File 930/1912 'Mohammerah - Khoremabad Railway' [‎143r] (292/396)

Distance .—Difficult to estimate, as owing to haze I was unable to triangulate
satisfactorily.
Across Kuh-i-Dasht Plain, 8 miles; rising from 4,300 feet to 4,700 feet skirting
south slopes Kuh-i-Guraz to east to near Kashgan 12 miles; from 4,700 feet to
5,000 feet, and thence, downwards, round east end of Kuh-i-Guraz to near Tang-i-Tir,
8 miles, and another 7 miles to some point near Pul-i-Kashgan; total 35 miles.
Cost .-—The first 8 miles may be classed as “easy” at 75,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. a-mile ; the
remaining 27 may be put down at not less than lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees a mile :—
Kupees.
8 miles at 75,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. ., .. .. .. .. 6,00,000
17 miles at 1-^ lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees .. .. .. .. .. .. 40,50,000
Bridge across Kashgan (say) .. .. .. .. .. 1,50,000
Grand total for 158 miles .. .. .. 2,31,15,000
The last 15 miles are along rocky slopes mainly of fairly stiff shale, but with a good
deal of very hard limestone in places, and heavy cuttings through the smaller spurs.
It should be possible to adopt a gradient not steeper than 1 in 75.
45, Ninth Section : Kashgan (3,650 feet), to Khoremabad (4,400 feet), 21 miles.
The alignment would follow the Kashgan Piver to its junction with the Ab-i-
Khoremabad, and then follow the general trend of the latter stream to the town.
Various alternatives will doubtless suggest themselves when a proper survey is made,
but the general alignment will remain the same. This section will present no difficulty ;
the last 10 miles would be “surface” line, were it not for the numerous small
bridges and culverts that will have to be constructed, and a slight embankment will
be necessary to keep the slope even from terrace to terrace. The first 17 miles will be
difficult to align, but should not be very expensive to construct, the hills being mainly of
alluvium or shale with a little limestone. Gradient easy throughout—
Rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .
17 miles .. .. .. .« .. .. .. 21,25,000
10 „ 2,50,000
Total for 27 miles .. .. .. .. .. 23,75,000
Grand total, 2,54,90,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. for 185 miles (say 1,700,000^., or 9,100L a-mile).
46. The Kashgan Gorge Alignment (vide paragraph 40).
I will now turn to another alignment, up the gorge of the Kashgan Piver from its
entrance to the Jaidar Plain at Pul-i-Kurr o Dukhtar to its exit from the Khoremabad
Plain at Tang-i-Tir about 40 miles north.
I had contemplated traversing this gorge or valley from end to end; unfortunately,
however, owing to the unprecedented snow of this year, and a late season, the river was
in full flood and quite unfordable. As the track up the valley crosses the river thirty or
forty times it was impossible for me to get up the gorge, and I had to content myself by
seeing what I could of it at intervals.
The river winds amongst steep hills, generally ending in cliffs abutting on the bed;
a big bend occurs about every 2 miles, when the river will be running on one bank or
the other up against a cliff; it is then necessary to cross to the other bank which
is usually flat terrace ; there is no clear view of the valley for more than three or
four miles, and at several points the cliffs on both sides run down to the water,
leaving only a difficult mule track which is covered when the river is in flood. At
such points heavy rock cutting, revetting, and tunnelling will be necessary. The river
must be constantly crossed, involving numerous bridges. The average breadth of the
river when it is not spread over the gravels, or divided into several branches, is about
200 feet: 300 feet would have to be provided as a rule, from abutment to abutment
to provide for flood water. The river is liable to heavy floods, a rise of 15 feet being not
unknown ; the bed uniformly gravelly; no reefs or falls as far as I know. The valley
is narrow, but there is always a fairly wide stretch of river terraces on one bank or
the other.
Difficult as the construction of a railway up such a valley would be, the alignment
is a not unattractive one. It would be possible to have an almost even slope from the
Saidmarreh to Khoremabad, and the ruling gradient would probably not exceed 1 in
[2150 4] H