'Report on the preliminary survey of the route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line. By W King Wood, Assistant Superintendent, Indo-European Telegraph Department.' [‎56r] (116/300)

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General Summary.
It should be remembered that the general run of the mountains in Persia
is from north-west to south-east, and that between each of these parallel range*
lies a valley. It is along such a valley that the Kashan-Yezd-Kerman road
runs. Again, by remembering that Kashan, the lowest place in the valley,
has an altitude of 3,014 feet with Yezd 4,176 feet and Kerman 5,700 feet,
while the intermediate villages and towns have an altitude somewhat between
these figures, and that the watershed or highest point in this total distance
is only 6,987 feet, it will be seen that the country must be almost level, with
a fairly salutary and uniform climate throughout. The Persian Government
have constructed and maintained a wooden standard line from Ispahan to
Kerman, through Yezd, and it must therefore be concluded that we should
not experience any serious engineering difficulty, nor would the subsequent
maintenance of the line be either expensive or arduous. In fact, on the
contrary, the nature of the country, which strongly resembles that between
Koomishah and Abadeh on the Bushire-Teheran road, leads me to state that
it would be difficult to find so great a distance which offers as many facili
ties as the 447 miles from Kashan to Kerman. However, referring in detail
to the second section from Yezd to Kerman, we reached the confines of the
province of Kerman at the village of Sar-i-Yezd, which signifies the “ Boun
dary of Yezd, ” in two easy stages. The usual Caravan and Post road from
Sar-i-Yezd to Anar via Zain-ed-Heen, Kermanshahan and Shems, being so
strongly reported against by all former travellers, but especially by Capt.
Sykes, as “ desert stages , u where the water is brackish and supplies^unobtain
able, it was decided to take the route he recommended via Gird-Kuh. This
route has certainly superior claims, as supplies are procurable at Gird-Kuh
and also at Banderoon. The water, too, is all that could be desired at both
villages. As to the extra distance involved by making the Gird-Kuh detour,
the actual measurement from Sar-i-Yezd via Gird-Kuh to Shems is 51*11
miles, while Colonel Smith makes the distance via Zain-ea-Deen 46 75 miles,
or a difference of 5 miles ; but I do not think it is quite as much. I might
mention that the Persians formerly had a Telegraph Office at Kermanshahan.
The office is, however, now closed, owing to the bad water and scarcity of
supplies. These desolate stages oft times are the scene of highway robbery,
the lawless nomads of Pars being invariably the culprits. Such an attack
had been perpetrated on Zain-ed-Deen by a band of 12 men en the night we
were at Banderoon, and during the fray one of the Persian Government sowar In the East India Company army and later Indian Army, an ordinary native cavalryman or mounted cavalryman. *
or mounted men was shot in the thigh. These depredators seldom, if ever,
carry their incursions as far as Banderoon or Gird-Kuh. At bhems, we could
not avoid camping near the bleak and lonely caravanserai A roadside inn providing accommodation for caravans (groups of travellers). and Post House,
but we had taken the precaution of carrying sweet water and supplies from
Banderoon. Our horses, however, suffered slightly from the brackish spring
that they were forced to drink. Anar, a townlet, is of importance's being
the first inhabited spot on the confines of the desert which has just been
described, and here we stopped a day in a recently constructed garden, which
appeared as if made to suit our requirements. Por any further information
on the garden, a reference to Section II C is solicited. We have now arrived
at the last section of our journey to Kerman, and follow the Caravan and
Chappar road throughout, the Persian Telegraph line being practically adjacent
to the track in every part. The first two stages present no difficulties of any
sort, but on the third stage, 3 miles after leaving Kush-Kuh, which is a more
important village contiguous to Golnabad, the country for 3 miles is subject
to floods. Although the Persian Telegraph line runs through the track,
and from all accounts sustains little or no damage, I am of opinion that it
would he safer to avoid any risk, and that a slight detour to the south
of, say, 3 miles should he made. The line would thus run along the foot of
the hill* on the south-west side of the valley and cross the nullah at its narrow
est point, where it debouches on to the plain, the rejoining with the road
being made near Dafeh, a small village, 6*75 miles from Golnabad. Durinr th®
rainy season, camel caravans travelling between Bahramabad and Kush-Kuh
follow the Dafeh course. Bahramabad, a flourishing town, is the centre of
many large villages in the Bafsanjan district, which is the emporium of the
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