., enhanced in this instance by the large withdrawal of workmen above mentioned, being borne in mind. The value of the works executed upon this contract in the last year .... Upon the surrender of the contract by Mr. Faviell, it became necessary to consider in what manner the works should be henceforth carried on, whether immediately by the Company's engineer, or by reletting them to an experienced contractor. These two methods of executing works, known as the "departmental" and the "contract" systems received the fullest consideration with reference to the circumstances of the case, both by the authorities in concert with the Chief Resident Engineer, in Bombay, and by the board in England, who had also the benefit of advice upon the subject from toe late Mr. R. Stephenson, the Company's consulting engineer; and it was decided to be on every account the more advisable course to relet the work. Tenders were accordingly invited from contractors in India and in England, and on the 5th of August, the board, upon Mr. Stephenson's recommendation, accepted that of Mr. Solomon Tredwell, of Leek, Staffordshire, a contractor of established reputation. ...'[3]