‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎105v] (209/949)

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Probably this is the shortest and cheapest route for a railway to Dalbandin, and I would
recommend that, when the staking- out of the permanent alignment from Nushki is commenced,
the officer in charge should ride along my route to Dalbandin (called Bund-i-Jehan Khan on
the map) and return thence along the dotted line via Karadok and Nushki to the Laghar Koh
with good guides and a day or two's supply of water.
A point I have omitted is that from Baghak to the present Nushki terminus, a distance of
six miles, directly ascending the Kaisar glacis, the grade will be much steeper than on the
remaining 350 miles of line.
My pocket book has just been sent off with my camp, so I cannot say accurately what it
will work out, but speaking from memory I think it will prove to be about 1 - 70 . For that
reason I deprecated last year any premature establishment of a terminal or engine changing
station at Nushki till the comparative advantages of Baghak were thoroughly enquired into.
Two other matters may be briefly touched on—
( 1 ) The water-supply.
(2) The traffic prospects.
(1) Judging from the existing kucha wells along the trade route I think there would be
little difficulty in getting sufficient water for a light traflac from wells for the first 150 miles
from Nushki.
As far as Dalbandin (mile 116 ) the wells at the Post houses appeared to flow freely, and
the water was sweet. How they would stand locomotive requirements is a matter on which
any prophesy w r ould be of little value, but with a sufficient number of wells there is every
reason to suppose that a considerable amount of water would be obtainable over this section.
At Y ak Mach also there are several good wells, and possibly water could be obtainable
further on in the nulla beds under the Hubli Koh.
The outlook for the remaining 200 miles is bad. You will observe that the trade route
goes dodging about the hills from water-hole to water-hole, along an alignment which is quite
unsuited for a railway, whereas the latter is on open sloping glacis where water is rarely found
in wells, except at a great depth, and seldom even then. The mountains are volcanic: even
allowing for the scantiness of the rainfall, the springs are extraordinarily few and far
apart, and I have no grounds for supposing that artesian wells would be successful.
The line crosses no running water, between Dalbandin, where there is a very small Karez, and
the Afghan frontier.
(2) There are really none worth considering in our own territory. Round Nushki and
Baghak there is a good deal of cultivation in favourable seasons, but beyond that the country is
purely pastoral or desert.
The traffic would be entirely dependent upon our trade with Jalk (and other centres in
Southern Persia), Seistan and the Afghan Helmand; and at the mercy of possibly unfriendly
tariffs. The railway would be purely strategical, apart from future extensions westwards, and
should be regarded from a strategical aspect only. If we could purchase the Helmand valley
and Seistan, an absolutely ridiculous assumption, the direct line down the Helmand valley
would undoubtedly be the railway to build. Under existing conditions I think that the
Dalbandin-Robat route, which is sheltered from attack by the Registan desert, the Chao-eh
range, the Koh-i-Sultan, and the sands and ranges bordering the Gaud-i-Zirreh is more suited
to our requirements. With a connection between, say Kondi, a point midway on this route and
Karachi, it appears to me that an invading army in Seistan would be absolutely paralysed. ’
Another point. From the Afghan-Baluch frontier where the full red line terminates I
have drawn three dotted lines showing possible extensions either to Persia (and Seistan via
Robat) or to Bund-i-Seistan, or to Kamal Khan Bund, at the northern elbow of the Helmand.
Barring a 5 -mile belt of sand on each side of the Shelag River, through which I have dotted
the extension along a perfectly feasible alignment, there is no engineering difficulty. The ascent
from the Shelag valley to the stony Tarakun desert, a rise of about 100 ', would be on a 1-100
gradient. If it were considered desirable to build an extension to the Helmand, it would seem
possible that the Amir might not object to a railway through such an outlying fringe of his
dominions.
I am exceedingly fit, and have brought in all my camels and men, the former in much
better condition than they left Bund-i-Seistan, though we averaged 20 miles a day for the last
6 marches, and about 17 miles since entering British territory.
My heavy kit I have sent off to Quetta, and start this evening via Kharan for the first
pass at Palantak on the Kondi-Karachi reconnaissance.
The difficulty along that route appears to be at the Jhow Lak leading down to the Las
Bela plain. 1 hope it will not be insuperable. At any rate, 1 have much better maps for that
portion, l / ' = 2 miles, than are published on the scale for the reconnaissance just finished.
I have been as quick as I expected. From this on I am taking nothing but Jambaz
camels, a kind of light baggage-riding-camel, and five ponies for self and escort. Showexs