'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎73r] (150/610)

le vicinity
Skhsavai
mek &
mer in tit
onsideral
i in winta
n Varanii
ilran. 0»
Pa-i-GMpi
ainTattey}
•ying tede
sources oi
lie vicinity
lavasan,
e convoys
i entering
r.
vinces see
12 g*.
10. Kazvln .
11. Bagh-i-Shah .
12. Yusufabad
115
. The main exit for the West.
. Of no importance.
. The gate for the Western part of
Shimran.
The town possesses some fine avenues but no properly Roads and
made roads. No attempt is made at drainage and only loose 8 ree •
earth and water worn stones are used to form a surface with
the result that the streets become full of stagnant mud during
rain and snow, and inches deep in dust during the dry season.
Many of the principal thoroughfares have underground
“ qanats,” which are apt to burst or overflow during rain
storms, and the municipal steam roller is often seen to sink to
the axle in a water hole while attempting to do its duty.
A Persian owned electric light plant provides lighting from Lighting,
sunset till 11, p.m. after which the current is cut off.
In 1898-1900 the German firm of Koppel sent two experts
to frame a scheme for supply of electricity by water powe r
obtained from the Kand, Haft-Hauz, Paskaleh streams and from
the Jaiarud. The scheme proposed by them would have pro
vided sufficient power for an electric tramway and railway to
Shimran, and for the lighting of the entire town without requii-
ing any coal fuel, the cost of which is excessive, but, like other
schemes in Persia, this never matured.
There is no general lighting of the streets at night. The
“ municipality ” provides a few small one wick oil lamps i
few of the main thoroughfares, but lighting, such as there is,
is mostly done by the shopkeepers to display their wares.
A single track of tramway of about 9 kiffimetres was laid IIiamway .
about 1885 and traverses the town from near the Shah Abdu
Azim gate to near the Kazvin gate, East to West ahd from the
bazaars (South) to the North. It carries about 1,500,000 pas
sengers per annum.
A single line, 9 kilometres long was laid in 1888 from Tehran Railway,
to Shah Abdul Azlm. The rolling stock has never been renewed v
since its construction and is very antiquated. It carries ner y
half a million passengers annually and also transports stones
to the town from quarries.
Tramway and Railway are run by a Belgian concern.
See Chapter X, para. (i). The service in the town and to Telethon-,
the principal summer resorts is maintained by a Persian 3
and is quite good. The number of subscribers is about 900.