St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-08-18
INGENIOUS PIONEERS.
nay are Drives 60 All SOrts of kxpedl
ents In the Wllds of Africa.

nay srs Drivei 70 All Sorts of Kxpsdl-
snts In the Wllds of Africa.
White man who bury. themselves In
the depths Of savage countries and at
tempt to carry on all sorts Of enter
prises there. are compelled, on ac-
count of their inability to procure va
rious supplies. to resort to all sorts Of
ingenious shifts. A French expedition
was sent few months ago far south
on the Niger river to take possession
Of q newly annexed region and to
build fort at Siguiri where the Tan
kisso river joins the Niger. While on
the march one day they came to the
Kokoro river. 1t was too deep to ford
and native canoes for ferrying the ex-
petition across were out Of the ques-
tiOn onaccount OF the bulky nature Of
some of the baggage. Various plans.
including pontoOn bridge. were dis
oussed, but it was finally decided that
it would be most expeditions to build a
suspension bridge. The expedition had
among it's stores 6, 900 feet Of telegraph
wire. This wire was fastened to trees on
both banks and then passed from shore
to shore again and again and stretched
Is taut as possible. When enough wires
had been stretched to form a wide road
way they were covered with straight
bOughs. and on these was laid q mix
ture of grass and damp earth. This COM
pleted the bridge, and the little cannon
and ammunition and provision carts
passed safely over, to the great aston
ishment of the natives, Who had HOcked
from far and near to see the wonder
full work. The poor blacks were COM
pletely bewildered by the white mems
ingenuity.
The expedition at last reached the
Niger. 1t had a wagon loaded with
tools. and number Of kegs of nails,
but for the rest it was compelled TO de-
pend upon the country for the mate
rial to build q fort. There was plenty
of stone for the walls. but no lime in
which to lay them. The first thing
the carpenters did was to build some
log shops in the edge OF the timber.
Then they made boat, and several
men were kept at work for days dredg-
ing in the Niger for clam shells. BY
burning the shells they turned them
into very fair lime, and SO this ncces-
sary article was supplied. For q NOR
tar bed they made big trough out Of
a trunk, and in this they mixed their
lime and sand. They used the for
ward wheels OF their artillery for car
rying logs. -(
OF course il would never do to have
a thatch roof or any other iniiammable
material enter into the construction
Of their powder house. Its walls were
built of stone. There was some
difference Of opinion as to what
should bc done for roof. but the
question was happily decided at
last. Little stOrehouses were built for
the supplies Of coffee and sugar, and
then the tin boxes that had contained
those provisions were unsoldcred, and
a very neat tin roof was made for the
magazine.
They needed doors and window
frames for their log barracks. and for
these purposes they utilized quite a
large number Of wooden boxes in which
they had brought a part of their sup
plies. The boxes were knocked to
pieces and the lumber was carefully
husbanded to make it 60 Is far as pos
sible.. Some of the boxes. made of
very thin boards, were turned into We
netian blinds, and they all contributed
to the comfort and convenience Of the
colony.
The new cOmers were heartily well
coined by the chiefs Of the country,
who were SO glad to have the white
men among them that they gratuit-
ously furnished the services of over
three hundred men who assisted in
building the fort. Many men are now
engaged in putting up a telegraph line
from this new white settlement to one
Of the French posts on the Senegal
river, and before very long it is ex-
pected that Paris will be able to get
news by telegraph and cable from this
little isolated fort far in the interior
OfAfrica on the very day 1t is sent