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01-008 The Black Hole of Calcutta - II
Vol. 01- No. 8
2009
Lead: The world first heard of the Black Hole of Calcutta in a sensational account of the tragedy by John Zephaniah Holwell. Intro: A Moment In Time with Dan Roberts Content: Last time we noted that Holwell was the temporary commandant of the British garrison, appointed after the governor fled downstream to a safe anchorage. Holwell described the night of June 20, 1756 as one of unspeakable horror. In an 18 by 15 foot cell, 146 European men, women and children fought for survival during one of the hottest nights of the year. Some were already wounded, and if one fell he or she would almost certainly be trampled to death. The air was foul and they began to vomit all over each other. Discipline was lost and panic moved in waves across the crowd. From his vantage point near one of the two small windows, Holwell tried but failed to restore order. Water appeared at the window but spilled before it could reach the back of the room. Only 23 people survived. Holwell's account began to appear in letters written over the next year, and with each telling the sufferings became more acute and his own role more heroic. For over a century, his story was used as an example of the uncivilized behavior of native Indians and to justify the building of the British Empire. The heathen must have Christianity and democracy, it was said; "Remember the Black Hole of Calcutta!" By the beginning of the twentieth century, Holwell's account was under serious attack. One scholar, J.H. Little, said the entire affair was a hoax designed by Holwell to make himself look like a hero. To call the affair a hoax is perhaps extreme but, looking at the evidence, we can probably say the following about June 20, 1756 in the Black Hole of Calcutta: 1. Europeans were confined during a long hot night in the aftermath of the capture of the city. The number varies, but perhaps as many as sixty were placed in the Black Hole. 2. Some Europeans died that night from suffocation, but many died from the wounds received in the defense of the fort. Between 20 and 25 survived. 3. The local ruler, in the flush and confusion of victory, simply forgot they were there. Siraj-ud-daula was not a nice person; he did not like the British and had a long and serious career of misdeeds--but on this occasion he was more incompetent than evil. 4. British authorities had a vested interest in letting Holwell's exaggerations stand. What a story! What better way to justify the enormous sacrifices needed to maintain the largest empire the world had ever seen? Thus, the Black Hole of Calcutta became one of the great imperial myths, designed to horrify later and perhaps more squeamish generations. The Producer of A Moment in Time is Steve Clark. At the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts. Resources De, Amalendu. "A Note on the Black Hole Tragedy," Quarterly Review of Historical Studies, x, 3 and 4 (1970-1971), 141-153, 187-192. Hill, S.C. Bengal in 1756-1757. London, 1905. Holwell, J.Z. India Tracts. London, 1774. Especially Book IV. Little, J.H. "The Black Hole - The Question of Holwell's Veracity," Bengal: Past and Present, xii (1916), Part I, Serial 23, 32-42, 136-171. Copyright 2009 by Broadcast Partners, LLC LAC052307
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