General
Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton (
TeluguTelugu is a Dravidian language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is the official language of Andhra Pradesh, one of the largest states of India. It is also one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India and was conferred the status of a Classical language by the Government...
: కాటన్ దొర) (15 May 1803
OxfordOxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
– 25 July 1899
DorkingDorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
) was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
general and
irrigationIrrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil. It is usually used to assist in growing crops in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
engineer.
Cotton devoted his life to the construction of irrigation and navigation
canalCanals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canal: aqueduct canals are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterway canals are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.The word...
s throughout the British Empire in India. Unfortunately, his dream was only partially realized but he is deeply respected in
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
for his efforts.
He entered the Madras Engineers in 1819, and fought in the
First Burmese WarThe First Anglo-Burmese War was the first of three wars fought between the British Empire and the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma in the 19th century...
. Cotton was knighted in 1861.
An
evangelistEvangelism is the practice of attempting to convert people to a religion. The term is used most often in reference to Christianity's religions, since they mandate that their followers make efforts to recruit as many people as possible into their faith...
, he was the father of
Elizabeth HopeElizabeth Reid, Lady Hope was a British evangelist who is generally believed to be the Lady Hope who claimed in 1915 that she had visited the British naturalist Charles Darwin shortly before his death in 1882...
.
Biography
Arthur Cotton was born on 15 May 1803 as tenth son to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Calvely Cotton. He was one of eleven brothers, who lived honorable lives through all the vicissitudes of their different careers. At the age of 15 i.e., in 1818 Cotton joined as a cadet for Military at
AddiscombeAddiscombe is a suburb in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is situated just to the northeast of central Croydon, and is home to a high proportion of people who commute to Central London, owing to its proximity to the busy East Croydon railway station and Tramlink, linking Addiscombe with...
where cadets for
ArtilleryArtillery is a military combat Arm that employs weapons capable of discharging large projectiles in combat. They are generally capable of adding considerable fire power to the military capability of an armed force...
and
EngineeringEngineering is the discipline, art and profession of acquiring and applying technical, scientific and mathematical knowledge to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes that safely realize a desired objective or inventions.The American Engineers' Council...
Service of
East India CompanyEast India Company was a historical English company, founded in 1600, and chartered with the monopoly of trading with Southeast Asia, East Asia, and India...
received training. He was appointed to the
Royal EngineersThe Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. It provides combat engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces...
as Second
LieutenantLieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service, emergency medical services or police officer rank....
in the year 1819.
Lieutenant Cotton started his career with
Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey is an executive agency of the United Kingdom government. It is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, and one of the world's largest producers of maps...
in
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
in January 1820 where he received a high praises for his admirable reports. When he was 18 (i.e., 1821) he was appointed for service in
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
and attached to the
Chief EngineerA Chief Engineer is a licensed mariner in charge of the engineering department on a merchant vessel. "Chief Engineer" is the official title of someone qualified to oversee the entire engine department; the qualification is colloquially called a "Chief's Ticket"...
to Madras initially and later appointed as an Assistant Engineer to Superintending Engineer of Tank Department, Southern Division from 1822 to 1824. Cotton spent partly in the Irrigation Tank Department and partly in Military duties in Burma.
After return from Burma, Cotton has conducted marine survey of
PambanPamban may refer to:*Pamban Bridge, a bridge on the Palk Strait which connects Rameswaram to mainland India*Pamban Island, an island located in the Palk Strait between peninsular India and Sri Lanka...
passage between
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
and Ceylon. Cotton was promoted to the rank of "Captain" in the year 1828 and was in charge of Investigation for Cauveri Scheme. The Cauveri Anicut( dam) was successful and paved the way for great projects on Godavari and
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
Rivers. In the year 1844 Cotton recommended the construction of "Anicut( dam )" with Channels, Embankments, and roads of Godavari Delta, prepared plans for
VisakhapatnamVisakhapatnam is a coastal, port city, often called "The Jewel of the East Coast", situated in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located on the eastern shore of India, nestled among the hills of the Eastern Ghats and facing the Bay of Bengal to the east...
port. In the Year 1847 the work on Godavari Anicut was started.
In the Year 1848 he proceeded to
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
due to ill health and handed over the charge to Captain Orr. In the year 1850 returned to India and promoted as
ColonelColonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. Cotton made best use of local materials, that he had in the shape of Hydraulic lime, good stone, and excellent
teakTeak , is a genus of tropical hardwood trees in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to the south and southeast of Asia, and is commonly found as a component of monsoon forest vegetation...
available in the neighborhood. He succeeded in completing the magnificent project on Godavari river at Dowleswaram in the year 1852. In the same year work on
GannavaramGannavaram is a town and a Mandal headquarter located in krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, India, twenty kilometers from the city of Vijayawada on National Highway number 5 connecting Chennai to Kolkata...
