‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎88r] (174/949)

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Two short tunnels will probably be found necessary, and two or three
crossings of the nulla.
Before detailed surveys of either alignment are put in hand, a fortnight
should be spent in levelling over and examining both routes. In my opinion,
there is little to choose between the two, and if 1—50 can be obtained via the
caravan road without prohibitive works below Sorenkik, and no appreciably
better grade is obtainable via the Gorandi Pass, there will be no need to stake
out both lines. I confess to a prejudice in favour of the Gorandi route, but that
was probably because I discovered it.
Alignment from JPanjgur to Kolwa .—Prom Panjgur two alignments
suggested themselves. One running approximately north and south to Kolwa,
and the other following the direct caravan road to Karachi in a south-easterly
direction. I adopted the former on several grounds,—political, strategic, and
engineering. Pirst, it obviously encloses a greater area of Baluchistan;
second, it intersects the Kech-Kolwa route, 50 miles nearer the Persian frontier;
third, it is a sound principle in Ghat Railway engineering to cross the mountains
by the shortest possible route, regardless, within wide limits, of extra length
of line. There are some 80 miles of hilly country on the direct route via the
Latari Pass, as compared with 50 via that adopted. I may add that at
Panjgur my surveyor met Mr. Wilson of the Indo-European Telegraphs, who
was surveying for a telegraph line from Karachi to Kuhak, and had marched
through by the Latari route. He reported it as impracticable for a railway
and not even fit for a telegraph line.
Prom Isa Kalat, therefore, the alignment runs south-west diagonally across
the valley to Chib, so as to avoid a range that the caravan road to Shahbaz
Kalat and Kolwa crosses. Prom Chib it turns south-east, and, after continu
ing in plain up to the 28th mile from Isa Kalat, begins to ascend the northern
Kotal of the range between the Rakshan valley and Kolwa.
Near Wash Jaurakin Spring, mile 228 and 33 miles from Isa Kalat, there
will be a small tunnel where the alignment joins the caravan road, but
possibly this can be avoided by making a wider sweep to the west before
beginning the ascent.
The grade and works of the north approach of the Wash Jaurakin Kotal,
mile 231, R. L. 3,400, are easy. On the descent the alignment should not follow
the caravan road, but take a footpath to the right over the Istirgi Kotal.
There is some heavy work among ridges for about five miles even on a 1—50
grade. At mile 237 the main ridges are cleared, and thenceforth, for 25 miles,
till the corresponding barrier overlooking Kolwa is reached, the line is fre
quently on easy stretches of glacis and plain. The route along which the
barometric section has been taken is the Panjgur-Madak-Kalat caravan road,
and requires very little description. The open country is broken by numerous
parallel ridges, many of them lofty and continuous, but negotiable here and
there at nulla gorges and low Kotals. At mile 249 near Gumbak the line to
Pasni bifurcates to the south-west.
One or two short reverse grades occur where the road crosses from valley to
valley, but they are easily dealt with and call for no special remark. With this
exception, there is a general fall in the alignment till we reach the Kil Kaur
(mile 281, R. L. 2,500), the principal river of the country, at the foot of the
ascent to the Madak Pass. The bridge would be of ordinary short spans on
open founds in shale and rock. A fairly good crossing about 1,200 feet wide
will be got f of a mile below the caravan road.
The "works on the Madak Pass, R. L. 3,200, are of an exceedingly formidable
nature. Prom the 265th to the 275th mile the mountains are continuous.
The line I suggest follows the Madak River closely, on a 1—45 grade. Develop
ment is possible on the north approach in one or two places where the ridges
are far enough apart, for the railway to turn between them, and certain points
• dotted on the section indicate where this can be done; but the expense in
obtaining a better grade than 1—45 or 1—50 will probably prove prohibitive.
I propose to negotiate the summit with a tunnel, 1J miles long. With a little care
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