'Report on the Preliminary Survey of the Route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line' [‎65r] (134/300)

Ill
TELEGRAPH OFFICES.
BAM.
Height 3,605 feet.
November 1898.
Temp.—7 a. ra., 56; 1-30 p. m., 59 ; 6 p. m., 59.
Sixth Control Sta-...In our III Section of 114r90 miles from Kerman to Bam,
tion—Bam. there will only be the Control Station of Bam to con’-
sider. We have now dropped down to 3,600 feet, and are
in the Narsheer (literally, soft), a fertile and well popu
lated, albeit a hot, country, where palm and orange trees
flourish in the open. In mid-summer, the heat must be
somewhat greater than Kashan, resembling that of
Kazeroon. It does not, however, appear to be an un
healthy place, and by the Persians it is regarded as the
sanitarium of Persian Baloochistan. But Bam, though
itself hot in summer, is fortunate in having the two cool
resorts of Deh Bakri and Murghek in the Jamal Baziz
range, lying at a distance of 25 miles to the south, with
an approximate altitude of 7,000 feet. The winters are
bracing, and during our stay in the place we found the
climate most exhiliarating. However, in comparison with
the other stations on the line, Bam will probably prove
to be somewhat more trying to a European staff. We
saw no garden or house in the town that would answer our
purpose, but from all accounts the healthiest, and cer
tainly the highest, quarter appears to be on the west side,
and at a distance of three miles from the town. Here,
the Baijat-ed-Dowleh (the Suleiman Khan of Sir
P. Goldsmid) has laid out a garden, but as he was
absent we were unable to get any details regarding it.
I do not think we should experience any difficulty in
procuring a piece of ground on this side of the town, on
which we could build a suitable office and quarters.
We were occupying a house of four small rooms, a kitchen
and a store room, which had just changed owners for
4,000 krans.
Bam.
Cost of Material.
Bricks, kiln burnt, 1,000...
Krans.
... 18
Cent*.
0
Do. sun-dried „ ...
... 2
0
Straw, per 100 maunds ...
... 10
0
Earth, per 100 donkey loads
... 5
0
Stone ,, ,, ,, ,,
... 10
0
Doors of Walnut wood, per pair
... 15
0
Walnut wood and Chenar are procurable in large quanti
ties at Deli Bakri and Murghek in the Jamal Baris
mountains, 25 miles south of Bam. The best plan would
be to purchase the trees in situ, fell, cut up, and trans
port them to Bam.