'Report on the Preliminary Survey of The Route for The Central Persia Telegraph Line from Quetta to Bam and Pahra' [‎44v] (93/162)

mesk is plenty, but firewood is somewhat scarce. lam unable togive anyrelia-
blefio’ures as (o what the cost for building a bungalow there would be ; probably
something near Rs. 20,000 would provide a comfortable bui ding.
Shelter huts for line staff.
16 Shelter huts for the line staff would probably be required at Baianichab,
Dehpabed, Sadakh, Chahshahi, someplace i way between Karwandar and Pahra,
also at Pahra. Altogether 6 huts. The total cost for these at Rs. 400 each
wruilrl hp Rs. 2.AOO.
Maintenance Staff.
17. The following staff is suggested for employment at Karwandar—
1 Telegraph Master.
1 Signaller.
1 Sub-Inspector.
2 Line riders.
3 Coolies A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory. .
4 Riding camels.
Route west of Koh-i-Malik Seah.
18. From Koh-i-Malik Seah there are two routes westward ; one goes vid
Nasratabad; the other is further south, and passes through Hyderabad. Both
conjoin at Shurgez, and are very much the same in distance. From Koh-i-Malik
Seah to Shurgez vid Nasratabad is 145 miles, and vid Hyderabad 142 miles.
Mr. Wood in 1898-99 travelled over the Nasratabad route, and on page 229 of
his report (1899) he condemns this as unsuitable for a telegraph line. I travelled
over the Hyderabad route in the hope of finding it more favourable, but I can’t
say that I was successful. I give a description of the course I followed in
appendix j of this report. A journey over most of this course is about as mono
tonous and uninteresting for a single traveller as one can wish to make. Any
route west through Koh-i-Malik Seah to Bam, or Regan, passes for the most
part over an uninhabited barren desert, devoid of supplies, and scarce of water.
A glance at a map will show what an abandoned, hopeless country the centre of
Eastern Persia is. ’Photograph No. 17, will also help to give one an idea of
what some of the desert is like. This photograph is a view of the Mil-i-Nadir, or
pillar of Nadir, a curious cylindrical sort of structure, built up of brick to a height
of about 55 feet, with a small spiral staircase inside ; the diameter at the base
is about 13 or 14 feet, and somewhat less towards the top. The pillar is situated
13 miles south-west from Shurgez, and is said to have been constructed by order
of Nadir, who, I believe, was a great King in that land in former years, as a monu
ment to himself. Its only use now is to act as a land mark to weary travellers in
that most desolate region.
The worst part of the country between Koh-i-Malik Seah and Bam extends
for about 32 miles east and west of Shurgez. Here a belt of sand hills, about 6
miles wide, would have to be crossed ; also the ground for another 10 'miles is
hardly stiff enough to support a heavy telegraph line ; it consists of fine soft sand
with a slight gravelly surface. I dug down in a few places for about 4 feet, but
could find no substantial soil. Telegraph posts carrying heavy wires vibrate a
good deal, and this vibration combined with strong wind pressure would, I think,
require a firmer foundation than fine dry sand to hold up posts securely! Stones
for foundations cannot be obtained at Shurgez within a distance of about 35
miles.
An unpleasant feature of this desert is the frequency with which sand storms
blow. The variations in temperature between night and day are great, some
times more than 50 F. The changes from heat to cold, and vzce 'versa, are
sudden, so that the atmosphere in consequence is often disturbed. The minimum
It mil be seen from this photograph, which, by the way, is an enlargement from a smaller size, that the pillar
is becoming undermined at its base, due probably to mischievous travellers carrying away bricks. It will be a
pity if such a curious monument be allowed to fall down for want of trifling repairs