six decades later, the 1857 revolt forced the british to turn to andaman again. ever since dr. james pattison walker arrived in port blair aboard the east india company's steam frigate 'semiramis? on 10 march 1858, this island remained under british occupation. ross island remained the administrative headquarters for the islands for 85 years before an earthquake rocked it in 1941. the remnants of an opulent past can be seen in the ruins of the bazaar, bakery, stores, water treatment plant, church, tennis court, printing press, secretariat, hospital, cemetery, swimming pool, the chief commissioner's residence with its huge gardens and state grand ballrooms, the government house, the old andamanese home',[7] troop barracks, all in dilapidated condition, reminiscent of the old british regime. in november 1857, the government decided to establish a penal settlement in andaman and send "hard-core elements" among those who took on the british. there were two reasons: one, to keep them away from other prisoners and the other, to send out a message that a similar treatment would be meted out to anyone who challenged the british authority. in january 1858, the british took possession of three islands in and around port blair and captain h. man, executive engineer, hoisted the union jack. in march, j.p. walker, an experienced jail superintendent, arrived in port blair with four european officials, an indian overseer, two doctors, 50 naval guards and 773 freedom fighters. gauri shankar pandey, who belonged to a family that had suffered atrocities during the japanese occupation of the andaman and nicobar islands, has documented that it was water scarcity that drove walker out of port blair to ross island.
