Page 71 - Gulf Precis (VII)_Neat

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14,6. The navigation of tho upper Karun abovo the Ahwaz rapids was to
External A.. March 1890, Noe. 125-20. and Canon’. 1)C WOl'kcd Up by the Persian Government
' 1’crtia * Volume II. page 35G. and for tllis purpOSQ OnC Of UlC t\VO ships
constituting the Persian Navy, tho Susa (tho sister ship being JPersrpolis), was
towed to tho other side of tho rapids, in January I860. Prom the description
given in Curzon’s ‘Persia* it appears that it served no other purposo thau taking
Nizam-os-Sultanoh up and down tlio river, as her draught of water was too groat
to allow of her being used as a cargo boat, cxcopt when the water was high.
She was pilotod and steered by Arabs, under the guidance of an Engineer,
a Turk from Baghdad, quito now to tho river.
14i7. Tho Blossc Lynch was found to bo too long for abrupt bends and
zigzags of the Karun and of too deep a
Curzon'a Tenia' Voluino II, page 334.
draught to pass over shoals in low water.
She was therefore after running for some months replaced by tho Shushan,
a smaller stern wheel boat, with three rudders. The Shushan was subsequent­
ly taken up the Upper Karun, as one of the gift steamers to tho Shah.
Tho Blossc Lynch was again placed in tho lower Karun, but in 1891 made
room for a now paddle wheel steamer, the S. S. Malamir, of tho sarao general
design as, but slightly smaller than, tho steamers on the Tigris. This steamer
was better suited for the navigation of the Karun and attracted soon a larger
passenger and goods traffic.
Id-8. One of the concessions which tho Shall of Persia sought in complying
with the British demand for opening the
Pro. No. 74-A iu Secret E., January 1889, Nos. 45-90.
Karun river, was the present of two
steamers for service on the upper Karun from Ahwaz to Shuster. Sir
Drummond Wolff thought that they might be turned to great advantage, by
building them so as to be easily armed by arms to be kopt at Busbiro and by
using them in case of necessity. He submitted at the same time an extract
from Colonel Bell’s military report on the south-west of Persia:—
“The city of Shuster, situated on the Karim River, about 25 miles abovo Ahwaz, occupies
a site important both politically and commercially; politically on account of its natural mili­
tary strength, its geographical position with regard to the tribes of Arabs occupying tho
coast plains to the foot of the hills and the Niyal tribes of Lurs, Bakhtiuris, Kashgai,
Kubgelu, &c., occupying the mountainous country extending to the line Burujird-Ispahan, all
more or less disaffected towards their Persian masters; the pressure which the possibility
of its occupation by troops could not fail to bring on the Teheran Court, and tho paramount
influence which would follow on the establishment of firm relations there: Commercially, the
town is important as the natural emporium of the trade by the Karun route.”
14,9. In November 1888 3Ier Majesty’s Government proposed to offer to
the Shah two steam tugg for service above
Secret E., November 1888, Nos. 183-184.
Ahwaz, the cost of which was estimated
at 10,000 pounds sterling each. Messrs. Lynch Brothers undertook to pay half
the cost if the British Government paid the other half. The Government of
India was asked if they would contribute £ 5,000. It was thought that
commercially India had no intorest in tho Karun River navigation, but that
political considerations justified the expenditure. The Government accordingly
accepted the charge. As a matter of fact only one vessel was offered ultimately,
which tho Shah took rather a long time to accept (seo Chapter V, paragraphs
167, .168).
150. In behalf of the Persian Foreign Office, a Persian Agont (Karguzar)
was appointed to reside at Mohammerab for the purpose of enforcing the
regulations. An offioinl was also posted at Ahwaz to perform similar functions
under the Amin-es-Sultan’s Department. IIow tho Karguzar at Mohammerab
used or rather abused his functions we shall see in the next chapter.
151. In connection with tho opening of the Karun, it was considered use­
ful to examine the Bahmishir river, which formed the old obannel of the
Karun, and in December the Residency Steamer Lawrence ascended the
Bahmishir for about 20 miles. Subsequently, Captain Butterworth descended
from Mohammerab to the sea by the Bahmishir in a launch and took soundings.
This river was then navigable for some 30 miles from its mouth by ocean steamers
of light draught; but tlio channel leading to the mouth was found tortuous,
and there was a shallow sand-bank to bo crossed to reach it.