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Show QUEER CRAFT TO CROSS THE TIGRIS BAGDAD, April 9 In their successful success-ful advance on Bagdad the British used some of the queerest craft In the world to navigate tho Tigris. These Included the heavy teak-timbered teak-timbered craft hich the Arab describes as chias and of which the ship carpenters car-penters attached to the force built 130. These craft carry about 40 tons. They have short, stubby masts and just a bit of sail. Larger craft of similar design are called saffara. A total of 310 boats of these types were used for freight in the advance on Bagdad These queer craft kept in touch with the advanced base throughout the operations op-erations northward from the Persian gulf. Other craft used Included the "bal-lam" "bal-lam" or canoe, ranging from over 100 tons down to the tiny craft of three-quarters three-quarters of a ton which causes Basrah to be described as "Tho Venice of the East," tho "mashoof," a hollow wedge-shaped wedge-shaped craft for navigating the reed mazes of the great marshes; and the guffah, a round baskot, four feet deep 1 and from four feet to nine feet In ' diameter, made of palmfrond ribs held ' together by juniper wattles. |