William Chapman (1822-1853)
Lieut. William Chapman (1822-1853)
1855 Obituary [1]
LIEUTENANT WILLIAM CHAPMAN, of the Bombay Engineers, born in London on the 24th of September, 1822, was the second Son of Mr. William Chapman, Banker, of St. James’ street.
His education was commenced under the Rev. Dr. Fennell, at Brighton, continued by Dr. Becker, at Offenbach, Germany, and completed at King’s College, London, whence he was removed, in 1840, to the East India Company’s Military Seminary, at Addiscombe, where he studied with great success, obtaining an unusual number of prizes at the examinations. One of his isometrical drawings is now framed and suspended in the large hall at Addiscombe, as a specimen of execution, and of knowledge of the system of fortification there delineated.
On leaving Addiscombe in June, 1842, he studied for one year at Chatham, under Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Frederick Smith, R.E., at that time the Director of the field establishment ; and in March, 1844, he arrived at Bombay, where he immediately received the appointment of Second Assistant in the Department of Roads and Tanks, and was placed in charge of the works on the Agra Road, from the foot of the Thull Ghaut to Candore.
In 1846 he submitted plans and estimates for the completion of the new road over the Thull Ghaut, a portion of it having been previously constructed by him, to ascertain the rates. The plans and estimates were sanctioned by Government on the 12th of October, 1846. The work was prosecuted with great activity, and completed in May, 1849, when a special committee of Engineer Officers, appointed to report upon it, expressed their opinion in the following terms :-
'The committee, having most carefully inspected the whole line of Ghaut road, including every bridge and every drain, most minutely throughout, are of opinion, that bearing in mind the amount of the general expenditure on these works, the construction is very perfect, and reflects the highest credit on Lieutenant Chapman.'
In December, 1849, Lieutenant Chapman forwarded, through the Superintendent of Roads and Tanks, statistical tables regarding the traffic on the Thull Ghaut ; and in transmitting them to the Government, the Military Board remarked :- 'We cannot too highly praise the forethought, industry, and zeal, which have led Lieutenant Chapman to take advantage of the opportunity afforded him, of acquiring the information he has condensed into these valuable documents. Many an Officer, even if requested to collect it, would have raised difficulties, advancing want of time, establishment, or some such excuse ; but this is a purely gratuitous contribution.'
'The Chief Engineer avails himself of the present occasion, to bring the subject of Lieutenant Chapman’s claims again to notice, and we would strongly recommend, that this Officer be appointed to the vacant First Assistantship in the Road and Tank Department, as he has shown remarkable ability, and, what is more to his credit, remarkable industry and zeal, in the execution of the duties committed to him at the Thull Ghaut ; and we trust it. will be considered a satisfactory circumstance, that Government have it in their power to give an immediate and substantial mark of appreciation, without creating any inconvenient special case.'
Government replied to this, by appointing Lieutenant Chapman First Assistant, - declaring that, 'to mark the approbation with which Government views that Officer’s persevering industry and professional ability, his Lordship in Council is pleased, as recommended by you (the Military Board), to appoint him to the vacant First Assistantship in the Road and Tank Department.'
Among the works constructed by him, on the great Agra Road, was the Undwell Bridge, having a single arch of 100 feet span, and respecting which the Military Board observed, in their letter to Government, No. 6703, on the 16th August, 1851 :- 'It is a most satisfactory fact, that a bridge of so large a span, built of rubble-stone, should thus be proved to be perfectly trustworthy, and we trust it will lead to the construction of others in the same manner, in supersession of timber bridges.
'Lieutenant Chapman deserves great credit, and we would recommend that his name, and the cost of the bridge, be recorded on the structure, as proposed by the Superintendent of Roads.'
In connexion with this work it may be mentioned, that on the news of his unfortunate decease being communicated to the Government, the following flattering resolution was passed :-
'It is with much regret Government learn the loss of so accomplished it resolves to call the road, which Lieutenant Chapman constructed up the and excellent an Officer ; and with a view of commemorating his services, Thull Ghaut, by his name.'
NOTIFICATION, GENERAL DEPARTMENT.
'With the view of commemorating the services of the late Lieutenant Chapman, of the Engineers, the Bight Honourable the Governor in Council has resolved, that the road up the Thull Ghaut, constructed under the superintendence of that officer, shall in future be called ‘Chapman Road, Thull Ghaut.’ '
In 1851 Lieutenant Chapman visited England, on leave of absence, and under the sanction of the H. E. I. Company, being furnished with introductions from the Institution of Civil Engineers, he occupied his time in visiting most of the important works in the kingdom, thus fitting himself for undertaking the duties upon which he expected to be employed.