Aqueduct was also commenced.
After completing the Godavari Anicut Cotton shifted his attention to the construction of Aqueduct on Krishna River. The project was sanctioned in the year 1851 and completed by 1855. After completing the Krishna and Godavari Anicuts, Cotton envisaged of storages of Krishna and Godavari rivers
In the year 1858 Cotton came up with still more ambitious proposals connecting almost all major rivers of India and suggested drought relief measures in
OrissaOrissa , is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of ancient republican nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Indian Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC, that led to a turning point in the Emperor's life when deeply saddened by the bloodshed...
and interlinking of canals and rivers. Arthur Cotton was retired from the service in the year 1860 and was knighted in the year 1861 and left India. In the year 1862 and 1863 visited India and offered advice on some river valley projects.
His work in India was so much appreciated and honored with K.C.S.I (
Knight CommanderKnight Commander is the second most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are obsolete. The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' or 'Dame' before his or her name...
of Supreme India) in the year 1877. The Spiritual solace strengthened and comforted him until the very end of his earthly mission i.e. the 24th of July 1899 at the age of 96 years. He is a much revered figure in the state of Andhra Pradesh for his contribution in irrigating the area of land also known as Konaseema.
In India due to his contributions the new barrage constructed across River Godavari Upstream side of the Anicut was also named after him and dedicated to the Nation by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India in the year 1982.
Background
Thomas Cotton went to attend an interview for the post of an
engineerEngineers are concerned with developing economical and safe solutions to practical problems, by applying mathematics and scientific knowledge while considering technical constraints. The term is derived from the Latin root "ingenium," meaning "cleverness"...
. There were three candidates including himself. All that the selectors told them was to have a 'good sleep' and were provided three separate beds. The candidates did what they were told. While the other two candidates slept happily, poor Cotton could not get a wink of sleep. However, after some time, he slept happily.
The next day, all the three were asked if they slept happily by the selectors. While all the three nodded in the affirmative, Cotton added that he felt restless while on the bed—bending down, he realised that one of the four legs of the bed was a little high. To his surprise he found a
poundThe pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
beneath one of the legs which he promptly removed. That was the
catch set up by the selectors.
An insight
Sir Cotton was hated by his administrative superiors—thanks to his loving attitudes towards the people of India. At one point impeachment proceedings were initiated by his superiors for his dismissal
Going through the famine and cyclone-ravaged districts of Godavari, Cotton was distressed by the sight of famished people of the Godavari districts. It was then that he put in process his ambitious plans to harness the waters of the mighty
GodavariThe Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India...
for the betterment of the humanity.
John Henry Morris in
Godavari writes about the work of Sir Cotton thus: "The Godavari anicut is, perhaps, the noblest feat of engineering skill which has yet been accomplished in British India. It is a gigantic barrier thrown across the river from island to island, in order to arrest the unprofitable progress of its waters to the sea, and to spread them over the surface of the country on either side, thus irrigating copiously land which has hitherto been dependent on tanks or on the fitful supply of water from the river. Large tracts of land, which had hitherto been left arid and desolate and waste, were thus reached and fertilized by innumerable streams and channels."
In 1878, Cotton had to appear before a
House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members, who are known as "Members...
Committee to justify his proposal to build an anicut across the Godavari. A further hearing in the House of Commons followed by his letter to the then Secretary of State for India shows about his ambitiousness to built the anicut across the Godavari. His final sentence in that letter reads like this:
My Lord, one day's flow in the Godavari river during high floods is equal to one whole years' flow in the Thames River of London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. Cotton was almost despaired by the British Government's procrastination in taking along this project.
That
Government of IndiaThe Government of India, also known as the Union Government or the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of a union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
's plans to interlink rivers was long envisioned by Cotton is a fact.
While at
RajahmundryRajahmundry is a city and a municipal corporation in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh state in India. Located on the banks of the River Godavari, it is the fifth largest city in Andhra Pradesh. It is known as the Cultural Capital of Andhra Pradesh since it has a rich cultural past...
, Arthur Cotton used to attend the Church of the Godavari Delta Mission.
See also
Some external links
- http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~dav4is/people/COTT305.htm
- http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~villages/Surrey/People/cotton.htm
- http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp09041