'The Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society. From January 1863 to December 1864. (Edited by the Secretary.) Volume XVII.' [‎211] (384/524)

diitkm
we ^ m, tlit
the cable coil
)ugh the short Ini
unobjectionable, |
considerable aint
rthern extreme, toi
dge is quite opeit
stionof height all
cultv of tapo®
obtainable at a it
,ve tobeobtaiods
from the pre*
:edat anytime® 1
ected by us seems t
,ve the villi?* 1,1
M ),andiis^
11 giDConveni» tl ! ,,
FROM RAS JASHK TO BASRAH. 211
water. None but very small fishing boats visit it. The path up the
hill hence to A1 Haraf is very rugged at present, although the Arabs
manage to carry up sacks of dates ; we traversed it in 30 minutes. No
attempt has been made to improve it in any way, and I think a good
footpath might be made at a moderate expense. From Ras as Sheikh
a carriage road might be made up the long slope with ease; the little
sandy bays at the Northern tip of the promontory affords good landing
only in moderate weather. The distance from A1 Hanch to Khasab is
21 miles, and can always be traversed in a small boat.
Line from Al Hanch to the Isthmus .—The cable, on leaving Hanch
Cove, would be carried back side by side with the other, making a cir
cuit, as shown, to avoid the anchoring ground in Khasab Bay, crossing
that bay in 20 to 24 fathoms, and thence up Khor as Shem (least
depth in the entrance 14 fathoms, deepening inside to 16 fathoms) to
the landing place on the Isthmus, as shown. The two ends should, so
far as they lie side by side on leaving Al Hanch Cove, be I think
‘ married’ or fastened together, and laid simultaneously, to give greater
strength in the event of being fouled, and also to reduce the chances of
such an accident.
Buoys in Khor as Shem .—The narrow entrance to Khor as Shem
must be buoyed temporarily to ensure the cable being laid in the
deepest water: such a set of buoys, say water casks painted red for
port, and green for starboard, could be laid down in a day, or a number
of boats anchored. The bottom across Khasab Bay is fine sand, at the
entrance of the inlet it is hard, and afterwards all mud, until quite close
to the landing place.
Size of Cable .—I do not think anything larger than the 6 -ton
cable would be required, and this should be carried to a point 2 miles
North of Ras as Sheikh.
Supplies .—Khasab has plenty of good water, owing to its situation at
the mouth of the largest valley in the Ruweis al Jebal, there is a very
extensive date grove; some vegetables are grown, also corn, &c. If
there were a demand, any quantity of these latter could be raised.
Sheep and cattle, poultry, eggs, butter, milk, &c., are procurable. I
do not in the least doubt that the question of supplies will offer no
difficulty. There are plenty of men, as at Basidah, and other places