The Post Office of India and Its StoryClarke, Geoffrey
History
The Post Office of India and Its Story
Clarke, Geoffrey
Postal service -- India
22. On the 14th September insurrection broke out between Googairah
and Hurruppa. Many horses of the mail cart establishment were carried
off by the rebels. Several carts were burnt, and communication by the
direct route between Lahore and Mooltan was for several days wholly
cut off. The local authorities of the district had no warning of the
outbreak till the morning of the night on which it took place. The
District Officers gave me reason to hope that the insurrection would
be instantly put down, but unfortunately, owing to their paucity of
troops, the rebels were not overawed sufficiently to admit of the mails
being conveyed by the direct road within fifteen days. In the interim,
however, they were, after several days' stoppage, conveyed via Shahpore
and Seeah to and from Mooltan and Lahore.
23. It is here worthy of remark that the successful assault of Delhi on
the 14th September by our troops was telegraphed to Lahore, and full
particulars thereof were transmitted by the mail of that date from
Lahore to Mooltan, Scinde, Bombay, etc., before the outbreak between
Googairah and Humppa. The receipt of the news of the successful assault
of Delhi was signally opportune in Scinde, as the native troops then at
Karachi, Hyderabad and Shikarpore were in a state approaching to open
mutiny.
24. The route for the mail between Lahore and Mooltan via Shahpore
being very circuitous and also unsafe as the country between the
Sutledge and Ravee and even for some distance west of the Ravee was in
open revolt, it became necessary to determine on having a more direct
line of communication between Lahore, Scinde and Bombay. Accordingly
a camel dak was established by the Chief Commissioner of the Punjab
between Bhawulpore and Ferozepore. The head overseer of the Jullunder
Division, Hurdeo Bux, was transferred for the superintendence of this
dak and managed it most successfully.
25. The establishment of runners between Ferozepore, Lahore and
Loodianah was at the same time strengthened in view to provide for
the extra weight of the mails in transit via Bhawulpore, and thus the
stations east and west of the Sutledge were rendered independent of
the direct mail line between Lahore and Mooltan in respect to Scinde,
Bombay, Calcutta, etc., etc.
26. The post offices and mail lines at and above Meerut and throughout
the Cis-Sutledge States and Punjab have continued in uninterrupted
operation excepting those situated on the line of road between
Googairah and Humppa, which were for a short time the scene of
insurrections in September.
APPENDIX H
THE WORK OF THE FIELD POST OFFICE BETWEEN 1867 AND 1912
_The Abyssinian Expedition._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account