'Report on the Preliminary Survey of the Route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line' [‎94r] (192/300)

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Leavm g our camp at Chahan Ashahi, we at once antered the Haraun of
that name, which was dry and covered with rouMi crass some 2 Lh
yellow and withered at the time of our passage, and cleared it at 1 73 mifes’
^mUesTo o“ ht C nu n d er 7-i 1 HamUn ’ Which COuld be ^retThing
for milts o our i i b ht and ultimately joynng the Chah Gabi Hamun The
Tarfs t P o e ourTeft P a r t 0 73T t , la , lld mark ° f f Uh C !‘ abar ' -s passed loo
yards to oui left at 3 31, while on our nght is the wide plain of coarse c rass
Mid shrub Continuing over a stony col at 4-50 miles, we pass throne], saltv
Kavir at 6 miles and change our direction to east-north-east The Chah Gain
a well With putrid water, 8 feet deep, is passed at 8A5 miles, while from 8-50 to
9 16 miles the track goes through a thick belt of tamarisk bushes, and a-ain
C °t? Z ly ’ Slir '7 by Plain ' Tbe ftrst d^inage is crossed at lo7o
miles, which flows in a south-easterly direction. The next 14 miles are
monotonous to a degree. With the left, or north-east, corner of the Pan]
T" SU 7 6 ’ -, fl rP y ^ the plain at 24-335 miles, and at
24 40 pass a sharp rocky hill hall a mile to our right, while to our left,
l f miles distant, is a round rocky peak. The track is now over a col,
with stony undulating ground, steadily rising. At 27 275 miles, a path
joins in on our right rear, bearing 228’, which comes from Bampur. We
are opposite the Panj Angusht range, half a mile to our right, at 27-36
miles, and the ground is now very rough and stony as it skirts the base of this
rocky chain. We here enter a low chain of hills, the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. being reached
by an easy ascent at 27-88 miles and being 62-50 feet. The descent to our
camp a , Chashmeh Ziaret is very stony and rough, intersected with 2 or 3
nullah beds. Bunng the rains, a large tract of the country in to-day’s route
would be under water. It is not passable to wheels.
Chashmeh Ziaret to Khash.
Date.
No. of
March.
Route.
Inter
mediate
Miles.
Total
Miles.
14th December 1898 ...
9
Khash, 4,640 feet.
4*38
152*14
The long march of the previous day had told on the animals, so as the
water at Ziaret is excellent and as we could see Khash was not more than
5 miles distant, we spent the forenoon at Ziaret, not leaving till 1-30 p. m.
We cleared the hills at *75 miles and entered on the Khash plain, which is
sandy Avith fair grazing for camels, our direction being almost east, till at
2 miles we swing round to east-south-east, and continue across the plain to
Khash. The going is good throughout.
Khash to Kul-a-Ka.
Date.
No. of
March,
Route.
Interme
diate
Miles.
Total
Miles.
16th December 1898 ...
10
Kul-a-Ka, 5,810 feet.
20*30
17244
After a day’s halt at Khash, we left for Ladis. Our direction was almost
due north, towards the snow-covered Kuh-i-Taftan, and over a sandy plain,
sparsely covered with boteh and other shrub. At 3*60 miles, we went through
* 7 — 43