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Braving the elements
Major Thomas Skinner spent fifty colourful years in Ceylon, contributing to the development of roads and survey work
By Gamini G. Punchihewa
Among the British surveyors and road construction engineers of colonial times in Sri Lanka, Major Thomas Skinner would go down as one of the most proficient and dedicated.

When Thomas Skinner arrived in our shores in 1819, he was only 15 years old. At this young age, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Ceylon Rifles Regiment. His father, Captain William Skinner of the 94th Regiment, was stationed as Naval Officer at the Trincomalee Naval Headquarters, at the time of Thomas Skinner's arrival in Ceylon.

Arduous surveying work
Thomas Skinner was born in St. John's Newfoundland in England. He was not only a competent surveyor, but also an Army Officer in his sojourn in Ceylon lasting for 50 long years, until his retirement in 1867. Despite his lack of academic qualifications in the disciplines of surveying and engineering, he still mastered these skills with precision.

In 1833, Thomas Skinner became the Deputy of the newly created Department of Civil Engineering, and was appointed Surveyor General Divisions. Previously, road engineering construction works were carried out by the military authorities, but with the implementation of the Colebrooke Cameron Reforms they were duly handed over to the civil administration.

In his autobiography titled ‘Fifty Years In Ceylon' (1892), reprinted in 1974 by Tisara Press, Dehiwela he writes of how he mastered the use of Theodolite. "I took my friend, the Theodolite, to the western extremity of my base line, and took many complete series of observations round the circle. When I found that I gained by repeating a certain coincidence in my angles, I sent a set out to General Frazer, who had passed many days over his instrument on the same spot. Having received an encouraging acknowledgement from him, I began to grow a little more confident, but still the sketching had to be learnt and mastered.

I started off to a hill near the point of which I was to commence, tried in vain for two days to sketch something like it, and descended to one lower and smaller features, which after another day’s trial, I managed to sketch somewhat satisfactorily. Hence forth the symphony between the eye and the hand improved. My triangulations were very successful.”

Skinner summed up in these words: "The one inch of the Kandyan provinces and the map of Ceylon were the result." What we see today of the one inch sketch of the Kandyan provinces and the map of Ceylon are the living memories of Major Skinner's toil.

Among the many rugged tortuous pathways, mountain passes and dense forests Skinner had climbed, was the lofty Sri Pada mountain, the holiest of the holy peaks of our country. When he pitched his camp during the off season, strong winds had lashed across in full fury. Skinner has described in his book, the components that went into his hut or 'Wigwam,' as he called it; “My ‘Wigwam' consisted of five sheets of the talipot leaf, stitched together with shreds of the same material. Each leaf was by four feet, three of these formed two sides and one end, with two others for the roofing, and along the top was a little ridge cap. The door was always open. The tent of leaves contained my little camp bed, a small table and a chair. I think the talipot leaves cost me 13, 1/3 pence, and it lasted the working season for about six months. Lodging was therefore not expensive.”

Next comes his vivid account of the arduous survey work he had carried out atop Sri Pada, as narrated in his autobiography: "On one occasion going into the wilderness of the Peak, which comprise about 500 square miles of splendid forests within its extreme boundaries, to make my reconnaissance sketch of it, my time being limited before the rains might be expected, I could not wait for supplies, which I had sent a Corporal and another man down Saffragam (present Sabaragamuwa) to purchase. I had expected some dozens of fowls for my six weeks, but the men returned with rather a lengthened absence, with only five miserable chickens, three of which had died from the rain and cold on their way up to the Peak.

The other two had a sentence of death passed on them immediately on their arrival; they all found their way to the curries, the only dish they were fit for. Three that had died on their way to the Peak did not die a natural death, having been killed by cold, instead of with a knife. This was all the animal food I had during nearly two months. I had a little salt fish, which was served out to me sparingly; about a square inch for each meal to give a relish to a little plain boiled rice."

Skinner had added thus of his strenuous work: "These two months proved the hardest work I ever had, as hard under the circumstances as I believe any man could have endured."

Then came the year 1841, when in order to do a more scientific method of surveying the unchartered wilderness of our country, the Surveyor -General's Department obtained the expert services of scientific men drawn from abroad, together with modern equipment. In their re-assessment of Skinner's indefatigable survey work, the computation difference was only a negligible fraction!

In high glee, Skinner expressed his warmest sentiments thus in his book: “When the Survey General's department, with the advantage of first rate scientific assistants, the best modern instruments and unfettered in regard to expenses, re-measured our base of verification upwards of five miles in the Kadrame Gardens, they found computation of its length differed from ours only in the 5th decimal of the logarithm showing a variation of but a few inches.”

In charge of roads
Skinner was appointed Commissioner of the Road Commissioner's Department in 1841. Today's network of metalled roads are his legacy. The first metalled road constructed in his tenure as Commissioner of Roads was the Colombo-Kandy highway. He describes the Peradeniya Bridge constructed in 1853, under his charge as follows: "This is a graceful bridge over the Mahaweli river, made entirely of satinwood, without a nail or bolt in it. A model of the bridge is now in the Kensington Museum. The other network of roads built in Skinner's time, included the Kandy-Kurunegala (1825), Kandy-Badulla (1852), then from there to Arippu-Trincomalee to Anuradhapura in the Northern Province.

Apart from Skinner's civil engineering and survey works, he was also appointed Auditor General. By virtue of his office, he was appointed an Official Member of the Legislative Council, and brought forward valuable motions to resurrect the tottering coffee industry, and also create awareness about introducing the railway line to Ceylon.

In his autobiography, Skinner has recalled how this subject was debated in the Legislative Council thus: “My friends in Ceylon have never been fully aware of the penalty I paid for the defence of its interests on September 5, 1859, in the Legislative Council, over the high cost of the contract costs put forward by the Ceylon Railway Company." Thus, owing to Skinner's intervention, the costs of the estimates were drastically reduced.

Elephant hunts
However, Skinner's good works apart, he had the ignoble reputation of killing multitudes of wild elephants. In his book, he writes: "In the year of 1847, 48 and 49, whenever elephants made their appearance within 30 or 40 miles of Colombo, when I could get exercise by privilege of taking some of my brother officers out shooting...”

A love of conches
Skinner also had a collection of conches. Even some rare species unknown previously were discovered by him and named after him. Such fine collections had been preserved at the British Museum. He was also interested in inland fisheries and some rare species, of which he had made lively drawings have been also exhibited at the British Museum. His daughter Annie, who edited and published his autobiography, writes in the concluding chapter: "My father was very fond of conchology, and had one of the finest collections in England.”

“He retained his love for fishing to the end, and every spring and autumn found him by the riverside. There were a few who could beat him at that sport, as in the former years there were a few who rivalled him with the gun in Ceylon. I think his heart remained young to the end. Most of the rivers were known to him. His principal delight was in contributing to the happiness of others. On July 14, 1877, he passed away peacefully to the House he was longing for, and I felt that the promise was fulfilled."

"At evening time it shall be light." – Annie Skinner Guilford, June 12, 1890
(Reproduced from Thomas Skinner's ‘Fifty Years In Ceylon’ (1892))

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