The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-08-04
THE isDo.EuRopEAN TELEGRAPH.
How Traycicr Was Surprised in Per-
sia. EnSIand's. Enterprise.
Thomas stevaus in N. Y. sun.l

! Thomas Stevans in N. Y. SUM-
| From tho Belgian coast to far distant
Iudia there stretches one continuous
long row of spieudid iron poles, climb
ing over rugged mountains in the Cau-
casus, stretched out across the level
Persian deserts in long, straight reach
es, protrudipg like black, tapering
stems from the white, glaring sand
waves of Beloochistan. My first ac-
quaintance with this remarkable teie-
graph line was made at Tabreez. In
| riding from Constantinopie, through
Anatoiia and Koordistan, had been
accompanied from time to time by
stretches OF a dilapidatedI Turkish line,
usually one wire mounted on rough
poles, twice as far apart AS they ought
| to be and leaning toward all points OF
| the compass. AT Erzeroum I seemed
10 have got beyond the territory GOV.
cred by the Turkish system, and had
ridden several days. journey into
| Persia.
1t was IL wild, barbarous country
about the Turko- Persian border, in
habi!ed chiefly by nomand Koords,
and ! missed even the occasional wei.
come company OF tho Turkish tele-
graph line. Its disappearance seemed
like casting off the last strand of wes-
tern civilization. At that time l hard
!y expected to see another telegraph
line until l should reach Japan, my
intention being to reach the Pacific
through Turkestan and China.
Sundenly one day, when nearing
Tabreez, saw away off on the desert
a sight that made me blink and rub
my eyes to make sure that 1t was not a
mere optical illusion was looking at.
The deserts Of Persia are famous for
| producing bogus Disadvantages of
lakes and waving palms of lovely cas-
ties and similar fascinating scenes; but
this time it was none of these. Miles
away to the north, seemingly suspend
ed in midair, was a lean long row Of
telegraph poles, straight as a die, even
as the pickets ofa garden fence
AS drew nearer the line assumed
more definite form. Its marvellous
symmetry, I then discovered, was not
the enchantment of distance, but a solid
reality in English iron, with the name
OF the contracting firm stamped on the
poles. Every pole tapering from cir
cumtereuce of twenty inches at the
bottom to six or eight at the top, and
across tha dead level wastes of the
Persian plains set up as evenly and
perpendicularly as they might have
been in Hyde pfrk. Its worth noting,
perhaps, by the way, that the English
always take particular pains to have
everything of this kind very superior
in tho east it is perpetual source of
wonder and admiration to the natives,
Il standing advertisement Of England's 8
wealth, power and ability to the null
tjtude who have no other way Of learn
ing.
From Tabreez I was able 10 follow
this intaliible guido into Teheran.
Often / could see ii stretching ahead of
me mile after mile, the poles so even
that they seemed not 10 vary an inch,
and disappearing in the heavens at the
j. farther end by the curious legerdemain
Of the desert. The :eoIian music of its
triple wires as the desert breeZes played
through them, and the messages flash
cd past from India to England, from
i2ngiand to Iudia-how companion.
able it was, that bit Of civilization in a
barbarOus country, only those who
have been similarly placed know.