File 930/1912 'Mohammerah - Khoremabad Railway' [‎138r] (282/396)

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17. Description of Country through which Line ivould pass.
Mohammerah-Nahr Hashirn Section (86 miles). —Flat, barren, alluvial soil, not
liable to flood except close to Mohammerah ; floods not sufficiently serious to demand
facing embankments with stone ; only 6 inches to 1 foot of water, and only for a few
r weeks. Little sand ; no stone ; practically no nalas or surface drainage channels. No
vegetation. Water obtainable anywhere 15 feet to 20 feet by digging. Kut Nahr
Hashim is 250 feet above sea, giving an average gradient from Mohammerah to Nahr
Hashim of about 1 in 2,000.
Nahr Hashim-Shaur Diver (16 miles). —Gently undulating ground; low ridge.s
of soft rock which can generally be avoided, or cut through at low pass. Slope o
ground to north still almost imperceptible. No drainage channels or nalas worthy
of note. No permanent habitations. Sandhills frequent, but stationary, and offering-
no obstacle. Stone from hills not good enough for use as ballast, has about the same
consistency as half-burnt brick, crumbles rapidly. Shaur must be bridged, see below.
Shaur-Shush (550 feet ; 45 miles). — Up to within 10 miles of Shush line follows
west bank of Diz. Alluvial soil; no sand or stones; plentiful brushwood. 10 miles
south of Shush grand, hills, about 60 feet high and ^ mile in breath, are encountered ;
these offer no difficulty whatever, and will be valuable source of gravel for ballast. The
line would probably leave Shush 2 miles to the west.
Shush-Dizful (680 feet; 18 miles). —Over flat and, near Dizful, stony ground.
Excellent ballast available from pebbles and boulders in Diz and Bala Bud. Two
branches of Bala Bud to be crossed ; see below. Irrigated cultivation in many places.
18. Bridging.
Khazalieh Canal behind Mohammerah. —Thirty-feet bridge necessary; 12 feet
above ground.
Shaur Diver. —This a mere ditch ; as it takes its rise level from springs near Shush,
it is subject only to local floods. A 50-foot span resting on masonry buttresses on either
bank should be ample. Alluvial soil. North of the Shaur for two miles the ground is
subject to flood from marshes by the Kharur nala; pitching of stone or bricks will be
required, and one or two culverts.
Bala Dud. —Two branches to be crossed; river bottom and subsoil gravel; river
changes its bed from time to time, unless trained; dry in summer; floods to 5 feet or
6 feet in spring, but not more. At certain points the bed of the stream is well defined ;
at such points the breath of water at flood level is about 35 yards, normal spring level
20 yards. A bridge composed of three 60-foot spans, resting on masonry pillars would
probably be economical. The above applies equally fco both branches.
19. Local Labour.
The labour obtainable in Arabistan is of two kinds, Arab and Persian. The Arab,
however, is too well off to be under the necessity of working with the spade for 2 krans
(9d) a day, and is constitutionally unfitted for regular and strenuous work. The
experience of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company is that it is mainly upon Persian labour
that reliance must be placed, but they have had no difficulty in obtaining 1,000 Arabs
for work near Mohammerah.
In Ahwaz and elsewhere in Arabistan, Persian (Lur) labourers are plentiful and
fairly satisfactory. Usual pay 2 krans a day (9d.).
Dizful labour is above the average, as it includes many skilled cultivators.
Excavation is usually performed by basket and spade. The spade used locally is of
a special long-handed type, but the experience of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company is
that Lurs adapt themselves readily to the European pattern shovel and pick. The
French scientific mission at Shush have had the same experience ; they use light rails
and trucks for removing spoil with good results, the Lur takes to them readily, long
handed spades are, however, much used.
Lurs, and also Arabs, work best in gangs under their own chiefs; unless some such
arrangement is made, they are apt to get out of hand, but they are, on the whole, easily
handled and amenable to mild discipline. Good bricklayers and masons are available in
Dizful.
20. Gauge.
The gauge of Bussian railways in the Caucasus (5 feet) would probably be chosen
by the Bussiun Government for the north section of the Julfa—Mohammerah Bail way.