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'Report (with Maps) on the country adjacent to the Khor Abdullah, and places suitable as Termini of proposed Bagdad Railway, by Captain E W S Mahon, RE July 1905' [‎13v] (2/10)

The record is made up of 1 file (5 folios). It was created in Sep 1905. 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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9
The great hindrance to Bussorah commercially is the bar of the Shatt-el-Arab,
which, in its present condition, is only available for the passage of vessels of 15-foot
draught at ordinary high tides and of 18 feet at “ high springs.”
I attach a jdan of the bar copied from a survey made recently by Mr. Burgess,
chief officer of the British India Steam Navigation Company, from which it can be
seen that, with a very little dredging, the channel could be made available for vessels
drawing 24 feet at high springs.
The length of shallow water is at present but little over half-a-mile, and by com
parison with previous charts it will be seen that the tendency is for the stream to cut a
channel for itself through this shallow portion. If the channel were once cleared,
very little assistance would be required to keep it so.
Tf this were done the chief drawback to Bussorah as a commercial port would
be removed.
Merchandize, both export and import, is at present carried between Bussorah and
Bagdad by shallow river steamers and native craft. It is unlikely that this mode of
transport would be in any way affected by the railway which, under ordinary
circumstances, would be unable to compete successfully in the matter of rates.
The majority of the passengers would, however, probably prefer the rapid train
service to the slower journey by boat.
Politically, Bussorah would, I consider, be badly situated as the terminus of the
railway, as it is on Turkish territory, and therefore under Turkish control for Customs
and other regulations.
In the event of war between Turkey and the Power owning the terminus and
dominating the trade, it would be, for topographical reasons, a very difficult place to
defend. By seizing and holding the river channel the Turks could sever communi
cation with the open sea, which their adversaries would not be able to re-establish
without great difficulty.
Fao .—There would be no technical difficulty in connecting Pao with Bussorah by
rail. It is situated on the right bank of the Shatt-el-Arab, about 8 miles from
the bar.
The line would have to skirt the date plantations on the side away from the river
(a 5-foot embankment would suffice) and come down to the river just north of the
telegraph station. At this point there is deep water (7 fathoms) close in to the shore
extending for over a mile.
Land at the station side would be expensive as it is all date plantations, but there
are no engineering difficulties to overcome.
The objections, from a railway point of view, which apply to Bussorah, apply equally
to Pao, with the added objection that there is at present no trade there, and it is
extremely unlikely that firms already established at Bussorah would remove to Pao; all
their interests and connections with the native traders are in the former town, and
there would be no advantages to counteract the increased cost of transport between
Fao and Bussorah, which would be out of all proportion to the cost of transport between
Bussorah and outside ports.
lao also is on Turkish territory (although the land is mostly owned by the
Sheikh of Koweit), and therefore liable to the same restrictions and regulations as
Bussorah.
The trade of Mohammerah on the Persian side of the Shatt-el-Arab has also to be
taken into consideration, as it is likely to increase considerably when the communi
cation between the upper Karun and the interior of Persia is improved as proposed.
Steamers proceeding to Bussorah call at Mohammerah. The merchants of Mohammerah
—a Persian port—would never transfer their interest to a Turkish port at Pao, so that
steamers would still call there.
l ao's one advantage over Bussorah is its proximity to the sea ; communication with
it could lie more easily maintained in the event of trouble.
Um-Kusr is the name of a small creek at the head of the Khor Abdullah. It is
claimed by the Sheikh of Koweit, but the Turks have built a fort and maintain a
small garrison about Z miles up from the mouth of the creek. The creek is about
3 miles long by half a mile broad, narrowing at the end.
At about a mile from the entrance on the west bank there is a narrow strip of
land lying above high water. It is about 300 yards by 30 yards, and separated from
the general high ground by about 400 yards of shallow' sw'amp. The w r ater is deep
close in shore, and a landing stage could be easily erected along it and connected

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The report, printed for the use of the Foreign Office, was compiled by Captain Edward Willoughby Sandys Mahon, Royal Engineer on 24 July 1905 to identify places suitable as termini of the Baghdad Railway. He advises Bussorah [Basra] as the best place, for strategic and commercial reasons.

The report contains two maps:

  • 'Sketch Map of the Mouth of the Shatt-El-Arab' (f 15);
  • 'Koweit Harbour' (f 16).
Extent and format
1 file (5 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 13, and terminates at f 17, since it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in the bottom right-hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. These numbers are written in pencil, but are not circled. Pagination: This section of the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

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'Report (with Maps) on the country adjacent to the Khor Abdullah, and places suitable as Termini of proposed Bagdad Railway, by Captain E W S Mahon, RE July 1905' [‎13v] (2/10), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B165, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100026466156.0x000003> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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