He also joined the Institution as an Associate Member, in 1852, for the purpose of continuing in communication with it, and receiving through its publications, information of the proceedings in the European engineering world.
On his return to India in October, 1852, he was appointed, on the application of Mr. Frere, the Commissioner in Scinde, to the special duty of inquiry and survey, with a view to the construction of a navigable canal, between the Indus and Kurrachee. The results of this labour are embodied in two valuable Reports, presented to and approved by the Government; and orders were issued, authorizing Lieutenant Chapman to complete the requisite survey for laying down the line of railway, which he had recommended as holding out the greatest promise, both as to public utility and as to return for the estimated expenditure.
On the receipt of the order he hastened down to the Indus, when, on the night of the 24th of December, 1853, the melancholy accident occurred, which deprived the Government of the services of a valuable Officer, only then in his thirty-second year, and his family and friends of one who was equally beloved and esteemed by all who knew him.
The Scindian Journal thus noticed the melancholy event :-
'LIEUTENANT CHAPMAN.-l853.
'There are circumstances of peculiar melancholy attending the premature death of Lieutenant Chapman, of the Engineers. All who during last three years have had occasion to pass the Thull Ghaut, between Bombay and Nassick, will remember the magnificent road over the Ghaut itself, which when continued into the plain country on either side, will make it the finest road over a mountain-pass in India. The execution of this work by Lieutenant Chapman, after the plans of the late Major Peat, led to his being selected, towards the end of 1852, to examine a project had gained for him, very early in his service a well-deserved reputation, and scheme had been originally proposed to Lord Auckland, by Colonel Outram, for connecting Kurrachee with the Indus, by means of a canal. This before the conquest of Sinde, and the plans of the late Lieut-colonel Le Memrier, which were then submitted to Government, were taken up by the Governor-General, as of great importance to our military position on the Indus, and were printed. But the Affghan troubles and the conqnest of Sinde led to their being laid aside and almost forgotten, till a cursory examination of the plans, and the ground the canal was to traverse, by Major Turner and Lieutenant Fife, of the Engineers, showed that the scheme was at least as practicable and important as had been at first supposed
- Lieutenant Chapman was selected to complete the examination.
The results of his labours during last season were embodied in a very voluminous report, lately submitted to Government, on which me have heard the highest praise as bestowed, by those best qualified to judge. The conclusion arrived at by Lieutenant Chapman was, that a railway offered advantages even superior to those of a canal ; and the data he submitted, were considered sufficient to warrant his being directed to prosecute, without delay, the detailed surveys necessary to form a final judgment regarding the project. In the interval, between the completion of his Report and the receipt of these instructions, he had been employed in laying out a road over the Lukhee range of hills, which now acts as an almost complete barrier to traffic, on the right bank of the Indus, between Sehwan and Kotree. Having completed this duty, he was on his way back to Kurrachee when them melancholy accident occurred, which cost him his life. It appears, from the reports received by the Authorities, that Lieutenant Chapman, a Sergeant of Engineers, and twenty-seven public and private followers, embarked at Sehwan in a country boat, as the moon rose about 11 o'clock of the night of the 21st ult. The boat continued progress for Kotree for an hour, when she struck against a sunken tree, and immediately went under water. Four persons were washed off the boat at the time, but she again rose to the surface. They now cried for assistance, and their cries were heard at the village of Jam-ka-loda; some of the villagers at once proceeded to the river's side, and pushed off a small boat. One rope was thrown to the unfortunates, and they missed it, another was caught and broke, and before a third was procured, the injured boat had disappeared - supposed to be about two hours after the accident. Thirteen of the party in the boat were carried down by the current, and eventually gained land; but notwithstanding that Captain Hodgkinson very promptly had mounted police abroad, obtained boats from Kotree with grappling-hooks, and had search made in every direction, the bodies of Lieutenant Chapman and the others lost with him have not, at the time of our writing, been recovered. By soundings, it was ascertained that the boat sunk in ten feet water.
'In Lieutenant Chapman the service has lost a young officer of the highest promise, who, had he been spared, would, in all human probability, have established a reputation second to none in the distinguished corps to which he belonged. Here, where he was universally esteemed and respected in private life, the news of his untimely fate threw a general gloom over the society of the station.' -Scindim, Jan. 4.
The remains of Lieutenant Chapman were washed ashore, near Hydrabad, on the 4th of May, 1854, and were interred at that place ; the funeral being attended by all the civil and military officers, present at the station; and his brother officers afterwards erected a tablet to his memory in the new church at Kurrachee.