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‘History’ heading and Cyclone info added
<ref name=Port>[http://www.chennaiport.gov.in/abt_portprofile.html Chennai Port Gov. "Chennai Port"]; Retrieved 29 May 2017</ref>
==History==The first port facility in [[Madras]] was a 1,100 foot(335 mtr) iron pier , perpendicular to the shore, constructed from 1861. The first railway equipment known to have been used was a 6 ton railway crane in 1877. The ‘Madras Port Trust’ was constituted in 1881 to take over the running of the site. This pier was breached during a cyclone in 1881 and reconstructed started in 1885. In 1904 a new north-eastern entrance was constructed after the original eastern entrance was closed <ref name =TN03>“Industrial Railways and Locomotives of India and South Asia” compiled by Simon Darvill. Published by ‘The Industrial Railway Society’ 2013. ISBN 978 1 901556 82-7. Available at http://irsshop.co.uk/India. Reference: Entry TN03 page ....</ref>. The pier was completed in 1862 and the harbour was begun in 1876 and by September 1881 was nearly completed. On November 12, 1881, a cyclone which, besides minor damage, washed away half mile of the breakwaters, threw the two top courses of concrete blocks into the harbour, hurled over two of the Titan cranes used on the works, lowered and spread out the rubble base of the breakwaters, and washed away miles of construction railway <ref>[ https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V16_382.gif Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 16, p. 376"]; Retrieved 18 Oct 2020</ref>. The images of these construction can be seen on the Colombia University website [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1600_1699/madras/harbor/harborworks1880.jpg ‘New Harbour Works at Madras’ ] In 1904 a new north-eastern entrance was constructed after the original eastern entrance was closed<ref name =TN03/>.
At about this time the [[Pallavaram Quarry Railway|Pallavaram Quarry]], 20 km south west of [[Madras]], was being developed as source of granite for construction and maintenance of the Madras Port. The stone was transported using the [[South Indian Railway]](SIR) metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) mainline <ref name =TN03/>.The granite was also used for the construction of roads in the [[Madras]] area. The granite was carried via the SIR line to Madras Port and onward via the ‘Cochrane’s Canal‘<ref name =TN12>“Industrial Railways and Locomotives of India and South Asia” compiled by Simon Darvill. Published by ‘The Industrial Railway Society’ 2013. ISBN 978 1 901556 82-7. Available at http://irsshop.co.uk/India. Reference: Entry TN12 page ....</ref>, (later renamed the ‘Buckingham Canal’ <ref>[http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V09_038.gif “Imperial Gazetteer of India”, v. 9, p. 32.]; Retrieved 29 May 2017</ref>)
