'Summary of correspondence relative to the administration of the Port of Basrah and measures for the control of the shipping traffic in Mesopotamia.' [‎32r] (63/134)

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Tn the matter of actual construction, the whole of the port works have been
executed hitherto by the Military Works Department, and they could no doubt
carry out the building of the new wharves with speed and efficiency. If however
in view of the numerous demands on his staff the B. O., R.E., would [like to be
relieved of this work, I should be quite prepared to carry it out entirely in mv
department.
{F) Floating Pontoon Landing Stages.
For permanent use steel bowstring girder bridges and steel pontoons tied to
gether with steel girders are usually employed, but they will take some time to
manufacture, and in this case I propose to utilise some of the pontoons which have
been retained here from the pipe line of the dredgers " Jinga " and " Kalu," tie
them together with timber bearers and make a wooden bowstring girder bridge.
In the event of the pipe line pontoons being required elsewhere, the Rangoon
Port Commissioners have, to my knowledge, a number of small iron barges which
are not at present in use and which I think could be made available.
(0) Time.
For military purposes speed is the essential element, but unfortunately en
gineering work requires a certain amount of time to collect material, and thereafter
a further period for construction.
I estimate that it should be possible to erect one berth complete for sea-going
vessels per month, and one floating pontoon landing stage per week after the
arrival of the materials, and should the work be entrusted to my department,
1 will at once prepare complete indents for all the plant and material required.
(H) Cost.
I estimate approximately that each complete berth for a sea-going steamer
will cost Rs. 50,000 : thus the 4 new berths provided for will come to Rs. 2,00,000.
The floating pontoon landing stages would probably not cost more than
Rs. 5,000 each, if the pipe line pontoon can be used, or Rs. 15,000 if iron barges
are procured from Rangoon.
Against this estimated cost may be placed, apart from the value of the wharves
for military purposes—
{a) The saving on demurrage to steamers and hire of country boats.
(b) The permanence of the work.
(Sd.) G. C. BUCHANAN, Colonel,
Director-General of Port Administration
and River Conservancy.
Enclosure No. 2
Further note on proposed River Conservancy operations in Mesopotamia after an
inspection of the rivers concerned.
In my preliminary note dated 14th December 1915 to the Secretary to the
Government of India, Marine Department, I discussed various proposals for the
improvement of navigation on the rivers Tigris and Euphrates above Basrah and
on the Shatt-al-Arab below Basrah after studying such data as were available, but
1 pointed out that in the absence of any engineering surveys an investigation on
the spot was the only means of ascertaining to what extent, if any, improvements
could be effected.
(2) I arrived in Basrah on the 1st January 1916, but owing to the great scarcity
of river craft and the urgent demand for all available vessels for military purposes
I was unable to get outside Basrah until the 14th February 1916, a delay much
to be regretted but which under the circumstances was unavoidable. I have
however now had an opportunity of making a personal inspection of those portions
of the rivers requiring immediate treatment, and I submit this further note on the