'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOL. III. PART I: A to K' [‎202r] (408/1278)

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BUS—Btrs 195
1911 and 1912 (about 300 men) were housed at Malik-ut-Tujjar’s house at
Rishahr.
Harbour. —Bushire is situated on a bay, the entrance to which measured
in a north-westerly direction from Bushire town to the nearest part of the
Rudhilleh coast, is 5 miles in width. The greater part of the bay is very
shallow, and a large part of it is occupied by mud flats.
Anchorage. —The innermost anchorage for vessels of moderate draught
is at the head of a channel called Khur Daireh, and is situated in the middle
of the entrance of the bay. It lies nearly 3 miles north-north-west of the
town, and is sheltered on the north-west by a submerged sandbank called
Baq’at-al-’Ali, while on the south-east it is joined by a long narrow wall of
sand called Lakfeh only 1 to 3 feet below water. The holding ground in
the Khur Daireh is good and the soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. 3 to 4 fathoms, but the
approach in many places has only 15 to 17 feet of water at high water, and
11 feet at low water. The deepening of a channel across this bar would be
costly. There are no fixed moorings, but there are two gas-buoys which,
together with a guiding light on the British Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , are maintained by
the British Government. The inner anchorage has space for about 15
vessels of the B. I. type. In a shamdl the sea becomes rough even here.
The outer anchorage, which is unprotected from either a shamdl or a
sharqi wind, is five miles from the town and affords unlimited space in about 5
fathoms. There are no dangerous currents or tides in Bushire bay ; the
tide rises and falls from 4 to 7 feet only.
Landing. —There is no pier or wharf where steamers can come alongside,
and all landing has to be carried out in boats. The transference of horses,
men, and stores to boats is possible all through the year, for B. I. steamers
and others call regularly at Bushire ; but, if a shamdl w 7 ere blowing, the
transference might be delayed a day or two. (See climate.)
The coast is shelving, and generally sandy, but rocky in places, and cliffs
run from the south end of the town for about half-a-mile to the south,
thence no more cliffs till Rishahr (5^ miles). The following places afford
facilit’es for landing.
1. Customs wAar/.—Both this place and Pudar landing place are approach
ed by the Khur Sultanl, a deep creek about 200 yards broad, wdiich runs past
the east side of the town in a south-easterly direction towards the Mashileh.
It is unfortunately divided from the inner anchorage by a bank If miles
broad, on which the soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. are only 5 to 6 feet. A canal through this
bank might be dredged without much difficulty. At Pudar, If miles above
the town, the creek, which has soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. of over 20 feet and is completely
sheltered, forks ; one branch continues south-east to Mashileh, wdiile
the other, called Khur Shakari, bearing at first to the north-east, sweeps
round in a great semi-circle and eventually joins the bay at its northern end.
On this creek, near the place where it opens again into the bay, is Shif
(q.v.), a landing-place for travellers in the interior. Between the curving
creek and the open bay is a mass of mud fists and low islands.
The Customs wharf is f mile long, faced with stone, and is situated about
the centre of the town. It boasts only one crane, not m good order, and has
no tram lines, though there is a suitable alignment for them along the sea
shore. Large covered godowns are situated within 50 yards of’ the wharf.