BLAZING A NEW TRAIL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 31 July 1925, Page 10

BLAZING A NEW TRAIL.

IN THE MESOPOTAMIAN DESERT.

AN ALL BRITISH ROUTE

Mr. Norman Nairn, the enterprising New Zealander, who has done so much pioneering work in opening uip the Near East to. motor traffic, and who has since the war carried out Government contracts for carrying of mails, has just opened up a new track across the d'-sert to Bagdad. The importance of this track is that it is an all British route.

It will be recalled that Air. Nairn has already set up a regular weekly service from Damascus to Bagdad, a route which he opened up two years ago, in which he proved the practicability of making the journey from these two ancient biblical cities within the rising and setting of the sun. He has just demonstrated the practicability of an alternative route from Haifa to Bagdad, a distance of 700 .idles through British mandated territory, cleared in 32 hours. Air. Nairn was accompanied in his car on this trip by Wing-Commander AV. H. Primruse, Uhief Air Stalf Officer, Palestine Command. Royal Air Force, and in a Second car Mr. Alurdoeh and <an Air Force sergeant travelled.

The read from Jerusalem to Jericho is go id (says the Time«s) 4 like most Palestine roads, and high speed can be maintained, blit from Jericho to the waits-Jordan frontier i,t is bad, as is also the stretch from, the bridgehead to Els Salt. This stretch, with many -teep gradients, requires widening and .anger curves before it can be called a good motor road. From Amman the track for 15 miles winds through stony wady.s, and in the next section to Kas-r Azta.k four or live wady.s must be crossed, none of which, however, presents serioms difficulties. ,

Kassr Azrak is, owing to a plentiful water supply, .a common camping peace fm the Bedouin tribes. Between Lzrak *tnd .EE Jid there are live or six maul ii-arts, on* dried up lakes, generally bordered by a thick growth ol stunted •aaiel thorn and sage brush which .ometuneis seriously impedes progress. Li 1921 a. long furrow was ploughed lirough the desent to guide the air nail pilots, but normally the Nairn envoys would mot /strike the furrow ui.i:! Rutiba. Welts, which lie .about naif-way between Beirut and Bagdad. (5 mup a red with ~the Beirut-Bagdarl onto, the new line is about 100 miles 'oilier, and although, a« just explained. .some of the initial stages are (mill, and for mime 35 miles of the ’55 miles section between Kasr Azrak’ m ' E! Jid the track is strewn with urge lava, boulders, the route, with some .slight improvement, may well become an alternative line between BagI and the Mediterranean

For some 230 miles between Amman Old Bagdad there .ire normally few vigus of animal life, but, much to the su. ipri.se of the party, a troop of .eight ostriches was met and chased across the dose:it at the rate of 30 miles an hour. One, which must have weighed . about 330!.b, was shot, and the wings were taken as trophies. In other .sections of the route gazelles and foxes abound. - i