The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1884-07-11


its mind to put down a line Of rails at Suakin,
preparatory to sending out a relief expedition
to secure the deliverance of Gen Gordon and
the Khartoum garrison. The government have
not only directed the preliminary steps to be
taken, in view of very probable contingencies,
but they have further empowered the military
authorities to carry out the necessary arrange
ments. These latter include the surveying Of
the line for a railway from Suakin, via Handuk
Otao toward Tambuk, OF as far westward as
the party of about 200 royal engineers, now on
their way to the Soudan, can safely traverse
the road; the building of wharyes. establish
ment of depots, and connecting them by a mar
now gauge railroad, so that, should an expedi-
ton be decided upon within the next month or
two, all would be ready to facilitate its debark-
alton at Suakin, and its being sent forward
some forty miles or more by rail toward Ber-
Der. The gain the military authorities expect
! from even a partial construction of such
a railway as the Suakin-Berber line from the
Red sea to the Nile, which they almost unani-
mously approve, is the enormous lessening of
the transport difficulty. This is altogether
apart from the further advantage in saving of
time and physical handships to the troops en-
gagged. The expedition, it is understood if
sent. would number from 10000 to $4,000 men.
Now, every soldier will require three to four
camels to carry water, provisions and mmuni-
ton. The cost Of each camel is computed at
$50 to f35. AT the end of the expedition, the
animals left alive could not be sold for so many
| shillings each as they had at first cost pounds.
| On the ground of economy, also, the military
| advocate the railway scheme. They hope, in
addition, that every section Of ten miles built
will dishearten and spread dismay among the
Arabs, and increase Gordon's chances of being
| able to make his way out OF Khartoum with
| all his adherents, and effecting a junction some
where midway with any relief expedition. The
| railroad gauge to be adopted, as previously in
tlmated, is to be the metre gauge, for which
plant and material are readily available in Eng
land and India. Several miles of the road, 1t is
expected, will be laid within the next month.
The scheme, it will be seen, does not absolutely
commit the government to the whole Suakln-
Berber railroad, but places them in a position
to accelerate the work should events demand
its rapid construction. There is no disguise OF
the fact that the ministry are waiting and hop
ing that the chapter of accidents may render
unnecessary their doing anything beyond what
has been already attempted, and that the
Mahdi will quietly subside, or Gen Gordon
manage to get away somehow. Mr. Gladstone
is known to abhor and dread war, and he
avoids, as far as possible, even preparation for
it. Could the government, however, get a con-
tractor, railway Spectator or company to take
a Suakin- Berber railway off their hands-were
one built-there is the best authority for say
ing the work would be pushed on with by them
90 tomorrow and finished in time for an
autumn campaign. They fear, however, to
spend the million and a quarter necessary to
build the metre gauge road approved of by the
military and Gen Gordon, and the g%arrisons
mist wait the pinch of circumstances and
chances of fate till they can make up their
minds. Were the investing public to provide
the million and a quarter, or tender it, a very
different aspect would soon be lent to the
whole question of relieving Gen Gordon and
the gorTisons.