'Report on the Preliminary Survey of the Route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line' [‎80r] (164/300)

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* 7—16
141
P ANSAR A TO BAZMAN.
Date.
No. of
March.
Route.
Intermediate
Miles.
Total
Miles.
ifjf
19th February 1899 ...
7
Bazman, 3,598 feet ...
15*88
111*16
Upon quitting our camp at Pansara, we took a southerly direction up a
stony valley about half a mile wide, with low rocky hills on both sides, which
ascended till 80 miles, when we crossed a low watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. , but a few feet higher
than Pansaia, and descended through a nasty narrow defile from 1 to PIO
miles into a small torrent bed, which we again left at P50 miles. The hills
were receding somewhat, and we changed our bearing to south-west, crossing a
second insignificant watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. at 2'35 miles. The going was now very rou-h
over boulders till we entered the large gravelly bed of the Zehan Hood' at 4 50
miles. We continued m the dry bed of this torrent for 2 miles, and though at
first gravelly, towards the end the bed was very rough. The banks of this
nullah are at times steep 15 feet high—and at others nearly level with the
surrounding country, which, it will be gathered, is undulating'and stonv. The
lulls are easy. We now take a bearing of 250°, and ascend the Gfwan nullah for
- miles, leaving it m turn at 8*40 miles to ascend a small but stiff, rocky, torrent
bed to the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. at 9M5 miles; 3,800 feet. This watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. appears to me
to divide the north and south drainage. We had a short spell of good emm" on
the open watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. of half a mile, when we entered the Kisht nullah and followed
i us, with a bearing of 175, for the next 4*35 miles—a verv rough nullah, with
huge boulders, very bad going, indeed, and quite impassable to wheels, where
no track was discernable and where we found it hard work to wheel the cvclo-
metei. ihe country on either bank of the Kisht is undulating and very roufdi
and stony. The whole valley is about half a mile wide, of which the nullah
takes up half. On the whole, I think the right bank is the better. In any
cise, there is no real difficulty lor the construction of a line, but a road would
have to be made. It reminded me of the Tang-i-Turkan between Kazeroon and
ivonar Takhteh, At 15'10 miles, we left the torrent bed and took a bearing of
i° r halt a mile, when we changed to 230° and encamped on the extreme
<*ft hand corner of the palm trees of Bazman. The last mile was over fair
going and sandstone. A day s halt at Bazman enabled me to find a much
better route for the line, so that the above will not be followed.
Bazman to Camp.
Date.
No. of
March.
Route.
Intermediate
Miles.
Total
Miles.
21st February 1899
8
Camp, 2,320 feet
20*90
13206
Taking a bearing of 143°, we descended a narrow valley over the Bazman
fallow ground with low hills on our left, while to our right is a piece of marshy
land, which ends at *75 miles. The track crosses a small narrow nullah at
1 naile and thence passes through coarse grass and Pcesh, with a rocky hill
vipg close to our right, at 1’20 miles. We now traverse some rocky ground
J miles, when we turn due south and enter the bed of
Down the bed of this nullah, which had pools
a nd a stony plain till 2 Z
tbe Shur nullah at 2 , 90 miles.