MOUNTAIN ROAD BUILDING

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22308, 24 January 1938, Page 12

MOUNTAIN ROAD BUILDING

NEW ZEALANDER'S WORK MANY DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME The building of a 120 mile road across the rugged Zagros mountain range from Northern Iraq to Persia, involving work in charge of 1000 men who spoke six different languages was described in an interview by Captain A. M. Hamilton the well-known New Zealand engineer and author of the popular book, "Road Through Kurdistan," who recently spent two months' furlough in Hie South Island. The road, he said, was built in a climate of extreme heat in summer, and cold in winter. The Zagros range was 12,000 feet high in several places and the highest pass through which the road went was GOOOft in height. Though there were no tunnels, the road in the gorges had frequently to be half-tunnelled, and the overhanging rock left resembled Hawk's Crag in the Bullcr Gorge.

Modern rock-drilling apparatus, steam rollers, stone crushers, and other machinery had to be introduced into those remote lands, and natives had to be trained to them. They were slow at iirst, but became remarkably dependable in time. On taking charge of the work Captain Hamilton was laced with the diiliculty of having to use at least six languages, none of which he knew. He had an Italian supervisor, Kurdish. Turkish, Armenian, and Assyrian, were spoken regularly, and occasionally there was Russian, French, or Hindustani. "After a while," said Captain Hamilton. "I munaged to speak Kurdish and Arabic —at least well enough to get the work done."

Tlil' strength of the working force varied, but often there were as many as 1000 men on the job. With all those men under him Captain Hamilton had no labour troubles, though often risings and rebellions against the Government broke out in the adjacent districts. At first the Kurds were suspicious of the road, but as it progressed they began to realise what it would mean to them, and became very helpful. The road was finished to good standard of modern construction, the minimum width being 18 feet.

Captain Hamilton began his book. "Road Through Kurdistan." which is now being widely read in England and in New Zealand, at the suggestion of the Kurds themselves.

Before he went to Iraq, Captain Hamilton worked for two years in the British Admiralty on designing the Singapore naval base. On his return to England he worked at the designing of aeroplane hangars and bridges for the War Office and the Air Ministry He has subsequently held a temporary commission in the Royal Engineers with whom he has been serving in Egypt and Palestine.