A FORGOTTEN PROJECT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 201, 14 May 1918, Page 6

A FORGOTTEN PROJECT

THE EUPHRATES RAILWAY

LIGHT ON THE CAMPAIGN IN

MESOPOTAMIA

(By Major C. J. C. Street, E.G.A., author of "With the Guns," etc., per favour of the ltoyal Colonial Institute.)

Tho recent advance of tho British troops in Mesopotamia tup tho Valley of tho Euphrates makes it worth while to consider the significant of this great river, which played so notably a part in ancient history, but which has recently so declined in importance ne to bo merely a name to most people. The Euphrales rises in the lioart of Armenia, from two sources: one a few miles northeast of Eiv.cnim, tho other near Lake Van. The united stream passes through tho Taurus Mountains in a succession of cataracts, and thence in a south-wester-ly direction *o Bir (Blrijik), at which point it is not more than a hundred miles from the shores of tho Mediterranean. It then flows south i=nd southeast till it joins the Tigris at Basra, from which both flow together into the Persian Gulf. , The modern significance ol the river is very largely due to it* near approach to the Mediterranean. It tes long been seen that, with a link with Mjco Levantine port, tho Euphrates would form tn< chariest route from Europe to India and tho East. A railway fo'Uw:;'.,- tnw ij-we would n.ake the journey fr-.'/n MB'?™ to Karachi i>. thousand miles shorter tinny way of Suez. Against tho i ailway may bis set the necessity for IrAnsjiipwE..'., and the fact, so far os Engitcd is concerned, that, its protection is a matte of military power, while tne- *«**£** of the Su.« route was wwf «d'J««'l a matter of naval power. In thib connection it is as well to remember that he operations in Palustine were in he fint Place undertaken to .atcguard the Sl |f is C natiiral that Germany, necking a route to the East, should have favoured hconstruction of a railway, and one moreover that required no eoa-po ei at all for its protection. By the coml ultion of a railway from Haito la*ha. on the Asiatic coast opposite Cons.t.mti no-ilc to Bagdad, with a posub e euW nt extension to Kowe t, she hoped to p'rovido her commerce.with a routa aroidii" the sea, upon which Britain was s>"I "eme .The Bagdad railway was the oXme of this scheme, but, even had it be Completed, it would have. w. . lown-route than that follows the Euphrates valley. . ~ „ It was General (then Captain) l<. E. Chesu y" of the British Boya Artillery, who fust proved the practicability of tne Eunlrates route. In 1831 lie descended tho Bnphrotes. and in 1535 an expedition was sent out under his command to fnvesft the possibility o developing the Euphrates itself as a navigable channel Tho expedition landed, at Seleuc.a (Siieidie) at the mouth, of the Oronte,, ind tausported two steamers iu sections to'Bir, on the Euphrates. Hero they put the steamers together and launched them, and after a eeries of adventures reached the mouth of the rivor. thereby proving that it was already n vi-able and could be made into a commercial highway by judicious dralg--lUThe development of railways pointed to the fact that the construction ol a hue following the river would aflortl netti'i facilities for transport U«" tho nvei itself. In ISSG a company was lormed for the construction ol such a railway, and a concession obtained irom tne ouitan. Such a high authority (is Do Lessens expressed himself as strongly in favour of the scheme. But there wero three objections to tlia construction. of the line. The preparations for cutting the Sues Canal had already been made, the railway was not expected to pay lor the cost of its uonstruction, estimated.ai ten million pounds sterling, and it was thought that the intense heat of Mesopotamia would prevent the conveyance of troops during a considerable, part of the vrar. These three objections prevailed, and tho project was allowed to fall through. The recent British advance towards Hit marks another step from Bagdad up tho valley of the Euphrates. A more or less prncticablo road exists from the latter town, which lies on the Tigris, to tho Euphrates valley in the vicinity of Fcliija, whence it follows the line of the river as far as Batis. From here it strikes oft' to the westward, and leads to Aleppo. The Turkish telegraph line to Basdiid follows the same route. The distance from Hit to Aleppo is throe hundred and seventy-five miles in a direct line, while from .Terusalem to Aleppo is ahout three hundred miles. \lHiohrli tie advance up the Euphrates valley has not yet assumed the form of a direct threat to Aleppo, thero can be no doubt tji.tt the Turks will be compelled to detnrh troops from their army resisting General Alleuby's advance in Palestine, or at all events to divert reinforcements intended for that army, for the purpose of disputing! any further British advance along tho Euphrates.