'Report on the Preliminary Survey of The Route for The Central Persia Telegraph Line from Quetta to Bam and Pahra' [‎24v] (53/162)

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mention.
and.
much difficulty in obtaining some supply of water a,on g> e ^‘ vers, °" L" 16 " 1 '
The trade route along by Yadgar passes through ^nd for about to n e a
after anv sort of heavy rain, becomes almost impassable tor camels. . 1 tie small
oat plains surrounded by sand bills form basins for water to collect m, and the
pat plains j TUorrront. nlaced in this, carrying
idea of what the country is like than any written description of it * During the early
part of my recent tour I was unfortunate in meeting with broken weather. The
amount of rainfall last winter along the eastern part of the trade route was most
unusual. Local inhabitants informed me they could not remember having seen
anything like it before, so that my photographs must be considered as representing
a very rare state of affairs.
I mentioned in my former report that several nala . beds, or dry rivers, be
tween Nushki and Chahsundan, a list of w r hich was given in statement D attached
to Estimate part I, ought to be spanned, and in my estimates I provided for
some special posts and steel wire for doing so. I do not now consider any
special provision is necessary for a telegraph line to cross these nalas. l\Iost of
them are comparatively wide, with vaguely defined banks, and none showed signs
of having been completely in flood, even after the abnormal rainfall last winter.
Any w r ater which did flow in them was confined to small narrow channels. It
will, I think, be quite safe to place posts on any high ground between these water
channels in nala beds. The trade route west of Chahsundan formerly went
north of the Koh-i-Sultan range of mountains* vid Manzil, Amirchah, etc. It
has, within the last 2 years, been diverted south of this range. The advantages
of the southern route are that it passes over firm stony ground, free from the heavy
sand drifts met with on the northern route, and it is sheltered from severe cold
north winds, but its supply of camelgrazing and firewood is very scarce, much
more so than on the northern route, and the water met with is very bad ; between
Chahsundan and Saindak, 134J miles, south of the Koh-i-Sultan, there is no
decent drinking water procurable at all, while north of this mountain there are three
places, Butak, Manzil and Amirchah, where the water is drinkable**. The track
from Chahsundan now leads in a west-south-west direction to Tratoh, the
next halting stage, over a broad, stony, or dasht plain. This plain is mostly flat,
but undulates and is rough at intervals. It has, in a few places, a small growth
of a shurb called lana, but the most part is absolutely bare. The mirages
one sees in this region are very curious, and in a way help to vary the monotony
of the otherwise dismal scenery. Their occurrence is frequent. Sometimes the
view in the distance appears like a grand harbour, sometimes like a great lake,
but, as one approaches nearer these fine sights, they vanish with tantalizing effect,
and leave the natural view, by contrast, all the more intense in its dreariness.
At the 5th mile west of Chahsundan a thin belt of sand hills is met with, also at
the 14th mile. The sand here consists of numerous isolated little hills, varying
in height from about 10 to 40 feet, and running in a general north-west to
south-east direction. They are no doubt a continuation of the great sand desert
further north, and have been blown hither by the prevailing wind, which appears
to be from the north-west. From Tratoh the course is still over a flat stony
plain, in direction a little south of west. At Kondi, the next stage, the sand
again makes its appearance in small quantities. There is here a slight growth of
a small bush called tagaz which is good both for firewood and camelgraz
ing. From Kondi the course turns north-west, and continues on over a bare
flat stony plain. About 3 miles from Mushki Chah some small sand hills are
again met ^\ith. From Mushki Chsh the track continues almost due west over
open stony country, perfectly flat in some places for stretches of from 5 to to
miles. At intervals the ground becomes undulating and irregular, very similar in
form to the surface of water in a smooth, troubled sea. It'would be hard to
imagine a region more complete in desolation than this part of the country
. + This is the same place Makakaf referred to between Mushki Chah and Makak •+ one
m paragraph 4 a of my former report. _ can travel for miles, over a bare baked up
surrace 01 lava stones and sand, without meeting with as much growth of scrub
or anything else, as would fill a matc h box. From Makak the course to Ladis
• Vide also photographs Nos. 23, 24 and 25 in Appendix III of this reportT”