'Report on the Preliminary Survey of the Route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line' [‎79v] (163/300)

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through a narrow and roughish, though very short, defile to reach a watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins.
at 6’75 miles, which was 4,000 feet. We now emerge on to a small gravelly
plain-plateau, with good grazing, which proved to be a mile long, as we again
entered low small sand stone hills at 7*85 miles. The second plain ends at
9*25 miles, and at this point three-fourths of a mile to the right, bearing 183°,
is a spring of good sweet water, known as Honjerook. We continued over un
dulating ground round the northern base of the Henjareh Kuh, and at 10 miles
the track became very stony, rocky and rough; in fact, barely passable to
artillery. However, the hills on our left only extend for a mile, when the plain
is reached, and by following the Samsoor road, which was noted at the 5th mile,
this short bad piece can be avoided. The Henjareh spring is at the edge of the
lulls. The actual track followed, which enters the Henjareh hills, is not pass
able to wheels for about 2 miles, and a slight detour on to the plain would
have to be made as recommended above, where the road would be passable to
wheels.
Henjareh to Pansara.
Date.
No. of
March.
Route.
Intermediate
Miles.
Total
Miles.
18th February 1899 ...
6
Pansara, 4,240 feet ...
25-39
95*28
After a gentle descent of half a mile over rough, stony undulating ground,
we reached the plain, and took an east-south-easterly direction towards some
rocky hills. The plain was stony, but a fair road could easily be made over it.
At the 3rd mile, we were going between large rocky mountains, which the
guide named Gerantarash, following a valley about half a mile wide, which
was very rough. At this point, we turned more to the east and emerged on to
the large valley which lies between the Seah Band range on the east and the
Bazman Kuh on the west, and at 5*70 miles the low hills stopped on both
sides. At the 9th nfile, the plain was strewn with very large stones and a
mere path wended among these till 10*70 miles, when the stones almost ceased,
giving place to gravel. This, however, did not last long, as stones were again
encountered at the 14th mile, and continued for 2 miles, when there was a
short clear space. We had been veering round to the south again, and our
bearing at the 16th mile was 160\ From the 17th mile to the 21st mile, the
going was very rough with a few deep narrow nullahs and huge boulders, and
I should say impassable to wheels. My escort men told me that the road from
Dar-i-Ahu to Dar-i-Kashgin on the main route, a distance of 50 odd miles, was
much worse than this piece, and yet artillery has traversed it ! This route has
very few torrent beds, while the other has a great many. At 18*50 miles,
a white spot, bearing 110° and known as Safee Awa, said to possess sweet
, water springs, is seen on the opposite side of the valley. The stones end at
20*75, and we have a clear space to 22*80. The Pansara hills begin on the
right at 24*40 miles, and we now turn due south-east towards Pansara, which
is practically surrounded by low hills, off-shoots of Bazman. The last mile
into Pansara is again very rough, over boulders and in a deep nullah. We
camped on a clear space 40 yards by 40 yards, the distance being 25J miles.
This is the only rough stage from Regan so far, and though there are stones
and boulders, the road is practically over a plain, and is therefore level, and
could be made good and fit for wheels. Besides, by keeping, say 2 miles, to the
left, down the centre of the valley, a gravelly road without stones could be
found.