Navigation:
THE 1860's
In 1861, Karachi got its first railway line: a hundred mile stretch from Karachi to Kotri, a town near Hyderabad on the right bank of the Indus. In the same year, due to the ongoing American Civil War 10,000 miles away, an enormous demand for Indian cotton was created which gave birth to a brief period of unprecedented prosperity. In this time, the total trade value of the Karachi Port rose up to Rs. 6.6 corore of which, the value of exported cotton touched 80 lacs of rupees. This short period of prosperity provided for a business boom in Karachi.
In 1864, a direct telegraph connection was inaugurated which connected Karachi with London and with the interior. It was from Karachi that the first telegraph message from India was sent to England. Modernizing of the harbor commenced in 1860, and closing of the Chinna Creek and opening of the Mole were completed by 1864. By 1866-7, the government had spent about 250,000 pounds sterling on the Karachi Port. With the opening of the Suez canal in 1869, the importance of Karachi grew and it quickly became a full-fledged seaport.
Bartle Frere, appointed Chief Comissioner in Sinde, 1850
Karachi was a town of considerable size now, and public buildings such as the Frere Hall were built to provide the citizenry with a place to accommodate socio-cultural activities and to act as a town hall.
The Frere Hall (c. 1865) designed in memory of the Comissioner of Sindh from 1851-59, Sir Bartle Frere
(First picture is circa 1890)
Government House, Karachi
Local Businesses Spotlight
Mohamedali Allibhoy Karimji & sons (c. 1861): Supply and transport works, hardware
T. Cosser & Co. Engineering Works and Godowns, Wood St. (c. 1866)
