'Report on the Preliminary Survey of The Route for The Central Persia Telegraph Line from Quetta to Bam and Pahra' [‎61r] (126/162)

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APPENDIX II.
An explanatory Note.
In paragraph No. 4 of a memorandum by Mr. Ffinch, the Director-in-Chief
Indo-European Telegraph Department, No. I. E.-956, dated 15th November
1899, the following is written :—
“ I think it is to be regretted that Mr. Armstrong did not travel by the southern
route on his return journey to Quetta, as he might then have come to a different conclu
sion as to the practicability of constructing the line.'’
With reference to this paragraph, I have been directed to state in this report
my reasons for not surveying the route south of the Koh-i-Sultan during my
journey from Ladis to Quetta in 1899. In doing this I will at the outset invite,
a perusal of three letters, copies of which marked A., B. and C. respectively, are
given below.
It will be seen from these letters that the possibilities of a route existing
south of the Koh-i-Sultan had not escaped my notice. In the early part of 1899,
however, the country south of this mountain had not attained the importance
which now attaches to it, in fact it was not then considered to possess any feasible
route at all. I decided to explore it on my own initiative, and how I was forced
to abandon my attempt will appear from the following narrative.
After our arrival at Mirjawa, close to Ladis, in February 1899, the Political
A-ssistant, Chagai, in compliance with my request for three reliable guides and
the necessary escort, deputed six men to accompany me on my journey east.
These men were of a very nondescript class, and were of all ages from 12
to 50 years ; five of them were altogether unarmed, and one possessed an old
matchlock gun, more a thing of ornament than of use. My party was a very
small one, consisting of Sub-Inspector Ainuddin Khan, and a few servants, with
7 baggage, and 3 riding, camels. I had started from Quetta in company with
Captains Webb Ware and Roome, and Messrs. Tate and Vredenburg, and I
never anticipated I would have to separate myself from them except perhaps for
a few days at a time. I therefore made no special arrangements for carrying
separate supplies, but was dependent for what I required on the General Camp
Mess, and Commissariat. I need hardly say that Camp stores were not in
abundance in the middle of February, after a three months’ drain on them.
Hence it happened that, when separating myself from the main party at
Mirjawa, I took with me sufficient rations, estimated to last for about 11 days,
during a rapid journey to Dalbandin, where I knew some supplies had been
deposited. I had with me the means of carrying sufficient drinking water to last
my party for about one day, or with economy for two days, not including any
drink for camels. I was possessed of no maps of the country. I had asked for
these before leaving Quetta, but I was told that there would be considerable
delay in getting them, and was directed to make any tracing of one necessary
for my guidance. This I did, but the information it recorded of the country
south of the Koh-i-Sultan was, I regret to say, very vague. Considering my
general equipment, it will be seen that I was not well prepared for any hazardous
exploration. We left Mirjawa on the 21st February 1899. Our first march of
15 miles to Juzhak was an easy one. From Juzhak we had to face an uninhabi
ted barren desert; for about 48 miles no water was to be met with until
Duz^hi would be reached. Our second march for about 24 miles was all right ;
there was no track marked out, so we had only to keep an approximate direction
towards Duzghi, and we could drop anchor, so to speak, whenever we felt
inclined to; one place in this desert was as good as another, as there was no
water or decent camel grazing anywhere. Our third march, however, was more
important. At the end of our long 24 miles we expected to find the harbour of
Duzghi, where a small spring of water existed. The quality of this water was
not good, as the analysis of it, which I quoted in paragraph 4a of my last
report will show, but, in the country we were placed in, it was of priceless value.
I had * sent on all the baggage camels at 10 o’clock at night, so that they
might arrive at Duzghi early, and obtain drink, as they had had none the day
previous. I started at 8 o’clock the following morning riding a pony, with Sub-
Inspector Ainuddin Khan and one guide on a riding camel, and one servant and