'Report on the Preliminary Survey of the Route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line' [‎78r] (160/300)

137
* /—*5
Regax to Chah Malik.
Date.
No. of
March.
Route.
Intermediate
Miles.
Total
Miles.
£ la.
13th February 1899 ...
1
Chah Malik, 2,250 feet.
11*61
11*61
Foi the second time, after an interval of over two months, a fresh start
was made from itei^an, with Bampur, however, instead of Badis as my objective,
laidng’ a south-easterly direction, the track goes through some low jungle of
mimosa and tamarisk, crossing a stream of sweet water at *50 miles and passing
a mosque of sun-dried brick 50 yards to the left. A Ziaret or shrine is seen
at r«0 miles close to the right, and we here turn a few points to the south.
Skirting a patch of cultivation at 2-28 and crossing a stream at 2'43, we descend
at 2 00 to a ravine through which flows a good-sized stream of water, working,
100 yards higher up, the Rahmatabad mill. Kaleh Sultanabad, a new walled
village, with castellated corner towers, is now seen bearing 140°, and we leave
it to our immediate left at 3*56,• and can see Grazan Kdias a mile to our right.
Shortly after tuis, we change our direction to 113°, which is practically main
tained thr mghout the march. Crossing a stream at 4’65 miles, we make a
slight descent and get to the end of the jungle at 5’10 miles, when we emerge
on to a sandy plain. This sand, however, ceases at 5'60, and the going is good
now throughout. We reach the Malik Chah river bed at 6'30 miles, and it
had in it about a foot of water. The 3 or 4 channels had a width of about
15 yards. The Konarnai was reached at 6-58, and stopped at 6-62. This
width, so far as I could make out, was the flood limit. When we crossed,
there was a stream 25 feet by 1, and this after 4 days’ excessive rain. Continu
ing over a gravelly sandy open plain covered with tumuli, and good camel
grazing on all sides, we reach a strip of tamarisk at 9'50 miles, which stopped
at 11 miles. Here we emerge on to a hard plain, and, passing a few mimosa
trees at 11*50, were at Chah Malik.
The jungle would have to be cleared to make this road passable to wheels.
Chae Malak to Nookabad.
Date.
No. of
March.
Route.
Intermediate
Miles.
Total
Miles.
14th February 1899 ...
2
b> y
Nookabad, 2,475 feet.
11*83
23*44
We took a bearing of 72° on leaving camp Chah Malik to join the main
road, which we had left in order to reach the wells. For the first mile and a
half, we traversed a gravelly plain, and at 1*40 miles struck the first of the
many small channels of a winter torrent. My guides would not have this as
the Konarnai (Jenning’s), and stated that we had left the Konar yesterday.
The little, and many ramifications of this nameless torrent are finally cleared at
2 60 miles. In this strip of over a mile, there is an abundant growth of tama
risk, and excellent grazing for camels. We emerge from the tamarisks on to
the stony plain at 2*60 miles, and now observe our forward bearing to be 160°,
while Deh Yagi Khan, a village 15 miles east of Regan, at which we halted on