Continuing from the Part 1.
Governor Edward Barns initiated an ambitious project to build the first "highway" from Colombo to Kandy connecting the two major cities of economic importance in 1820.
The British government simply covered up the staggering pot holes in the jungle route and opened the road for transportation in 1821. However, this failed to live up to the standards and the system crumpled as the Bullock Carts with heavy loads brittled the road as they traveled.
Taking this factor into account they re-paved the road with metal chips and re-opened the road in 1825 still with little success. However this method was taken as an example and roads of the same natured started to pave into remote places like Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa etc based on the same engineering techniques.
Fact 1 : Before the Train arrival in Ceylon, the bullock cart was the only method of heavy goods transportation. During the era of 1896 - 1966 the registered number of carts which plied between Kandy and Colombo was 94,152. There was 3600 registered carts in Colombo city during 1911. (1898 January saw the first strike of Cart riders (drivers) against a salary issue)
Fact 2 : The first horse mail in ASIA started in Sri Lanka. They had space for 4 passengers in the cart other than for mail. A persona traveling the in the mail cart to Kandy from Colombo had to pay 2 pounds and 10 shillings as the fare.
However during the era of 1820's there was no bridges in Sri Lanka to connect the roads across bridges. The carts / people had to be individually ferried across the rivers via long boats.
However,in 1828 Governor Barns created a floating bridge with rafts tied together across the Kalani River, which was taken almost for a joke at the time. Because the Bridge ITSELF changed it's position all the time since it was just floating. But the real value of this bridge came in 1841 when the Kandy - Colombo road was finally paved with Metal Blocks (instead of chips).
Together with this bridge, the trip which usually took 30 - 40 days drastically cut down to 6 - 8 days between Kandy and Colombo. This was taken as a magic of modern engineering techniques during that time and the governor Barns was even nominated for a Knight ship for this feat of ingenious work.
Fact 3 : Before the Queen Victoria Bridge in 1865, the Grandpas overpass was covered with a Raft Bridge. It was made up of 21 barges tied neck to neck and was fully timber boasting a total length of 499 feet across the river. This was built by Lutinent General John Fresher in 1822. It was the SOLE mode of transportation across the river for all People / carts/ goods for nearly 43 years without any repairs at all.
What really prompted the speed growth of transportation system was the introduction of Coffee by Jorge Bird in 1822. After a berief test cultivation in Singhepitiya - Gampala, the coffee cultivation spread like wildfire !
Taking advantage of the Callbruke reform, many of the already rich and young entrepreneurs jumped into the opportunity of cultivating coffee. The spread was so rapid and furious that the Government had to bring in new waste land legislations (mudu bim panath) and sell new cultivators land. By 1847, just 20 years later the land which was claimed for coffee was a staggering 56,832 hectares. The export quantity was 293,221 Tons.
However, with the death of Coffee cultivation due to a plague, Tea took it's place. By 1885 tea estates spread across nearly 120,728 hectares.
Such Magnitudes of cultivations along with Rubber and other spice products prompted the heavy delivary towards the Colombo and Galle dockyards. Which in turn increased the land value as well as the importance of these cities owning to the economical focal points.
The business which was done through goods exchange transformed into a Money tranfer business model, with it modenization kicked in along with factories Roads, bridges and construction.
Fact 4 : Katugasthota Bridge (now the train bridge) was constructed in 1858-1860
Fact 5 : Rail Road were built because of the heavy pressure brought in by the Coffee and Tea cultivators. The railroad development started in 1858 but was halted for 3 years due to budgetry problems. It was restarted in 1863. By 1865 it reached "Ambeypussa" the in 1867 it reached "Kandy"
By 1896 there was a total of 297 miles rail tracks crisscrossing Ceylon.
NextBirth of the Elite Class
Governor Edward Barns initiated an ambitious project to build the first "highway" from Colombo to Kandy connecting the two major cities of economic importance in 1820.
The British government simply covered up the staggering pot holes in the jungle route and opened the road for transportation in 1821. However, this failed to live up to the standards and the system crumpled as the Bullock Carts with heavy loads brittled the road as they traveled.
Taking this factor into account they re-paved the road with metal chips and re-opened the road in 1825 still with little success. However this method was taken as an example and roads of the same natured started to pave into remote places like Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa etc based on the same engineering techniques.
Fact 1 : Before the Train arrival in Ceylon, the bullock cart was the only method of heavy goods transportation. During the era of 1896 - 1966 the registered number of carts which plied between Kandy and Colombo was 94,152. There was 3600 registered carts in Colombo city during 1911. (1898 January saw the first strike of Cart riders (drivers) against a salary issue)
Fact 2 : The first horse mail in ASIA started in Sri Lanka. They had space for 4 passengers in the cart other than for mail. A persona traveling the in the mail cart to Kandy from Colombo had to pay 2 pounds and 10 shillings as the fare.
However during the era of 1820's there was no bridges in Sri Lanka to connect the roads across bridges. The carts / people had to be individually ferried across the rivers via long boats.
However,in 1828 Governor Barns created a floating bridge with rafts tied together across the Kalani River, which was taken almost for a joke at the time. Because the Bridge ITSELF changed it's position all the time since it was just floating. But the real value of this bridge came in 1841 when the Kandy - Colombo road was finally paved with Metal Blocks (instead of chips).
Together with this bridge, the trip which usually took 30 - 40 days drastically cut down to 6 - 8 days between Kandy and Colombo. This was taken as a magic of modern engineering techniques during that time and the governor Barns was even nominated for a Knight ship for this feat of ingenious work.
Fact 3 : Before the Queen Victoria Bridge in 1865, the Grandpas overpass was covered with a Raft Bridge. It was made up of 21 barges tied neck to neck and was fully timber boasting a total length of 499 feet across the river. This was built by Lutinent General John Fresher in 1822. It was the SOLE mode of transportation across the river for all People / carts/ goods for nearly 43 years without any repairs at all.
What really prompted the speed growth of transportation system was the introduction of Coffee by Jorge Bird in 1822. After a berief test cultivation in Singhepitiya - Gampala, the coffee cultivation spread like wildfire !
Taking advantage of the Callbruke reform, many of the already rich and young entrepreneurs jumped into the opportunity of cultivating coffee. The spread was so rapid and furious that the Government had to bring in new waste land legislations (mudu bim panath) and sell new cultivators land. By 1847, just 20 years later the land which was claimed for coffee was a staggering 56,832 hectares. The export quantity was 293,221 Tons.
However, with the death of Coffee cultivation due to a plague, Tea took it's place. By 1885 tea estates spread across nearly 120,728 hectares.
Such Magnitudes of cultivations along with Rubber and other spice products prompted the heavy delivary towards the Colombo and Galle dockyards. Which in turn increased the land value as well as the importance of these cities owning to the economical focal points.
The business which was done through goods exchange transformed into a Money tranfer business model, with it modenization kicked in along with factories Roads, bridges and construction.
Fact 4 : Katugasthota Bridge (now the train bridge) was constructed in 1858-1860
Fact 5 : Rail Road were built because of the heavy pressure brought in by the Coffee and Tea cultivators. The railroad development started in 1858 but was halted for 3 years due to budgetry problems. It was restarted in 1863. By 1865 it reached "Ambeypussa" the in 1867 it reached "Kandy"
By 1896 there was a total of 297 miles rail tracks crisscrossing Ceylon.
NextBirth of the Elite Class
