‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎93v] (185/949)

At the 10 th mile the line emerges upon an open plain, which it crosses
to Tang-i-Pusht, at the head of the Kil Kaur Tangi. The only work of im
portance is the bridge over the river, which in flood spreads over the surface
of the plain, and has only a few ill-defined channels.
An alternative to this alignment is to adhere to the Karachi route up to
the 261st mile, and then turn to the west down the Kil Kaur to Tang-i-Pusht.
The length would be ten miles more, but the cost of construction would not be
much greater, for the line should be a very light one, judging from the appear
ance of the valley. The advantage of this alternative is that it avoids the
tunnel and bridges in the little defile mentioned above, which will be very
troublesome unless water can be found in the nulla bed. If water can be got
handy, I see no necessity for the detour.
On reaching Tang-i-Pusht I found that, owing to a record flood ten days
before, the gorge was quite impassable, being a mass of pools and shingly quick
sands, so instead of wasting time in possibly fruitless attempts to scramble down
it, I left it for future examination by some cold weather survey party, and
endeavoured to get an alignment by one of the passes in the neighbourhood.
The unpromising appearance of the first few miles of the Tangi (subse
quently confirmed by what I saw of the lower end) decided me on the point.
The gorge is about 20 miles long, the hills on both sides rugged, and the
amount of cross drainage unusually great. It is a matter of experience that
routes down gorges in Baluchistan are invariably costly, e.g., the Chappar rilt,
the Mushkaf and Nari gorges, and the Kaisar gorge near Nushki, so, although
the Kil Kaur Tangi will give a better gradient than either of the alignments
I investigated, there is not the smallest prospect of its being any cheaper.
The first route I tried was along a path leading from Tang-i-Pusht to Nag
Kalat, and thence to the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. between Kolwa and Kech.
This obviously gave the minimum of descent down the mountains if a
suitable Kotal could be discovered. There was a two-fold object in trying this
alignment, as in case the Madak route, which had not then been examined,
should prove impracticable, that via Nag Kalat would suit a railway either to
Karachi or Pasni.
As previously mentioned in treating of the Karachi alignment, the Tang-i-
Pusht-Nag Kalat route should certainly be surveyed as an alternative to the
Madak; but for a railway to Pasni the route over the Kathag Pass is, in my
opinion, the correct one, for reasons that will be explained in describing that
alternative {vide plan).
The path along which the barometric section was taken follows the river
for miles, and then ascends sharply to the left up a steep side nulla. This
2 ^ miles turns the flank of the main range which here descends to the river in
a series of formidable spurs. At the head of the side nulla a curious glacis is
reached, sloping sharply to the south across the line of the railway. It is
bounded by the main range on the left and a lower range on the right, through
which the nullas find their way to the Kil Kaur. The map shows this portion
of the country rather indifferently. The alignment traverses this glacis for
2^ miles on a steady ascent of 1—40 to 1—50 till it gains the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. of
tne Kil Kaur and Kolwa catchments, R. L. 2,600, about 450 feet above
Tang-i-Pusht.
The objectionable feature of the route up to this point is the steep rise
up the nulla. My first intention here was to have 1^ miles of cheap 1—25
double line, for I was alarmed at the impracticable appearance of the country
if a direct alignment, with an easier grade, were attempted along the line
dotted on the plan.
Seeing, however, how expensive the Madak alignment subsequently proved,
I have reconsidered my first scheme and recommend that the dotted line should
be tried, as it will probably give a 1—40 or 1—50 grade throughout the ascent.
I may here digress by observing that the chief difficulty in a long reconnais
sance consists in maintaining a constant standard of practicability and
impracticability. There are days when one boggles over a bit of country "which
on other occasions would be taken in one’s stride. One cannot be “ compen
sated ” like a barometer against changes in temperature and temperament.
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