Wichita eagle., 1888-08-05
THE iNOO-EURoPeAN TELEGRAPH
How Traveller Was Surprised In Persia.
EnEiand's Enterprise.

From the Belgian coast to far distant In
dia there stretches one continuous long row
OF splendid iron poles, climbing over rugged
mountains in the Caucasus stretched out
| across the level Persian deserts in long,
straight reaches, protruding like black, Ia
pering stems from tho white, glaring sand
waves of Beloochistas Ny first acquaint-
snce with THIS remarkable telegraph line
Vas made ne Tabreez. In riding from Con-
stsnt-eeyle, through Auatolia aud Koordis-
tan, had been accompanied from tine to
time by stretches OF dllapidated Turkish line.
usually one wire mounted 90 rough pccS.
twice us far apart as they ought to be and
leaning toward all points " the compass.
AT Erzeroum ! seemed to have got beyond
The territory covered by the Turkish system,
and had ridden several days journey into
Persia
IL was wild, barbarous country about the
Turko- Persian border, inhabited chiefly by
nomad koords, and missed oven the occa-
slonal welcome company of the Turkish tcis-
graph line. Its d:sappearance seemed Ike
casting Off tho asst strand Of western civili-
.ation. AT tnat time / hardly expected 70
see another telegraph line until | shouli
reach Japan, my intention being 10 reach tho
Pacific through TurkeStan snd China.
Suddenly one day, when bearing Tabreez.
l cav away of on the desart sight that
made me ollnk and rub my eyes 10 make
surS that it was not u mere optical illusion I
was king at. Tho deserts OF Persia are
famous for Producing bogus objects miraGes
cI lakes and waving palms of lovely castles
aid similar fascinating scenes; bat this time
IL Wa none Of these. Miles away 10 the
north, seemingly suspended in mida;r, WA I,
league long row Of telegraph poles, straight
Us die, even as the pickets of garden
fence
As drew nearer the line assumed moro
definite form. lis marvellous symmetry, |
then discovered, was not the enchantment IL
distance, but q solid reality In English iron,
with the name of the contracting firm
stamped on the poIeA Every pole tapering
from a circumference Of twenty inches 1t
the bottom TO AK OF eight at tho top, and
across the dead level wastes OF tho Persian
plains set up as evenly and perpendicuIaTly
as they might have been in Hyde park /. IA
worth noting, perhaps, by the way, that the
English always take particular pains T. have
everything of tEis kind Tery superior In the
east; 10 is a i-rpstual source o. 40 Ider and
admiration 10 the nStisos, stInj ~ adver-
csement Of EnS!aud's wealth, ;o.er AID
ability 10 the multitude who nave no other
way OF learning
From Tabreez I was able 10 follow this in
failibls guide into Teheran- Often could
5ee II stretching ahead OF me mile utter mile,
the poles 50 oven that they seemed not to vary
an inch, and disappearing IN the heavens at
the farther end by tie curious .eserdefnain
Of the desert The ssollan music or Its triple
wires a. the desert breeses played through
them. and the messages aashed past from
India TO En- liard, from England 70 India
ho~ corapaHionsble 10 VA. that ut Of civill-
zaion in a barbarous country, only those
who have been similarly placed know
Thomas Stevens Ia New York SUI