'Report on the Preliminary Survey of the Route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line' [‎126v] (257/300)

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palms. At 1*90 miles, the right hank is a sheer rock, while the left bank is 300
yards off and is also rocky. Gradually ascending the gravelly bed, the Sohran
spring of sweet water, one mile to the left, is pointed out at 5-30 miles. The
valley opens out a bit at miles, and the hills on both sides are smaller, and
we here leave the bed for a short distance, and, going through a small “ taugi ”
or defile at 6 miles, again descend to the river. At 8^ miles, the right bank
has been cut away by floods and is some 15 feet high. A larcre graveyard is
noted at 9T0 miles. All these graveyards are said to be very old and,to have
been the scene of bloody fights between the various Balooch tribes. We note
the spring of Kaheree 50 yards to the right at 9| miles, which we found
nearly dry. Just beyond Kaheree, 10*50 miles, the road bifurcates, the left
track going to Serbaz via Torkestan, up the nullah of that name, and, crossing
the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. , runs down the Henanoo torrent bed and joins the Serbaz a few
miles north of the village. This road is said to have been traversed by
artillery, but it is out of the way and never followed by travellers, who prefer
the ispatki route. Its only advantage is in the nullah being somewhat wider.
The Porkestan nullah bears 90°, while we take 127° as our bearing. The
ever-narrowing nullah is only 50 yards wide at 12*85 miles, with high
precipitous rocks on both sides. A short cut fo >t-path breaks off at 13 miles,
and at 13| miles we are in a very narrow “tangi,” not more than 10 feet, with
a rocky bottom. There is a little sweet water here known as Pa ab, which
practically continues up the nullah, while at 13*85 miles their is an abundant
supply in rock-pools. I think there must be running water here for six
months in the year. At 14*67, the “ tangi ” was so narrow as to necessitate
the unloading of all the camels and the carrying of the loads for ten yards.
This gorge remains narrow till the 16th mile is re tched, where it opens out, and
we are evidently near the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. . We just found room enough for our
small camp.
The road is quite unfit for wheels. It is extremely rough, and the country
is a difficult one to run a line through.
Camp to Koligan.
Bate.
No. of
Route.
Intermediate
Total
March.
Miles.
Miles.
2nd March 1899
g
Kolegan,
3,775 feet.
15*68
53-75
Upon leaving camp, we continued up the narrow nullah of the last two
days’ march, and at *30 miles made a very sharp .ascent to the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. at *45
miles. This watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. divides the Bampur and Sarbaz drainage, and has a
height of 4,800 feet. A sharp descent of a few yards brought us to the source
of the Sarkaur river at 1*20 miles, and we follow its channel for the rest of the
march. At this point, there were a few pools of water, which, gradually increas
ing, form a stream of running water from the 2nd to the 6th mile, when it
disappears stib ter re. The bed of the river in this distance is of rock, with deep
pools, with higli rocks on either side, and the going is very rough and tryinsr.
The Petak nullah joins in on the left at the 8th mile, while the Kegab track,
which branched off at the 13th mile in yesterday’s march, joins in again at 9*10
miles. A sweet spring of water, known as xVIuri Konar, is passed on the right
at 9*40 miles. The river bed is full of tall tamarisk and debris, and the flood
line is seen 9 to 10 feet high, which tends to prove the guide’s assertion that
two days’ rain blocks the road for a week and that the river is in flood annu
ally. At 12 miles, the high rocks give place to more open ground with low
hills. Leaving the torrent bed at 12*70 miles, we make a sharp ascent of 100
yards, and keeping along a small plateau, pass a graveyard at 13 20 miles, and
again dip into the river at 13*57 miles. At this point, there is a semi-circular