ORDEAL AFTER CRASH

Taranaki Daily News, 11 October 1928, Page 5

ORDEAL AFTER CRASH

LIFE IN PERSIAN DESERT HEAT, DROUGHT AND INSECTS. DUCHESS' GREAT ADVENTURE. Captain C. D. Barnard, who made a. forced landing at Bushire, Persia, on June 13, when attempting to fly to India in four days with the Duchess of Bedford in the airplane Princess Xenia, forwarded a telegram to the London Daily Express. He said: — The Duchess of Bedford, in a most sportsmanlike manner, has declined to abandon the flight, despite the trying heat and general discomfort caused through being stranded here. We have been kindly looked after, however, by Sir Lionel Haworth —the Political Resident of the Persian Gulf —and by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, who arranged a most interesting visit to the oil fields. It is difficult to describe this wonderful hive of industry, situated, as it is, in the mountains, and surrounded on all sides by hundreds of miles of barren desert. The bungalows are comfortable, with their supplies of ice and water, electric fans, a bathing pool, tennis courts, and even a golf course. There are macadam roads with the native policemen in smart uniforms controlling the traffic at dangerous points, and a splendidly-equipped hospital, with its staff of cheery English nurses. AN AWE-INSPIRING SPECTACLE Some of the .wells are 5000 ft deep in the ground. The surplus gas in these wells is burnt off on the hillsides, affording at night a most awe-inspiring spectacle—lighting up the mountains for miles around—accompanied by an intermittent roaring sound resembling a heavy sea breaking on rocks. The heat is terrific. It is possible to fry eggs in the sun. Water, even in the houses, comes so hot through the tap that one cannot wash in it. We aro told that in winter the climate is delightful. Flowers and fruit grow in profusion. Our journey to the oilfields was over the desert from Abadan—the rock on the River Shat-el-Arab. The only signs of life on this baking motor-ear ride were camels, lizards and thousands of sand grouse. Basra is the centre of the date-grow-ing industry. The native boats, painted blue, resemble gondolas bearing enormous bunches of red dates, which are now just ripening. It is difficult to find a redeeming feature in Bushire. The damn heat is terribly trying and unhealthy, and the town itself its a ramshackle, smelly port, peopled by Persians, Jews, Armenians, coal-black natives from Zanzibar, Arabs, and a small sprinkling of Europeans. Highway robbery is of daily occurrence in the wild districts areund Bushire. Motor cars and donkeys and camel caravans arc constantly being attacked by marauding tribes of bandits, ■who live in the mountains. RAVAGES BY ROBBERS. The roads at present aro far from safe for travellers. Our host, Mr. Parkyn, sent a consignment of gramophones by caravan last week .to Shiraz, a town in the interior of Persia. The caravan was held up by robbers, a few valuables were taken and the gramophones were smashed to pieces and left strewn on the roadside. Only a few days ago a car was looted and burned after the bandits had fired 200 rounds at it! Few people bathe here. For one thing, the sea is too ho' and it brings on prickly heat—from which painful ailment I am suffering at present—and there are sharks to be considered. Every crawling insect appears to flourish here—betties, scorpions, spiders —including the deadly tarantula —ants by the million, horrible green centipedes which have the unpleasant habit of digging their numerous feet 'into one’s flesh, locusts, and many other detestable things. There are many species of beautiful birds. I wish I could adequately describe the beautiful blue jay, quite common here, with its wonderfully vivid blue plumage, or the roller, bright green and red. The Duchess of Bedford flew to Ispahan, a beautiful town in the centre of Persia, 5600 ft above sea level, by a special Junkers airplane on Friday. She is staying there a week. We expect to fly home in four days, from Karachi via Bushire, Aleppo, ‘ Sofia and Croydon—--4400 miles.