The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-10-15
GREAT WORKS OF THE AGE.

SSts6Nb tV0IkN0 Nj fNNsAs
CanalizatIOn in lndia-Pr0p0sed Union Of the
DamoOdah and HooshIy--rhe Kendrapnra
Canal Openetl-EAects 10 the Public HeaIsh
and Agriculture.
From the Calcutta EnglishYhan Aug. 3O.l
II Is now many years ago since project for unit
ing the Dam0Odah and the Hooghly by canal first
came before the public. the late Lieutenant Colonel
Short drew up project, which seems TO have been
overlooked or forgotten. lie gradually secured the
confidence and support OF some or the leading mer-
chants at the capital and In 1865 Messrs. Schiller
Paterson and GOOdenOugh put forward proposal
that government should grant them the sole right Of
Raneegunge to the Hooghiy, near Mugrah. This
canal to combine the purposes OF navigation and
irrigation, and was to have COST one million sterling.
Perhaps no officer ever knew the engineering wants
OF district better than Colonel Short knew those
Of Burdwan. Through long course OF years he had
made the matter an especial study. He mad surveyed
the whole district as well as the line OF the
canal, and had gathered Sufficient information to
upper OF the DamOodah an integral part OF
his plan OF navigable and rrigational canal avail
able all the year round. In those days. however,
irrigation was not IN favor wieh the heads OF the
Public Works Department The lessons Of the Orlssa
famine mad not been learnt, and. more than all,
Colonel Short was dangerous man. Now, the whole
face OF AFFAIRS is changed India has special irri.
cation Department. and 1t has been admitted that
even Lower Bengal requires canals In spite OF its
comparatively heavy rain fall II ID admitted that,
while along the fringe Of the coast districts the
rams are really tropical they rapidly diminish In
~
IN Central India become invariably scanty and ire
Quenty precarious Colonel Snort recognized the
b cs ina. rann e ca hopn OF iasfe mas
Beerbhoom OF Its forests has had largely
prejudlclal influence on the rain fall or the
canal. But then, the canal would tap the coal dis
tric OF Raneegunge, 1t became necessary make 1t
Of IN "a al coa a Win e eap
Both these ideas nave been adopted III the new
Damoodah canal project OF Captain Garnault. The
nal hv ront QI Ear will uruo
from the Damoodah, near Raneegunge, where the
river Is about 240 feet above man sea level, and Will
follow the course OF the river to some distance be-
low Burdwan leaving the DamOodah at the great
bend above lily butpore Will cross the Hooghly dis
trict ana finally reach the Blddabatty Khail about
AS an irrigation channel 1t will throw OF branches
towards the north, that Ii towards the districts
which must need this help and where even now the
ryots use such means OF irrigation as present them
selves. The canal as planned 10 little over 100
according 10 the protector, cost than Al, $40
RS, OF which only 4,0i,60o IT'S. Is for land ana
1910 2sS for eartnwork This estimate Of cost how
irrigation department.. sum or two lakhs
for items omitted and further sum OF
100000 KS. for supervision having been added.
This brings the total cost up to Rs. So $40. The
paper gives return of ten per cent on an outlay OF
ityiour lakhs. But this return ls we consider far
too high. The government OF India entertains the
same opinion, aud further thinks that the charge
should not be more than eight annas per ton.
The area OF the two dist riots through which the
canal will pass Is thus given:-
The canal, as projected, would in the wet season
igae about ACRES but only $4,000 acres IN
cessity is proved by the extraordinary ial-
lug of In the lainfal OF the. Buriwan
district as compared with that OF Calcutta as 1t
Will be that though eighty inches fell this year
In Calcutta and slxty-four IN Burdwan, between
June and September only 1853 and 100 fell In Octo-
Der, hence the short outturn and apprehenslons OF
the scarcity, Notwithstanding the superaDundant
In reviewing the project Of the government OF
India, which in March had given orders Tor COM
mencement Of work on the weir and headworks or
the canal, has found itself compelled to refuse sane
ton 10 the work. as q whole, on account OF the
slovenly way in when the estimates have been pre-
pared. The project has, therefore, been relesated
to the irrigation authorities of Benga, with u re-
quest that full details may be supplied The gov
eminent OF India suggest that the terminus
should be removed from the Biddabatty knall
to Ynbenee Chat, near Hooghly. This would enable
the coal merchants 10 communicate at once and
Eastern Bengal Railway. 1t seems that after all
colonel Shorts plans VIII have to be adopted for the
canal.
In concluding our notice Of this great work we
cannot omit the remarks Of Captain Garnant on SO
pressing subject the health Of the lever stricken
HoOghly district. He says:-"AltDongh 1t is, per-
haps, out of place to bring 1t forward here cannot
help thinking that II the Sursuttee and Koontee
Nuddee were looked at as drainage channels and If
the einDankments about The district were removed
or cut across mere and there that fewer complaints
would be heard regarding the epidemic that mas pre-
vailed for some years IN the Hooghly District. The
entertainments were made when the1e used to be
large quantities OF water going over the country.
Inc uCCtSblly lIleIu HOW uOes uOt eAlsl.
too appear 10 be made In these nuahs without any
regard TO arrangements Tor drainage; however, any
proposition or projects would be useless unless eas-
latlon could enforce their being carried out. may
also mention mere that map OF tue Hooghy District
Is very much wanted the only one obtalnabe Is the
four mile TO inch map, rs the Revenue Survey maps
have been condemned, and the Survey Department
re- uses to issue them; . map on the scale OF one
mile to an Inch would have been OF great value In
the survey OF this canal, Ii 1t only showed the WI
lagos streams. &c,, and the Revenue Survey maps
must have been bad indeed If they did not arrive ut
this standard OF excellence
This opinion is very much the same as tnat enter
tanned by the Lemndars OF the district LED by baboo
Joyklssen Mookeree