New-York tribune., 1874-05-30
EGYPT REVISITED.
BAYARD TAYLOR'S VIEWS OF RAILWAYS Iy
EGYPT.

! TIE FIRST RAILROAD FROM ALEXANDRIA TO CAIRO
CHANGES EFFECTED by THE sUEz CANAL
MANAGEMENT OF THE ROADS IN OPERATION
(pROM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or TIE TRIByvi
CAIRO. March 29-ft Is not quite 10 years since tb,
first railway in Egypt, from Alexandria to Cairo
rendered necessary by the overland route from Pn
gland to India-was completed. The oonstructio,
was not expensive, tho two arms of the Nile yer.
not brdged but crossed by steam ferries, and IN.
result was so encouraging that continuation Of IN.
line from Cairo to Suez was soon determined urn,
and carried out. The first road was 13l miles il,
length the second "a. The latter offered few din
culties in tho way Of grading; the line followed
the old caravan route, skirtng the northern base %
the mountains between Cairo and the Red Sea
and the chief inconvenience was tho necessity Of
carrying supplies of water from the Nile to the p
termediate stations.
Since the Suez Canal has been completed this lin.
is changed. The fresh-water canal. leaving the
Nile at Cairo, following tho course of an ancient
Egyptian canal and supplying the town of IsmaIlia
with branch to Suez and large pipe extending 60
miles, to Port Said on the Mediterranean, suggested
a change in the route of the railway. Tho tract
directly across the desert was taken up and new
line built, beside the fresh-water canal with a
branch to the Alexandria Cairo road at Benha, and
another from the town of Zagazg lin the eastern
part of the Land Of Goshenj to Cairo. Thus the pas
sengers overland to India travel directly from
Alexandria to Suez, without touching the capital
The number of steamers which traverse the Suez
Canal however, is constantly increasing, and tho
stage by rail through Egypt will no doubt be giya
up altogether in a few years more.
But the building OF railways in Egypt TINS intro,
duced by the exigencies Of foreign route of travel
will henceforth be continued, both a necessity
and source of profit to the Government The ma
tiyes have bravely overcome whatever prejudice or
superstition they may have had in tho beginning:
they now crowd the trains evidently enjoy the
rapid motion. and even trust their donkeys camel.
and horses of Nedjid blood to the cattle-can
Freight as well passenger traffic increases conL
stantly and careessly as tho trains seem to be run
on all except the main lines, accidents are
very rare. The officials have acquired a certain
amount of exactness in regard to time. but in pas
sive mechanical way, as if the subject had not yet
reached either BRAIN or conscience, and L presume
the tclegraphic signals Of stOppage delay st
looked upon as sort of pastime, 10 alay their Ian
guild curiosity. Somehow, nevertheless the machine
keeps going; the timetables may be reduced
to state of chaos, but the trains avoid collision
and the passengers neither fear nor complain. All
is quiet easy goodnature At the stations maa
cries out to the people both sides of the track:
"Take care of your legs, men. o womenp just -
the donkey-boys do in the bazars. The waiting.
rooms are swept as rarely as the chambers in the old
fashioned khans and like them, pOpulous with
feas There is generally long divan, covered with
dirty chntz cushions. but no European chairs The
tickets are printed in Arabic, except the frstcllss
which are also in English.
At way-station on the road to Upper Egypt
ventured to express a little mpatience after wait
ing three hours for the one daily slow train, and
finding that its whereabouts had not even been an
nOunced by telegraph You must remember" said
tho official to whom / spoke, /" that this is a
road and it takes some time to get everything in
order.n
"How long has the road been open 7" asked.
"Only five or six years.
"And when do you expect to have the trains run
ming on time In forty or fifty yearsp inquired.
with a grave counteDance. and the official. never
suspectng irony, answered:
Inshallah" OF God wills it,
There is now q tOlerably complete network OF
communication by rail throughout the Delta From
Zagazig, the Suez road, branch now runs to
Mansourah and thence to Damietta; another from
Tantah to MansOurah; a third to Dessouk, on the
Rosetta branch of the Nile; and there various
other shorter lines leading to the rich agricultural
centers. The road from Alexandria to Rosetta will
be built together with another leading directly
IrOn inc AleAanurld-oueZ kilue 10 tOrl Salu. ncu
the latter are finished there will be part of the
Delta more than 20 miles from railroad. the great
increase in the area of cultivated land must be at
trbuted rather to this fact than to any special
couragement given by the Khedive's Government to
the agricultural industry of the country.
The Upper Egypt Railway was finished as far
Benisonef, IS miles south of Cairo some five or six
years ago, and has made rather slow progress SINCE
although it to do good business. in spite Of
the competition of the Nile boats The track is now
finished far Stout, the capital of Upper Egypt,
$50 miles from Cairo where it will probably rest
awhile, before being extended to Kennek, Thebes.
and Assouan. branch road, Is miles in length,
strikes westward from it of tho Libyan
Desert and reaches Medeeneh, the capital OF the
province-or rather large detachebOasis-of TyoOm.
From Medeeneh, again. two branches, some l5 or ~
miles long, connect with sugar factories belonging
to the Khedive. but trains only put upon them
during small part of the year.
Workmen and material are at present being sent
up the Nile to construct small railway around the
| First Cataract at Assouan. This undertaking will
hardly require more than year to complete; it will
make difference of several days in the transport
| freight etc., between Egypt and the countries Of
! Soudan.
A far more important plan, however is the build
| ing of road from Wady Halfa, the Second Csts',
ract, to the Ethiopian Nile, at the old capital OF
| Shendy, within 70 or 80 miles of Khartoum THIS
route has been surveyed and the report prepared BY
Mr.. Fowler, an English engineer presents the I'M
dertaking in very feasible form. The road VIII
follow the Nile through Nubia to the town of Edaboe
where the great nOrthward and eastward curve OK
"elbow" Of the river commences, and will thence
strike through the Bayuda Desert TO It's terminus
not far from the junction OF the White and bluo
Niles. Its entire length would be about 5SS miles,