The Cooum Once Charming River Of Madras – 2 Postcards 1900
Two old postcards from 1900 and 1920 of the Cooum once charming river of Madras, now Chennai. The postcards give a glimpse of a once charming River Cooum, quietly flowing in its course. The first postcard shows boatmen with cargo and most likely the Napier Bridge seen in the background. Lined with coconut palms on one side and shady trees on the other. Some dwellings can be seen a little obscurely near the sides of the second postcard.
The River Cooum was once the major waterway in Madras. With passenger and cargo boats plying up and down its course. East India Company’s Francis Day and Andrew Cogan brought into existence a fortification. Naming it Fort St George, after England’s patron saint. The fort was pivotally located near the mouth of the River Cooum which flowed into the sea.
A Portuguese Fort was also in existence at that time. But located on the other side of the river some distance away. The settlement was known as San Thome. As the city of Madras extended out from Fort St George so did its requirement for a greater need for water. It was dependent on the water from the Cooum until near the end of the 19th century. By and by it became highly polluted and is dismally a fetid pool of raw sewage today.
Did you know – the Cooum is the shortest of the rivers in Chennai that flows into the Bay of Bengal.
From the collection – M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal Drawing 1964 (#19)., Polo Crowd British India Era – Old Photo., View of Poona or Pune – Old Print 1855., King George’s Car Delhi Durbar – Old Photo 1910.