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'Karun River: Note by Sir O St John' [‎138r] (1/4)

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The record is made up of 2 folios. It was created in 26 Oct 1882. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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Karun River.
Note by Sir O. St. John.
Two such authorities as Sir Henry Rawlinson and Mr. Walter Baring
holding sufch different views as regards the Karun route, I trust T may not
be considered presumptuous in differing from both.
The first point is the use and practicability of opening the Karun river to
steam navigation from the sea to Shuster by removing or turning the natural
dam of rocks at Ahwaz. The most material evidence as to the practicability
tit c< ^ l ^ ne ^ ^ report by Captain Wells, B.E., who visited Ahwaz with
Mr. Haring. From this report, and the careful detailed drawing attached to
it, 1 am led to the conclusion, in which it would appear Captain Wells
j?!l cur 1 s * both Sh* Henry Rawlinson and Mr. Baring over-estimate the
difficulty of opening a navigable channel. The total length of the rapids is
no more than one mile, and the fall in the length 8 to 10 feet only. Captain
Wells considers that it would be easier and cheaper to dig a canal from a
point above to a point below the rapids, and he gives the length of such a
canal at 2,350 yards, with a maximum depth of 35 feet below the present
level of the soil. This does not seem a very formidable undertaking, if the
rock, as 1 understand, lie soft sandstone; and locks of sufficient capacity for
small river steamers, say 100 feet by 20 (two would be required), are not
expensive works. Moreover, I am not at all satisfied that it would not be
easiei and cheaper to make a navigable channel in the river itself; for it
seems to me that the assumption, that the removal of so much of the natural
weiis of rock as to make navigation possible would materially lower the level
of the water above, is rather a hasty one. However, 1 would suggest that
Captain Wells’s plan and report be submitted to a competent hydraulic
engineer for an opinion and rough estimate of the probable expense of
making the present channel navigable for small river steamers, or of di^^ino-
a new one. This would clear the way for the second point in dispute, which
is the feasibility of opening a practicable commercial route between Shuster
and Isfahan or Tehran, supposing the Karun opened to navigation as far as
the first-named town.
^ Both Sir Henry Rawlinson and Mr. Baring, looking to the establishment
of a road for wheeled traffic, consider the direct route over the hills to Isfahan
to be impracticable. Mr. Baring advocates one or other of the roads through
Khoremabad to Tehran, while Sir Henry Rawlinson considers even these as
bad or as long as the present highway from Bushire through Shiraz, to the
improvement of which, so as to fit it for wheeled traffic, he would devote all
available energy. Now I venture to doubt the use of spending money in
making carriage roads in a country like Persia, for which, I think, it can be
shown that there is no useful via media between a light railway and a mule
path. Parts of t>pain and the whole west coast of South America are
examples in point. Carts were latterly largely used in Southern Afghanistan
for military transport; but as regards original outlay, time taken in trans
port, and proportion of forage and food consumed per ton conveyed, they
were less economical than camels. In fact, it was only the absolute
impossibility of obtaining camels that necessitated the use of carts.
I know the roads irom Bushire to Shiraz well, ami I should estimate the
cost of making a good cart-road by any of them at no less than 1,000/. a
mile, or nearly 200,000/. for the whole distance, and, even supposing the
* These are not included in the file, but 1 have been allowed to see them in the Indo-European
Telegraph office, by Colonel Champain.

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The memorandum — written by Sir Oliver Beauchamp Coventry St John — offers a differing opinion to that offered by Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (see IOR/L/PS/18/C35) and Walter Baring (see IOR/L/PS/18/C36) on the Karun [Kārūn] River project. It argues that both have overestimated the difficultly in overcoming the natural obstruction at Ahwaz [Ahvāz], which would open the upper river to light steamers. It also argues against funding the construction of carriage roads in Persia in favour of light railways and mule roads.

Included in the memorandum are two tables showing the height of various ascents along both the Shuster [Shūshtar]-Isfahan [Eşfahān] and the Bushire-Shiraz routes.

Extent and format
2 folios
Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at f 138 and terminates at f 139, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.

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English in Latin script
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'Karun River: Note by Sir O St John' [‎138r] (1/4), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/C37, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025538962.0x000002> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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