THE DESERT MAIL.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 135, 9 June 1926, Page 12

THE DESERT MAIL.

FROM DAMASCUS TO DAGDAD.

HOW A NEW ZEALANDER HAS

CONQUERED

THE MOTOR OUSTS THE CAMEL.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, May 3. "No fewer than three overland motor car routes to Bagdad are practicable, and our Beirut correspondent on another page tells the remarkable story of the resource and courage with which the Nairn Transport Company has faced the difficulties caused by the closing of the Damascus route by the Syrian insurgents, and opened a new, if longer, and more difficult road to Bagdad from Aman, in the Transjordan."

In these words a leading article in today's "Times" speaks of an enterprise due to the initiative of a New Zealander, Mr. Norman Nairn, who, after his service with the New Zealand forces in Palestine on being demobbed, set up a motor company, which, as the "Times" shows, is among the epoch making enterprises of our time. To quote still further from this leader: "When the next history of the Near East is written it is to he ho-ped that the historian will devote at least a chapter to the tale of the conquest of the Syrian desert by the motor car. In pre-war days the length and difficulty of the land journey from Syria or Turkey to Bagdad were proverbial. 'A lover' —so ran the Turkish saying—'does not deem the journey to Bagdad far,' but other men less romantically inclined—officials and soldiers, cautious bankers and careworn merchants — looked upon it as an affair of weary and often dangerous weeks. Few dared to cross the desert from Damascus; the Turkish camel-mail service was abandoned late in the nineteenth century on account of Bedouin hostility. Caravans from the Syrian capital cut across the northern projection of the waste by Palmyra to the River Euphrates, and there struck the Aleppo caravan road which skirts the desert edge for many a long day's journey from Zor to Eamadi. A bold traveller, well mounted and ready to take the risks of meeting marauders with few companions at his back, might reach Bagdad in a fortnight from Aleppo; but trading caravans could not emulate the exploits of Arab riders, and took the best part of a month to reach their goal."

Now things are otherwise. The New Zealand tourist tarrying in Port Said between boats may well make a detour and visit that Mesopotamia which in our childhood was one of the remotenesses one hardly dreamed of ever seeing, even although Messrs. Cook were abroad in the world. An Economic Necessity. The epic of the conquest of the desert deserves further quotation. The Beirut correspondent of the "Times" says:— The desert route to Baghdad, although opened hardly thre years ago, has been so much developed as to become an economic necessity to Syria; indeed, the revolt, with its attendant risks and disorders, has not stopped its use.

The different motor service companies, which may be classified under two groups —the Nairn Transport Company, pioneers of the transdesert route, with an efficient organisation, on the one hand, and the Eastern Transport Company, another enterprising concern, with a few native services, on the other hand—have promptly circumvented the new difficulties, each group in its own way. The Nairn Company, jealous of its reputation for efficiency and safety., and conscious of its responsibilities ac the carriers of the official mails, chose the Amman route, regardless of the heavy losses it was expected to entail in the share of tear and wear of the cars.

The Eastern Transport Company, enjoying, through its French connection; official patronage and support, continued its service through Palmyra, but via Tripolis and Horns, instead of Damascus. The American Service Company; which lately joined the Eastern Transport Company, has followed the same route since November. These two concerns carried on their weekly services without mishap, although at one time the region of Horns was disturbed, and convoys had to put back, following an attack by insurgents.

Now that the French authorities have notified the different motor service companies of- the patrolling of the route between Horns and Palmyra by motor machine guns, and given written assurances of eafety, through the British Consul, to the Nairn Transport Company, the latter has decided to adopt the Tri-polis-Homs-Palmyra route, pending the re-establishment.of normal conditions in the Damascus region.

The Nairn Company's bad luck and conquest of it has been described by us in earlier dispatches, suffice it to say Mr. Nairn had made a trial trip to Bagdad via Amman, in May, 1925, and found that the route, although exceedingly rough in certain parts, was yet practicable. The convoy proceeded forthwith to Amman, an<J arrived at Bagdad four days later, the drivers having cleared 1400 miles. The passengers were so impressed with the prowess of the drivers that they raised a subscription among themselves and presented each driver with a silver cigarette case in commoration of the event. Forty Miles of Desert. It was thanks to the valuable co-opera-tion of the E.A.F. that the "Desert Mail" has been'able to maintain the service in the face of the serious physical difficulties that imposed such heavy strain on the cars. Forty rr.ile3 of desert, strewn with basaltic boulders, as much as 18inch in diameter, and a section of nine miles of drainage ground, with liumos about two yards apart and two feet high, had to be crossed, The latter was dubbed the "Bay of Biscay," ac the cars rolled over it at the rate of five miles an hour, swaying like a ship in a heavy sea. The crank cases of the cars invariably «ot smashed, and the oil ran out. Lam-e quantities of oil had to be carried, and cracks in the sumps were often filled in with chewing gum and soap! It may well be .magined that, during the four months running on the Amman route, the equipment suffered grievously. Seventy-five springs were broken, ten radiators were ruined with vibration, and ten chassis fractured on either side. New sets of tyres were required every second trip.

King Feisal's son, Emir Ghazi, while on his way lately to Harrow School, took the Amman route. The Nairn Transport Company will soon be receiving n Pullman omnibus, which seats 14 passenger* in individual seats, and has washing accommodation. There are two drivers for this vehicle. The chassis is 30ft long, and is driven

by a 110 h.p. six-cylinder engine, has an eight-speed gear box, and a six-wheel bogie suspension, which means that, if the car runs over an 18-inch bump, the chassis rises only 4 inches. The whole car loaded with petrol, passengers, and baggage, has the same pressure per square inch of tyre as the Cadillac cars now used.

If the experiment with thie novel type of vehicle proves succeßsful,""a long stride will be made along the road towards the conquest of the desert. A fleet of siswheel buses would then operate between Damascus and Bagdad, and the section between Damascus and Beirut will continue to be served by the present seven passenger touring cars.

It is noteworthy that the desert route has developed commercial relations between Syria and Iraq and Persia to an extent undreamed of by the pioneers. In spite of the present troubles, fairly large orders for motor cars have been booked by Beirut merchants for account of Persian and Iraq buyers. It is Said that a Persian, who has secured the catering arrangements for the Shah's coronation ceremonies, hae lately bought goods from Beirut for not less than £15.000 in gold

The impWs of high powered motor cars destined for Persian and Iraq buyers have far exceeded those for the Syrian market proper during the revolt, according to information offered to the "Times" correspondent by several agents of American motor car companies, who do the largest business in Syria.