'Report on the preliminary survey of the route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line. By W King Wood, Assistant Superintendent, Indo-European Telegraph Department.' [‎126r] (256/300)

233
"V
Pahra to Absowaran.
Date.
No. of
March.
Route.
Intermediate
Miles.
Total
Miles.
28th February 1899 ...
1
Absowaran,
3,350 feet.
21-90
21-90
Leaving our camp a few yards south of Palira Kaleh, we lake a due
south-easterly direction towards the mountains, and, after crossing two small
streams running towards Bampur, we strike the first bed of the river at 75 miles.
Prom this point to l'20 miles, there are two beds, each about 70 yards broad,
with no depth and gravelly bottom. These channels were dry, and onlv contain
water after heavy rain. We cross more channels at P80 and at 3T8 miles,
while the sand drifts begin at the first-mentioned point, and we enter tamarisk
jungle at 2*15 miles, which becomes thinner at 4 miles and stops altogether at
h’SS, giving place to a gravelly plain sparsely coverd with shrub. The back
bearing of Pahra at 8m0 miles was 313°, while Katakan was 15°, Ahmedabai
30°, and Aptar 36°, A cairn of stones, a few yards to the right, marks 8J miles.
The first Poozeh Cnah, an old dry well, was passed close to our right at 91-
miles, while the second, a few yards to our left, occurred at 11-15 mdes. We
had been gradually ascending a gravelly plain, which was getting stony as we
approached the hills, which we entered at 15‘30 miles. The back bearing to
Bampur Fort was 290°. The going to this point is good. Changing our bear
ing to south-south-east, we continue along a ridge and pass a graveyard to our
left at 15^ miles, and at 15-80 miles enter the broad dry gravelly bed of the
Shahab. We keep in the bed of this nullah for the remainder of the march,
which averages 400 yards in width, with high precipitous mountains on the
light, known as Keseh Chand, while those on the left are rocky, and, though
not quite as high, are more cut up. The Aptar roan joins in at 16-95 miles on
the left. The guide pointed out a track branching off to the right at 17J miles,
which he said went to Cheshmeh Takhshok, a spring of sweet water about a
mile distant. To the left, at 18 miles, a track leads to Manzan, where there
is water after rain. A second graveyard was passed at 18-10 miles, on the
right, and third, on the left, at 20 miles. An old broken down wall of
stones, through which the road now runs, wms said to he the remains of a dam,
and there was"* cultivation here in former times. The Ah Dozan spring was
passed J a mile to the left at 21-20 miles, and we here left the road, which
hears 113°, and, taking a bearing of 162° for J a mile, and 210° for another f,
halt 300 yards short of the Absow&ran spring.
The road is open to artillery throughout, except after rain, when it is
impassable for 3 or 4 days.
Absowaran to Camp,
Date.
No. of
March.
Route.
Intermediate
Miles.
Total
Miles.
1st March 1899
2
Camp, 4,680 feet.
16-17
38-07
We retraced our steps, and at one mile again struck the nullah, whose
meander!no-s we followed throughout the march, with 103° as our average
hearing; but it was extremely difficult to fix a correct bearing. The tonent
bed gradually narrows, and contains a rich growth of tamarisk and some dwart
b 7—59