Diamond Harbour Dock and Wet Dock Proposals, 1846
Diamond Harbour Dock and Wet Dock Proposals, 1846 [1]
The ‘Diamond Harbour Dock and Railway Company’ proposal of 1846 was for the establishment of a Wet Dock at Diamond Harbour and a railway and canal from the Docks to Calcutta.
The Consulting Engineer to Government, Mr Frederick Walter Simms put forward a justification for the construction of Wet Docks. He reports that the ships “lie at anchor in the Hooghly River in the tide way opposite Fort William and the City of Calcutta, over a length of 4½ miles(7km), averaging 300 yds(275mtrs) in breadth, with large ships anchoring in one line about the middle of the channel ... ships are exposed to danger ... from storms, violence of the bore, fire and other causes.”
A ‘Wet Dock Committee’ had been set up by Government in 1844 examined and estimated two proposals:-
- Kidderpore, a suburb of Calcutta, which was recommended by the Committee
- Diamond Harbour, at a distance of 28½ miles(46km) by rail or by water 50 miles(80km) down the river.
The Chairman of the ‘Diamond Harbour Dock and Railway Company’, Mr Charles Prinsep, challenged the estimates and recommendations of the ‘Committee’ . He put forward estimates and a proposal to construct the Wet Docks at Diamond Harbour and provide a railway line to Calcutta.
The ‘Committee’ concluded:- “as Docks and Railways involve several connected questions, we think that neither the Diamond Harbour, nor the Kidderpore Docks can be safely decided upon, until it is known where the terminus of the ‘Grand Trunk Railway’ is to be”
Further Information
See Calcutta Port and Docks - Railways for further information on other developments to the Calcutta Port