William Arthur Dring

William Arthur Dring Sir (1859-1912)

Railway Achievements

• 1879, joined EIR .
• Posted to the Traffic Department he became an expert in traffic operations, rising to become General Traffic Manager of EIR .
• 1897, General Traffic Manager .
• 1907, Agent for the East Indian Railway on retirement of James Douglas .
• 1911, the Government honoured him with a knighthood in the Delhi Durbar of 1911. Following the investiture there was a prospect of his elevation to the Railway Board .
• 1912, Died on 24 November 1912 near Gujhandi. The circumstances of his death are described below -

An Unsolved Mystery

"Sir William left for England on a six month holiday. He returned to India on 22nd November 1912, landing at Bombay along with a few friends. The party left Bombay by a special train for Jubblepore, which was at the time EIR's junction with the GIPR. Dring boarded in his special saloon, which was attached to the Bombay-Calcutta Mail as the second last vehicle.

The train reached Gujhandi at 8.15am on the 24th November 1912 running 33 minutes late. Dring spoke to the station master and instructed him to alert Gomoh to get the watering done quickly. When his attendant entered his saloon a little later to help get him dressed for breakfast, there was no trace of the Agent. His slippers were discovered on the rear platform of the saloon but there owner was nowwhere to be found. His body was found on the track about two miles east of Gujhandi. Apparantly he had fallen off from his saloon.

Based on the evidence of a trolley signalman, who had deposed that he had seen a hatless white man standing precariously between two carriages, his assessors appointed to the inquest declared the death as accidental."

A large sone obelisk near Gujhandi on the Grand Chord bears mute witness to the unexpected tragedy .