‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎181r] (360/949)

forgotten that our trade with Persia has a political basis, and is supported by
Government help.
The annual abolition of duties and refund of excise cost Kussia over
4 , 030,000 roubles. If this is so, it were better to say good-bye to trade and
leave it to struggle itself by natural routes, and to put these 4,000,000 roubles
every year into the construction of a railway to the ocean.
By so doing we shall afford more substantial assistance to our trade, and, in
political respects, effect far more, and at the same time finally reach the open
ocean. As you see, the calculations are simple, correct—and to what result do
they lead ?
Having examined the necessity, advantage, and complete political and
real safety of the line Allat-Besht, the conditions which demand that the
construction of this first link in a world’s route should be at once commenced,
we will now examine the question of the further direction of the line. The
line from Resht must take the direction to Kasvin, and further to Tehran, there
being no variants in this direction, while the total cost of the line Resht-Kasvin
and the technical side of this section after Sakhansky’s exploration shows that
this matter is more than feasible.
From Tehran railway explorations were conducted in the chief ports of the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and also to the Indian Ocean. These explorations made it plain
that there was no sense in carrying the line to the port of Bus hire, as, owing to
the techincal difficulties met with from Shiraz to Hushire, the length of the
lines and their cost from Tehran to Bushire and to Abbas came out almost
indentical.
Consequently, the question remains with Abbas and Chahbar, the
difference in lengih of the lines being only 100 versts, and in regard to their
cost, inclusive of rolling-stock and construction of the port, only 4 , 000,000
roubles.
There is no doubt that if the zone Tehran-Abbas could serve, if not now
then in the near future, as a most remunerative line, the local freights of
which might pay the expense of construction and working, in such a case the
question must be decided in its favour.
By these considerations I was guided in planning a line to Abbas prior to
my journey to Persia.
The investigation of the history of the whole country, and, in particular
of all these regions of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , convinced me that the whole of this
zone may be again what it was in far distant times.
In 1900 , Chief Engineer Sakhansky himself carried out an exploration of
this country—a man who had thoroughly studied local conditions and who is
absolutely trustworthy.
He came to the conclusion that local freights cannot pay for the Bunder
Abbas line either at the present or in the near future; that, taken together,
they are too insignificant to justify the construction of a railway in this direc
tion on their account. Moreover, the port of Bunder Abbas, in his opinion,
does not satisfy all requirements. In view of all this, the question remains
with the Chahbar line, which was explored by our party.
Of 1,710 versts from Tehran to Kashan, and further to Chahbar, one-
third of the route is absolute desert, waterless, and barren, and absolutely
unsuited for any cultivation either now or in the future.
Although the remaining two-thirds of the route are inhabited, the popula
tion is not continuous, and the oases and all cultivated tracts are disposed in
a narrow zone not more than 30 versts broad, limited on either side by moun
tain ridges and salt deserts.
It is impossible to reckon on local trade. The quantity of goods is too
insignificant to feed the line, and therefore, in commercial respects, it is neces
sary to have in view only the transit of goods and passengers, seeing that this
route will undoubtedly have universal importance between Europe and the
countries of the East. Finally, this route has a vast political and strategic
importance. As far as concerns the port, the Chahbar Bay offers the best
natural harbour of the whole Persian southern coast.