The Main Roads of Cyprus

A Η Κ MONO(TRAPH Η or Θ Ο THE MAIN ROADS ΙOF CYPRUS Λ rn"\TPTT;ED BY ΙΒ C, V.Β BELLAMY, TEOR0L0GJ< i:TY, FELLOW OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. niRECK Η PUBLIC WORKS, CTPRUIS. Κ ΙΑPURLISTIET) BY ^^'^TTORITY. Ρ Π rypRL s. iVEBNMEXT PRIXTT Υ iJMi;;. Κ Η Κ Η Θ ΙΟ Λ ΙΒ Β Η Κ ΙΑ Ρ Π Υ Κ Η Κ Η Θ ΙΟ Λ ΙΒ Β Η Κ ΙΑ Ρ Π Υ THE MAIN A Κ MOIÔGKAPH EOADS OF CYPRUS. OF Η Κ Η Θ ΙΟ Λ ΙΒ Β Η Κ ΙΑ Ρ Π Υ Κ -s^^ c.f.^- Η Κ MONOGRAPH Η OF Θ THE MAIN ROADS OFΙ ΟCYPRUS Λ COMPILED BY ΙΒ C. Y. BELLAMY, M. mST. O.B., FELLOW OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAΒ L SOCIBTT, FELLOW OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIBTT. DIRBCTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, CYPRUS. Η ^^^—A^l^gâncu—, I IIBAIOeHKH Κ ? .J±£U^B- ' PUBLISHEΑ D BY AUTHORITY: Ι 3«^.\o^SbS'2> êu Ρ CYPRUS: PRINTEΠ D AT THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, NICOSIA. Υ 1903. Κ Η Κ Η Θ ΙΟ Λ ΙΒ Β Η Κ ΙΑ Ρ Π Υ Κ INTRODUCTION. Η IN the following pages certain information has been got together relating Κto the Main Roads of Cyprus, the whole length of which as they exist to-day and are described hereinafter has been constructed daring the British Administration of the Country. Η The Retrospect, in the absence of any available records for the two previous years, commences with the year 1880 and has been brought down to the 31st March, 1901. It has been compiled from Blue Book Reports, froΘm Office Records and othei' similar sources. It consists in a series of abstracts of Reports framed by previous Heads of the Public Works Department, etc., aud constitutes a brief historical record of the progress of road making and of thosΟe enterprises which have led to the development of the country by the improvemenΙ t in the means of communication. So far as these records go they shew that upwardΛs of £195,000 has been spent upon Roads, Construction and Maintenance, during the 21 years under review, without reference to other Public Works of various kinds. During the two pre vious years considerable sums were spent upon Βsimilar enterprises and it is pro bable that the total amount approaches the ΙSUTI of £200,C00. Save for a very small percentage spent upon tools and other imported articles the whole of this sum has been spent within the Island andΒ has been distributed over all parts of it. There is no enterprise under the Hea d of Public Works which is of so great benefit to so large a number of persons—chiefly of the labouring classes, probably the most deserving of any—than that of road making. The demand in all parts of the Island is for " Roads " andΗ as the cry has been, and is, responded to with that generosity which is the first characteristic of a liberal Government, Cyprus is rapidly becoming one of the best roaded countries administered by the British Crown. Κ Following the Retrospect is a Schedule of the Public Roads open and in use on the Slst March, 1902Α. The total length is 628'8o miles, and the area of the Island being 3,584 squarΙe miles, the proportion of road mileage to square miles of country is as 1 : 5-7, nearly ; the length of these Roads is yearly increasing. A detailed statemenΡ t of the Roads follows. The Itinerary has only been compiled for those Roads which have been recently measured aud over whicli mile posts have been fixed. It is anticipated that this willΠ shortly be extended to all the Main Roads. OtheΥr information of a useful character is subjoined. Κ Η Κ Η Θ ΙΟ Λ ΙΒ Β Η Κ ΙΑ Ρ Π Υ Κ Η Κ Η Θ ΙΟ CONTENTS. Λ PAGE xvlSTKOSPJfiCT ••• ••• «•• ••« •••Β ••• ... 1 SCHEDULE OF THE PUBLIC ROADS... Ι • • • ... 37 STATEMENT OF THE PUBLIC ROADS Β • • » ... 38 ITINERARY OF THE MAIN ROADS ... • • » ... 44 OLASSIFJCATIOU OF THE ROADΗS AKOUND NICOSIA • • » ... 86 DISTANCES JN ENGLISH MILES ... •»» *»M • • • ... 87 Κ ΙΑ Ρ Π Υ Κ Η Κ Η Θ ΙΟ Λ ΙΒ Β Η Κ ΙΑ Ρ Π Υ Κ Η EXPLANATOEY NOTE. Κ The Retrospect covering the years 1880 to 1900-1 was, as explained in the Introduction, compiled principally from Blue Book Reports and OfficΗe Records, etc., in Cyprus. These sources gave little or no information as to what Road Work was carried out between the date of Lord John Hay's assumption of the Government of Cyprus on the 12th July, 1878, pending Sir Garnet Wolseley's arrival, and the period at which the Blue Book Reports commenceΘ, namely, the year 1880. The veil which had hitherto obscured this period has since been lifted and the necessary information obtained from records preserved in the Colonial Office which