'Report on the Nushki, Chagai and Western Sinjerani Districts for the year 1897-98 and on the Development of The Quetta-Seistan [Sistan] Trade Route' [‎14v] (28/148)

proportionate refrnMlj^ ^fnliy ^
am' that « e are justified in spending money on nece,
saiT improvement^ Consul-General, Meshed, writing to Govern.
cheapness oj eater c , somewhat diffident in expressing an opinion
would invobe. I p na „ os iti on enables him to speak wilh audio.
rhv bffi the steady growth of the new trade route, as illustrated by the returns
my, out i-ne biuiu^ • t. t- n nn OT)1 )osite conclusion. INUr-
Xnt X s1nteJestedl“pe a rsfau a^dCentrafAsian trade have repeatedly assure,!
me that if Government will solve the question of supplies, they are prepare,!
to abandon forthwith the. Bandar Abas road in favour of the ISusalii load 1 lie
reason "given was significant. They declare that they prefer facing l.OoO nnfe
onourney, 524 miles of which is through British Baluchistan, to facing a road
of only 966 miles passing entirely through Persian territory, this apparent
anomaly is to he explain’d by the fact that goods - ^asit ri« the Ba*
Alias road change hands several times in transit,, and that tin ,l,lc
spent on the road is quite out of proportion to the distances involved. In the
case of the Nushki road, goods never change hands more than ont o, and
“ Kirava Kashes” have little inducements to loiter. Added to this, the piotec-
tion afforded to caravans travelling by the Nushki route is, until thev enter
Persian territory, far greater than any which they can expect to experience
in Persia.
18. I have felt much difficulty during the past year in keeping my wells
free from sand, and many devices have been tried, hut without success. Expc*
rienee show r s that to build protective works near the well mouth is iutile, as the
wind-driven sand lodges against the projection Any method by which the earth’s curved surface may be transposed (or projected) on to a flat surface. and, quickly forming a drift,
pours in one continuous stream into the open well. My last device, however,
bids fair to overcome the difficulty. It consists in fitting stout folding wooden
doors, bound with strong iron bands, into the mouth of the well. These doors
are made to fit flush with the ground, and so closely that no sand can pene
trate. Wind-swept sand is thus permitted free passage across the well mouth,
and no encouragement is given to the formation of sand drifts.
relations with ttie Seistan omciais. Lt is or interest to note uu
place more confidence on the integrity and trustworthiness ot my local levies
than I am inclined to do. It not unfrequently happens that valuable articles
are forwarded from Seistan by ddk for repair and return. For instance, I quite
recently received a heavy musical box from the young Governor ot Seistan with
a request that I would have it put in order and return it to him.
20. The ddk service has not been maintained without considerable diffi
culty, arising to a large degree from the fact that the camels originally enter
tained proving unfit to stand the climate which they were called on to face.
Owing to the want of rain last year, camel forage was scarce in quantity anil
indifferent in quality. My losses in camels to date amount to no less than Iff
I am trying the experiment of gradually replacing my camels by ponies.
21. Ido of Saindak has rendered excellent services during the past year.
It was due to his exertions that wells have been opened at Zeh and Prana Koh
(Bijar Chah). At the last named place, water was only reached after a shaft
was sunk through sandstone to a depth of 90 feet. The Zeh and Bijar Cbaii
wells both yield brackish water, hut as both camels and cattle drink the water
freely, the difficulty of water-supply may be said to have been overcome.