'Report on the Preliminary Survey of the Route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line' [‎35v] (75/300)

52
b 7—14
Supplies
Water
Houses
Transport
Labour
Climate
People
Yezd— continued.
In a large town like Yezd, everything is of course pro-
curable. The prices prevailing at the time
were—
Bread
3 krans per
shah maund.
Rice
5
it
tt
it tt
Mutton
5
it
it
tt a .
Onions
2
it
it
tt tt
Potatoes
1
it
it
tt tt
Rogan (Ghi) 15
tt
it
tt tt
Barley
3
a
tt
tt tt
Straw
i
a
it
n a
Loaf sugar
11
it
it
a it
Pine sugar
H
a
it
tt a
Tea
56
it
it
a tt
Candles
1
a
per packet of 6
Fowls
1
tt
each.
— •!
fTliere is no river in Yezd. It is stated that there are
| some 4,000 kanats of sweet water in Yezd and its
immediate vicinity, but I could not verify this. In any
case, the supply is good, and in addition to meeting the
requirements of the town, irrigates a number of gardens
L and cultivated ground.
The houses are principally built of sun-dried bricks and
faced with kiln bricks, with stone and mortar founda
tions and domed roofs. The rooms are large and lofty,
and are provided with a Bad-geer, or species of square
tower some 20 feet high, with open vents on all sides to
catch the wind, which acts as a ventilator, and creates a
conrant d’air and helps to keep the rooms cool. The
streets are narrow, but are kept elean—a feature which
particularly struck me, as did also the absence of
money-chan gers.
C Mules 500, at 2^ to 3 krans per diem.
.. •< Camels 5,000, at 2 krans per diem.
(. Donkeys 10,000, at krans per diem.
.. Practically any number, from 1-^ to 2 krans per diem.
.. Temp.—7 a. m., 68 ; noon, 78 ; 7 p. m., 77.
The climate of Yezd town is not good, owing to its situa
tion in a hollow surrounded by sand, which, with the
least wind, passes in drifts all Over the town, impregnat
ing the whole place. During last summer, three of the
seven English residents were laid up with typhoid, one
case ending fatally, while the other four residents had to
resort to the mountain village of Deh Bala, 7,992 feet,
for the summer. From what I could gather, the lowest
temperature- in winter only just goes below freezing
point for a short time, wdiile in summer it rises to 95°.
This is of course a dry heat.
.. Captain Sykes writing in September 1894 says he
“noticed a hostile feeling towards the Europeans in
Yezd.” During our visit, we were shown every civility
and respect, and we could not have arrived at a more
inopportune time as the town was on the verge of
bread riots owing to the scarcity of grain. This better
feeling towards Europeans is greatly due to the tact
and good will displayed by Mr. S. Eerguson, the popular
Manager of the Yezd branch of the Imperial Bank of
People— continued
Remarks
\%th October 1893
Governor
Population
Crops
Supplies
Water
Houses
Transport
Climate
People