"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الجزء II. ج. ج. لوريمر. ١٩١٥" [‎٢‎٤‎٠‎٧] (١٢٦٢/٩٢٤)

^56
2407
the Persian telegraphs. By the end of January 1865 direct commun5^
cation had been established between Tehran and Baghdad; but the
Turkish operators at first refused to receive messages coming from the
Persian side.
On the Tehran-Bushehr section the working of the new line was
for some months obstructed^, and at one time altogether prevented^ by
the opposition of Persian officialdom. The Persian Minister of Public
Works at Tehran caused an instrument at Shiraz which was under
the control of British operators to be disconnected in order to prevent
their holding communication with Bushehr^ and on a protest being
made by Major Champain, the British Director^ against the issue of
such orders without any reference to himself, the wire between Shiraz
and Bushehr was actually cut under the orders of the Minister^ and at
Isfahan the Persian authorities attempted to take forcible possession
of the apparatus in charge of the British employes at that place.
The Director thereupon ordered the removal of the instruments from
Shiraz and Isfahan^ caused those at Tehran to be disconnected^ and
referred the whole dispute for diplomatic settlement. The result was
satisfactory. The Persian Government apologised for the action of
their officials at Isfahan_, and agreed that, while the Persian Minister
of Public W orks should continue to be regarded as the head of al]
telegraphs in Persia^ he should issue no instructions affecting the
Tehran-Bushehr and Tehran-Khanaqin lines without the cognisance
and consent of the British Director. It was arranged that from the
date of resumption of communication with India the control of the
telegraph offices and the working of the lines should remain in the
tands of the British staff for a period of 5 months^ on the expiration
of which it should be transferred to the Persian staff ; only one British
Engineer officer and two assistants being thereafter retained at Tehran^
in a consultative capacity^ for a farther period of 10 months.
The political difficulties were thus finally removed; but it was
now found thai, in the interval during which communication between
Shiraz and Bushehr had been suspended^ very serious damage had been
done to that section of the line by villagers and travellers^ and by the
Iliyat (or nomadic Persian tribes) in migrating from their summer
seats in the hills to their winter quarters near the coast. Over a space
of 20 miles between Shiraz and the Kutal-i-Dukhtar the line had been
almost totally destroyed; many of the poles had been removed
and used for firewood; the wire itself had been cut into pieces or thrown
down; and out of BOO consecutive insulators only 20 remained intact.
Part of the damage was attributed to the misbehaviour and bad example
of a Kashkai chief named 'Ali Khan Baig, who himself broke an
insulator by a shot from his gun. The Persian Government^ whose
misunderstanding with the British telegraph officials had by this time
been adjusted^ ordered the condign punishment of the offenders ; and
ttie measures taken resulted in the arrest of ; Ali Khan Baig, who was
kept in durance for two months and was not released until he
jiad disgorged 1/J00 Tumans by way of fine and ) ^500 Tumans more
in bribes to the persons employed for his punishment. Before this
salutary example had been made., however ; the amount of damage done
Friction with
the Persian
Government,
1864-65.
Wanton
mischief by
nomads,
1864-65.