The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-28
Colonel Burleigh's Extraordinary Prop
ositiOn for Relieving Gordon.
REASONABLE Documents Found in Possession
Of Egan and Daly-Twenty Persons
Killed in a Railway Accident.
AFFAIRS IN EGYPT.
A Variety of Rumors-The Proposed Relief
of TSerber.

LONDON, April 27.-A council was held at the
War Office this morning 1t is reported that
the Duke of Cambridge, Lord Wolseley, Marquis
of Harrington and others in authority advise
against an expedition to Berber at the present
time, any advance whatever. until full force
shall be equipped to relieve Khartoum in the
autumn. Nubar Pasha is pressing the govern
ment to come to an immediate decision to ad-
vance to Berber. The Egyptian troops at Assou-
an and other stations in Upper Egypt are dis
affected and declare their intention of joining
Mahdi Numbers are deserting.
The Khedive is receiving constant letters warn
ing him that he is doomed to speedy death unless
he abdicates. The number of guards at the pal
ace have been increased.
Advices from Abyssnia state that King John
has agreed to Admiral Hewett's proposals to
invade the Soudan. relieve the Egyptian gar
risons, and assist them to withdraw through
Abyssinia,
The Dublin Daily Express says James o.
Kelly, NJ P, who went to the Soudan the
correspondence of the London Daily News after
the death of ODonovan has been taken into
custody by the Egyptian authorities. Sus-
picous documents were found in his possession
among them letters from Frenchmen to FL
BIahdi.
The Paris Republique Franchise says that at
the proposed conference of powers concerning
Egypt, the whole Egyptian question, not simply
the financial question will be de facto submitted
to the arbitration of the powers
A Cairo correspondent teegraphs the Times
the following: IAN English officer of great
perience in the Soudan, and a friend of General
Gordon, assures me that he is in possession of
abundant proof that Zebehr Pasha is intriguing
in the Soudan, and that he is responsible for the
recent uprising north of Khartoum" The
Times recommends an immediate inquiry into
the matter.
The most extraordinary proposition yet made
for the relief of General Gordon and for the
settlement of the Soudan question was sent to
| the government by Colonel Burleigh. This plan
| proposes to solve the whole difficulty by the
| rapid construction of a railway The idea has
been received with astonishment and consider
able favor.
My belief is, says Burleigh, 'that the only
! possible way to save Genera! Gordon is to con
struct a railroad from Suakim to Berber'
What kind of a road would you build, and
why would you build it there!'
Il would build a narrow gauge road, such as
| they have in the United States or used to have
| when was there, in the oil regions. road of
| this kind could be constructed very rapidly. In
| fact there are establishments in Europe where
narrow gauge roads are manufactured in rail
lengths, all ready to be laid down. The great
difficulty in this whole business is to move and
maintain an army between Suakim and
| Berber, because of the nature of the
sandy surface and almost total lack
| of water If a good connection could be es-
tablished between these points, Khartoum could
be quite easily secured and controlled from Ber-
ber have been all over Egypt and have served
IN all the recent campaigns, and my experience
| in the Soudan convinceS me that military eX
pedition OF size large enough to subdue the
SOudan, with Khartoum as the objective point,
can be moved successfully across the desert ex-
cept by rail. A narrow gauge road, manufac-
tured in sections and transported to Suakim by
water can be laid across the desert between
Suakim and Berber, much faster than we'll
equipped modern army can travel afoot, or on
horse over the sands.
''The sands are sohot, the temperature so high,
and water so extremely scarce, that even under
the sowest movement the troops lose enormously
by exhaustion. But the railroad once laid, an
army of any size and with any equipment could
be moved quickly and comfortably to Berher
The road completed, the route would be safe for
ever, aud with Berber in constant and easy ac-
cess from the Red sea, Khartoum would be
within easy control
Have you proposed this to the governmentl"
eyes, have; and have offered to take charge
of an expedition to lay the road and to keep the
route between Berber and Khartoum open dur
ing the construction of the road
How would you do thisr
Easily enough. 1t would not take six months
to construct the road 1t would not be difficult
to keep the Arabs away during the construction
The Americans managed to keep the Indians
away while building railroads across the wilds
of Western America 1t would not be nearly as
difficult to keep the Arabs back. The Arabs are
more afraid of the English than the Indians ever
were of the Americans. l feel sure that Just as
soon as the Arabs saw the road being laid they
would conclude that the English had come to
the country to stay. and would at once become
conciliatory. The trouble with them now is that
they don't believe we mean business"
"When you had secured Khartoum md re-
lieved General Gordon, what would you do with
the railroadP
Maintain it and run it as a commercial en-
terprise. 1t would pay, think, handsomely.
The entire cost of the road need not be more
than f500000. The engineering obstacles are
trivial. The first sod turned would secure the
relief of Gordon by converting the Arabs to a
thorough belief in English sincerity and de
termination, and the maintenance of the line
would secure English control of the Soudan
The route might be extended to drain Africa of
its wealth, and, if it were, it would prove inn
mensely more profitable than the present Congo
scheme being carried out by Stanley II the
line should not be extended beyond Berber it
could be made to pay very handsomely by doing
the carrying now performed by the caravan
routes, which is immense, and could be vastly
increased by the better facilities afforded
Proposed Action by France and England.
LONDON, April 27-M. Waddington, French
ambassador to Great Britain, will return from
Paris on Tuesday, bringing with him Premier
Ferry's response to Earl Granviles proposal
concerning the Egyptian question. Ferry gen
orally approves the scheme of liquidation The
German and Austro Hungarian governments will