George Turnbull (1809-1889): Autobiography: Chapter 12

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Chapter 12. 1859. (pages 164-167). East Indian Railway.

1859. January. On the 1st, I arrived at Pakour, and found Fanny and our daughter Nelly, both well. They had the tents there, and had been there some considerable time, sleeping in Latimer’s bungalow. I was very tired, having had four days constant travelling in a polkee.

We arrived in Calcutta on the 8th, and I had, long conference with Palmer about Purser having been suspended from his duties at Allahabad and Patna. Said he would not move in the matter, but allow the Government to do as they chose and he would merely transmit the correspondence to the Board of Directors in London. I told him this was a pusillanimous way of getting out of it, and wanted him to remonstrate, but he would not be persuaded.

On the 28th a grand ball given in Calcutta to Lord and Lady Canning.

February 10th. Fanny was confined, and a little girl was born on the loth; she was called Rose Lindsay Turnbull, but she sickened, and died August 5th, 1859, of whooping cough.

Colonel Strachey appointed consulting engineer.

On the 26th William Evans and Mr. Limmel were killed by the mutineers near Ruvah, south of Agra; it took place between Ruvah and Kallingu.

The baby was baptized on the 24th, after Aunt George Turnbull, Rose Lindsay Turnbull, by Mr. Moule.

May. On the 4th Ninian Thomson commenced work in office as corresponding clerk and assistant in various ways, he was most useful, having graduated at Oxford and passed as a barrister.

June. Left Calcutta on the 1st on a tour of inspection of works ; very anxious to expedite opening to Rajmahal. The Seetapuhar cutting was a great obstacle, so many had died there, and the line through Jalla Jhell was so dreadfully unhealthy. Colgong on the 9th. Levinge was then at Janadec carrying on successfully. Heard that Nelly had whooping cough.

All the arches of the Adjai Bridge were now turned, which was satisfactory. A. C. Bell was now carrying on at Cynthea. Reached Calcutta on the 20th. Mr. and Mrs. Murray were at Burdwan then, and we had a grand dinner party there.

July. On the 27th Fanny and I dined at the Lieut. Governor, Sir John Petu Grant, in Park Street, with Sir A. and Lady Larpent, General Birch and others. A small, quiet party. The 28th was a solemn day set aside for thanksgiving for saving us all in the mutiny, now happily at an end.

August. Our dear little Rose was very ill with diarrhoea and cough on the 2nd. On the 5th the following entry occurs in my diary: “My dear little Rose died this morning at two o’clock. Fanny much distressed. Rose was born on the 10th February, so she was only five days short of six months old. She was a bonny, blue-eyed child, and we grudge her sair.” I can add no more. She was buried at six o’clock on the same day in the Circular Road. She was laid in the same grave with Jane.

On the 8th a letter came from C. Cleverly with account of Admiral Hope’s repulse by the Chinese, when trying to force his way to Pekin.

The Kurrurballee Coalfield was now a subject of great interest. I wrote many reports about it, but could not impress the importance of it on the “authorities.”

October. Mr. St. George was drowned on the 4th in a distressing manner; his horse plunged with him in a nullah near his bungalow during a flood, and horse and man drowned, his body was never recovered. He was a very fine young man of great promise, a noble fellow, much esteemed by all, only son of a widow who depended on him.

The Kurrurballee coalfield was now becoming of great importance for supplying fuel for burning bricks and lime, and in view of a future supply for locomotives, so I detached Mr. Cockburn, one of the best resident engineers, to take up his quarters there and conduct operations.

November. The Union Graving Dock, belonging to the P. & O. Steam Ship Company, had fallen into partial decay, and required enlarging and lengthening, as the new ships were much larger in tonnage and much longer than the old ones ; and so Capt. Lovell, the superintendent, asked me to be their consulting engineer, and arrange about the lengthening of the dock, which I did. It was a difficult and troublesome job, as the original brickwork was bad in quality, the pumping engines inefficient, and the space for lengthening very confined. However, the work was begun and executed. When I went away, I asked A. C. Bell to look after the work. Mr. Macnicol, the company’s head shipwright, lived on the spot, and attended to all details.

On the 12th left Calcutta for a long journey, with Fanny and our little Nelly. We went by rail as far as Cynthea, on the More, and got into our tents there. The More bridge was well advanced, 16 out of the 24 arches were turned ; A. C. Bell was in charge. The sites of most of the stations were finally settled on this journey. About Pakour and Sreepond the cholera was raging among the coolies. Dr. Roberts reported that more than eighty of them had been dying in one day. Things were better now, but many huts were deserted, and dead bodies lying about; several dead bodies were found lying in the jungle close to our tents, discovered after the tents were pitched.

On the 22nd we were at Rajmahal, tents set up in Vigors compound. Batchelor, the traffic manager, and Nicoll, of the locomotive department, joined us here, and we conferred and settled most things about stations and station arrangenients, and water supplies for the locomotives. Orr was here, and reported great mortality among the coolies from cholera, now happily decreasing.

Next day we went on to Talgeria, where Glyn’s bungalow stood. He gave a lamentable account of cholera among the coolies; he called it a dreadful mortality, and insisted that 700 of them had died that year at Hurreenkhol, which is an unhealthy, swampy spot.

Mr. Levinge was then at Janadee, doing his work well. Heenan at Bhaugiilpore. Pursell was now settled at Hullohur Bridge works, and good progress was now made, after a long stagnation.

On the 17th we were at the River Poonpoon, with Mr. Whitcombe. The bridge of nine arches, of 40 feet span each, quite finished, and looked well. We now came to Quills length, at Patna, also Palins.

We crossed the River Soane on the 24th. (Soane Bridge). Both of the abutments were up to level of bed of girders. Sixteen out of the twenty-six piers were begun ; the well-sinking for the remaining piers going on steadily.

On the 25th at Beheea, where W. Burrows’ splendid new mansion is nearly finished. Miss Burrows was there, newly arrived from England. At Buxar and River Kurrumnassa on the last day of the year, meeting Boyle and Shervinton there.

December. The total number of office letters written in 1857 amounted to 3,162 ; in 1858, 3,420; in 1859, 4,286— an increase of 866 over last year.

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