The Kandahar Railway. Note by Sir Andrew Clarke. Reprinted from
"Proceedings of the Institute of Civil Engineers." Published at the Institution, 25 Groat George Street, Westminster.—All who desire to know what can really be done in the way of rapid con- struction of railways, should read this account of Sir Andrew Clarke's successful attempt to construct a fair-weather military railway from Snkkur, on the Indus, towards Quetta, in Bel000histan, for a distance of 133} miles. Sir Andrew, foreseeing that this railway would be re- quired in 1877-78, took measures to restore the great Kneemere Dyke, the series of embankments which for seventy miles, from Zukkur to Kuesmere, ought to protect Scinde from the overspill of the Indus. They did not protect it, but they do now, the new works not only shielding the railway, but forcing the Indus to keep its channel, to the immense benefit of Scinde. He also made arrange- ments for the collection of materials so carefully, that within four months of the issue of the order (September 18th, 1879), a railway 1331 miles long, with 30 miles of sidings, or in all1631 miles, had been opened for military traffic, at a cost of less than 24,600 a mile. This rail- way was laid the whole way through jungle and desert, so utterly without water, or provisions, or shelter, that a water-train was kept in reserve with 8,000 gallons on board ; that the railway-waggons had to be used as movable shops, with every kind of store; and that the labourers were housed in mat villages, erected every three miles. The ground was, no doubt, an " absolutely smooth plain," and the men were kept to their work by the conditions of the desert ; but the work required an amount of foresight, care, and organisation through- out the extent of the guaranteed railways which reflects the highest credit on the engineers employed, and especially on their chief, Sir Andrew Clarke, then Member of Council, with control of Public Works. The details are of curious interest, and suggest, among other things, that in a country where the first expense is supervision, excessively rapid construction is far from extravagant. It is to be hoped this railway will be utilised for trade, even though we must give up political control in Candahar ; or perhaps, if Afghanistan becomes orderly, it can be finished to Candahar itself, to which it would bring commerce and prosperity.
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