Mon 15. [15 May 1905] Up at 2.30 and off at 4 with great regret. Gave the sheikh 2 mej. Our corn for the horses for 5 nights was 15 ps! We got down to the station at 7 and settled up affairs. I then went with Fattuh to Eregli [(Cybistra Heraclea)]. I travelled with the Engineer of the Section Herr Bakkhus. He says the Greeks and Armenians are never to be trusted in the long run without a European superintendant. They always end by embezzlement. The govt ought to wish the line to be built on to Adana [(Seyhan, Ataniya)] as it wd then connect with the sea and become useful and the indemnity over the mts is no higher than for the cheap bit across the plain. As soon as it gets to Adana they will run twice a week a through train night and day. They hope to run the whole line by petroleum when they get down to the wells. They have already made experiments with engines which have proved successful. The part between Urfa [Sanliurfa (Edessa)] and Mosul [Mawsil, Al] will be very difficult as it lies over sand. The rails will be laid on the sand, but continually will have to be filled up with cement which will be very expensive. There is a scheme for running the water from Bey Sheher Lake [Beysehir Gˆl¸] down into the Konia [Konya (Iconium)] plain but he thinks the completion of it is far off. With water all the plain is immensely fertile. Got to Eregli at 12 and drove to the hotel kept by the Blancs an un....... place but it proved clean. Eregli is a hole and it was very hot. I stayed indoors all the afternoon and went out after tea. Wonderful gardens and a nice minaret with bands of blue on it. A big vaulted building near it which is now barracks. Dined with one Schreider who is trying to buy land here for the purpose of growing almonds, a most profitable industry, but so far he has not advanced much. I promised to write a picture postcard to Rosa Blanc. They are Austrian Jews.