have been kindly placed at the compiler's disposal. Ο From this source it may be ascertained in what stateΙ the Public Works, and more particularly the Roads, of the Island were found at, and immediately prior to 1878. Lord John Hay writing under date 20th JulyΛ, 1878, about a week after landing in Cyprus, states that " Roads hardly exist at all; there is only one road " that can be dignified by that name, and is the one which connects Larnaca with " Nicosia ; its condition is as bad as possible. ΒThe rest are mere tracks, rarely " passable by bullock carts, and generally only fit for mules and camels." Sir Garnet Wolseley, on the 17th SeptemberΙ , 1878, in forwarding a report ou the Larnaca-Nicosia Road speaks of it as " the only road existing in the Island " when we arrived." The enclosure written by Lieut.-Col. Maquay, Commanding Royal Engineer, runs to the effect that " ΒThe Road is fairly laid out and has had "• a good amount of labour expended on it in its construction it is nowhere " metalled some parts are in deep soil which is almost impassable—for many " days in winter ; for four months in the year a coach takes many hours of the " day in getting over the distance of 25 miles." Indian Sappers and Miners Ηhad been employed on tliis Road at Larnaca, Goshi and Pyroi. '^ Several parts of the Road require making from the founda- " tion." "The cost of making a road which will allow of uninterrupted " communication during the winteΚr " was " estimated at £6,000 to make a per- '' manent highway, repair bridges, make culverts, etc." This sum was sanctioned and the work was carried out with the aid of the Bombay Sappers and MinerΑs whose labour constituted a valuable asset not included in the £6,000. Ι So much of the so-called road as existed prior to 1878 had been made during the four years ending 1871 by forced—and therefore unpaid—labour under an old Turkish Law wiiicΡh applied to the whole of the Ottoman Empire and by which all able-bodied men between the ages of 16 and 60 were compelled to give four days a year ou the construction and repair of roads. This contribution of labour was Uable to be increased to 6 days and " the carts and beasts of burden of the " people wereΠ liable to be employed on the roads without recompense." The only recorded instance of its operation in Cyprus was in the case of the Larnaca-Nicosia Road, lefore the British Occupation ; after that date it was never availed ofΥ, except in the case of the Limassol Water Works, when its operation Κ was advised by the Native Members of the Municipal Commission in 1879 but an Ordnance for which a precedent is taken from the case'of Zante during the BritisΗh Occupation of the Ionian Islands was passed to supercede the old Law imposing compulsory labour as requirements demanded; all labourers so employed were however paid Is. a day indiscriminately. Κ Its aid was first invoked during the construction of the Limassol-Platres Military Road in order to expedite the work; it does not appear to have been operated again; probably the rise in wages under the new rule removeΗ d any necessity for so doing as it is recorded that in the case of the Kyrenia District whereas the price of labour had been, prior to 1878, 5cp. or 7^d. a day, it had risen in April 1879 to Sep. or lO^d.; in another case at Larnaca, it had been from 4 to Icp. for common labour and 15 to 17cp. for master masonΘs but had risen to lOc^. and 24 respectively. Sir Garnet Wolseley also wrote on the 12th August, 1878. " I am now paying labourers Is. 3d. to Is. 6d. a day." On the Limassol-Platres Military Road nothing less thaΟn Is. was paid. The Military Road from Goshi to Dali and MathiatΙi was one of the earliest enterprises and a sum of £3,700 6s. 2d. was spent upon it. The Limassol-Troodos Road was opened as far as Platres by the summer of 1879 and the expenditure recorded is as follows :— Λ Original estimate of cost - - - - - £6,000 Supplementary sanction ----- 3,000 „ charged to Island RevenuΙeΒ - - - 2,000 £11,000 In addition to which an item of expenditure is recorded for : Improving mule track from PlatresΒ to Troodos to admit the passage of carts . - - - . £1,200 Prior to 1880 there appear to have been the following sums also spent on, or in connection with, Roads, namely:— Widening the Pedias RiverΗ and constructing 2nd arch in Bridge near Nicosia ----- £350 Improving Entrance to Nicosia at the Paphos Gate, Roads to Government HousΚe and thence to the Larnaca Road, etc.

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