Coll 6/88 'Intelligence: Military Report on Arabia (C.B. 1892).' [‎30v] (65/133)

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Lifting Appliances
One crane—hand worked—on stone pier in the harbour. Lifting capacity two tons.
Four ft clearance
There is one small tug (not sea-going) employed for towing lighters for the disembarkation
of pilgrims. Details I.H.P. 175, length 60 ft., beam 12 ft., draught 6 ft. and speed 9| knots.
There are two pilgrim lighters of 32 tons cubic capacity and one dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. , fitted with water tanks,
capacity 14 tons.
(3) The Town
The main settlement on the Island is the Lazaretto or Quarantine Station and adjacent
KAMARAN Village, situated on the shores of the Inner Harbour on the eastern side of the
Island. There are about 500 stone houses, and 150 matting houses enclosed by a shallow
dyke. Most of the houses are stone built and in the Quarantine Station facilities exist for
dealing with about 6,000 pilgrims at a time.
There is a R.A.F. rest house and guest house with accommodation for about eight people.
There is one small hospital on the south side of the harbour with 12 beds. It is not
suitable for Europeans.
There is a large ice-making plant capable of supplying up to 8 tons of ice per diem and a
distilling plant capable of delivering 50 tons of water daily with tanks ashore holding a reserve
of 200 tons. Condensed water and ice can be obtained by ships on application to the
quarantine authorities.
Good water is available from a well, situated about \\ miles south-south-west of
KAMARAN native village and pumped by a windmill. A pipe-line to the main settlement
has been completed, and water is now supplied from this source.
The village and Quarantine Station are lit by electricity, giving power for electric fans.
In addition to the Administrator, an electrical engineer (British) and a Dutch doctor,
together with several Eurasians, live in the island. There are three villages in the island,
with a total population of about 2,500, employed mainly in connection with the Quarantine
Station. There are also a few fishermen.
There axe fairly good recreational facilities comprising two football grounds, one hockey
ground, several sites for matting cricket pitches, one hard tennis court (belonging to the
Administrator) and a small bathing pool. There is also a rifle range with four trolley targets,
with ranges of 100, 200, 300 and 400 yards.
As regards supplies, there are no stocks of coal or oil fuel. 500 gallons of petrol is kept for
use of R.A.F. machines visiting the island from ADEN. Chickens and eggs are obtainable
locally, but vegetables rarely, except at certain seasons, when they can be bought from the
mainland. Fish is plentiful and cheap.
(4) Government Establishments
There is no dockyard or repair base.
(5) Commercial Establishments
One small workshop, sufficient to maintain the two condensers, ice plant and lighting
plant.
(7) Air Facilities
There is an aerodrome at KAMARAN about 1 mile north of harbour, of which the
distinctive white circle shows up clearly from the air. It is 600 yards by 700 yards and has an
excellent surface of hard sand. It is, however, liable to become waterlogged for a few hours
after rain. There is no hangar but there are three permanent moorings for Vincent type
aircraft. There is accommodation for personnel with the Administrator and stocks of petrol
and oil. This landing ground is used by the R.A.F. There are no facilities for night-flying.
KAMARAN harbour is suitable for use by seaplanes except at times during the winter
months when a strong wind from the south blows into the anchorage. The edge of the coral
reef is easily discernible from the air.
There are three seaplane moorings.
(8) War Material Factories
None.
(9) Power Plants
Three identical generating sets, each consisting- of :—-
(i) Prime mover—vertical, twin cylinder, Fetter “ C ” type heavy oil engine working
on the 2-stroke cycle principle, developing 50 b.h.p at 375 r.p.m., direct
coupled to
(ii) Generator—continuous current, compound wound, with a maximum output of
136 amps and a voltage of 230.
The plant is situated between the two prominent chimneys on the north side of the
harbour.