The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1938-01-20
DIR. REEVES TRAVELS IN
PERSIA SEARCHING FOR OIL
Local GeOlOgist Writes Enter
tainingly From An Historic
Part OF The World
To the Editor of The Republican.

received by the Rev. David e. Irlmble
rector of St. Matthews Episcopal
church. 1t was written by Dr. Frank
Reeves, well-known resident of Yough-
iogheny Forest, south of Oakland, who
is now engaged in oil research by the
Amiranian Oil Company of Theran,
Persia. The letter follows in part:
Necbed, Iran, Dec. S, 1897.
I am leaving my interesting work
and am seeing a great deal of rugged
mountainous country. have travelled
over ten thousand miles by car and
one OF two thousand on horses, mules,
donkeys, and camels.
We arrived in Theran, the capital of
Persia, in early June. The 18th of
June my party left for the field,
eqipped with two cars, a lot of camp
gear and two native helpers. My right
hand assistant is Bennett Frank Bine,
a graduate student and instructor at
Harvard-a very pleasant and capable
geologist. Walter Wilson, whom 1 eX-
pected to join me shortly after | got
going, was delayed in the States be-
cause he was British subject. He
only recently got his permit to enter
this country and is now on his way to
Persia and will join me in about
week
Since leaving Theran. nearly six
months ago, we have been constantly
on the move making geological surveys
through the Elburz mountains of
northern Persia and in the deserts of
Central Persia. For two months we
Travelled with pack horses in the re-
mote mountain districts along the
Afghan and Russian borders.
At one frontier fort | was held up
for few days, suspected of being a
Russian spy. l had left our base camp
and taken four days trip there to
examine reported oil seep and left
my interpreter behind with Bine and
also forgotten my papers. | had some
difficulty in prevailing upon the Dor
der police to let me go. They finally
allowed me to return to camp under
guard. When they saw my papers they
released me.
Bine and l often take long trips on
horseback and sometimes travel with
out anything except our bed rolls. On
such trips we pick up the language
much faster than when we have our
interpreter with US. The natives are
very friendly and hospitable, espec-
Tally the semi-nomadic tribes that live
in the open during the summer and
fall weather. These consist chiefly OF
Turkomans, Kurds and Beluchii.
The Persian peasant live in small
villages, consisting of a closely packed
cluster of small huts, encircled usu-
ally by a high wall to protect them
formerly from the raids of the wild
Turkoman tribes. The huts and walls,
also fences, and most everything used
for shelter, are made of mud and sun
died brick. Some of the villages are
very old and are built on the ruins Of
still older villages. Around the viii
lagos are small irrigated fields of
grain-wheat, barley, cotton and rice.
Considerable fruit is grown and great
quantities Of melons.
Outside of these small irrigated
areas the country is treeless and APP
pears barren, but a scattered growth
of sage brush and some dried tufts of
grass support numerous flocks OF
sheep, goats, and camels. There is also
considerable amount of wild game,
such as gazelles, big horn sheep, wild
hogs and mountain goats. There are
also many wolves, jackals and Loop
ards. have shot some Of these ami
mails with a % rifle bought at McIn-
tires in Oakland. With larger guage
rifle | could shoot all kaads of big
game Last week ran into two Loop
ards and had try at them with %,
but shot from my saddle and missed
them, fortunately. They are ugly Gus
toners when wounded.
Winter is approaching and the
weather is getting a bit rough, with
snow and ice, making it necessary for
us to find shelter in native houses and
caravansaries. During the summer it
was very hot, but the fall months were
ideal for field work.
1t rains very seldom here-a bit OF
snow and rain falls in the winter.
For five months we slept in the open
without any shelter except possibly
the shade of a tree it we could find
one. There are usually few trees
growing along the irrigation bitches
and below springs. In some of the
mountain gorges there are beautiful
GASES of trees growing along clear
mountain streams. These streams are
often conducted for niles down to
good farming lands in the deserts
through underground canals, some
times hundreds of feet below the sur
face of the ground. The Persians and
Arabs are very skillfui in building