Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-19
THE AFRICAN WAR sPECK.
The Delagoa Bay Questionable Points
Involved.
From Harperss weekly.


From Harper's weekly.
The trouble that has arisen between England
and Portugal, Of which 30 much has been said
in recent cable dispatches TO the newspapers,
grows out of the competition between the Eng
lish, the Portuguese and the Dutch for the con-
troll of the shortest line Of communication be-
tween the sea and the rich gold and other
mineral districts of South Africa The actual
bone of contention Is the Lourenzo Marquee
CDelagoa Bay) and Transvaal railway, line
about ifty-two miles in length, running across
Portuguese territory from Delagoa Bay to the
frontier of the Transvaal republic. Short as it
is, this railway is of vast importance, present
and prospective, to the commercial world,
Commanding as it does the only good harbor
in stretch of about 1000 miles on the east
coast of Africa.
Near its western terminus are the principal
gold -producing districts of the Transyaal which
has been pronounced second Ophir in min
eral resources, embracing inexhaustible beds of
iron, coal and copper. In course of time it
must make Delagoa BAY a great coaling station
for Africa, Australia and the East Indies, avail
able in that respect to every nation whose ships
| sail the seas. On this point the Journal of the
Royal Geographical Society at Halifax says:
| The whole OF the southeastern part of the
| Transvaal is one extensive coal field" Bechu-
| ana land, to which also this railroad smooths
4 tno rs III possession divided into
| farms for English settlers. It lies to the west
| and the north of the Transvaal, and comprises
| territory larger than Spain. rich in minerals,
and noted for its fine climate and luxuriant
| vegetation. The road from this country via
the Delagoa Bay to deep water is several hun
dred miles shorter than any other. Besides the
white population, which is constantly swollen
by English, German, Australian and American
| immigration, there is in these countries a
! black population variously estimated at from
4 To NJ rvrl oh DnI1a ha
In the fullness Of time, tributary to the Delagoa
Bay railway.
| The Portuguese government owns the strip of
| land across which the Delagoa Bay railway is
| built American enterprise and American and
| English money built it. Its construction was
| desired long before the way was found, but the
| difficulties seemed insurmountable. The finan-
| ciers of England, France and Germany declined
| to have anything to do with so hazardous a
| scheme American pluck, however, was equal
to the emergency. Eight years ago Colonel
| Edward McAlurdo, an American temporarily
| residing in London became convinced that the
| gold fields Of South Africa were richer than
| the world suspected and that the time had
come to tap them for the benefit of civil
cation. He foresaw the inevitable influx Of
! immigration and the means of its promo
ton, and believed that the geographical advant-
| ages of Lourenzo Marquee, as the Portuguese
| call Delagoa Bay, made it the key of the situa-
| ton. After a full survey of the field and all
| Of the circumstances, he asked of the Portu-
guese government a concession to build a
| railway from Lourenzo MARQUEE to the from
tier; the understanding being that the Trans
vaal government stood ready with plans for
| the extension of the line through the heart
| and would make a concession for that purpose
to company organized in the Netherlands,
and known as the Netherlands Transvaal rail-
| way. On December IA, 1888, Col. McMurdo
obtained his concession. The terms were
| thoroughly matured on both sides. The Por-
| tuguese government obtained the railway es-
| sentlal for the maintenance of its position on
the east coast of Africa and to secure its full
share of the rich harvest awaiting cleaning.
| The arrangement also yielded to the govern
| ment five per cent Of the dividend distributed
to the shareholders reduced fares for military
men and seamen, gratis carriage of government
| employees and mails, the free use Of the COM
pany's electric telegraph and extra wires for
special service, the right to redeem the con-
cession after the lapse of thirty-fve years.
and the absolute ownership Of the property
at the expiration Of ninety-nine years
| On the other hand the concessionaire
| was given a positive assurance that no parallel
| railway should be constructed within so miles
| on either side of it; 100000 acres of land by
him to be selected, In the districts of Lorenzo
| Marquee and Inhambane; land in alternate
blocks on both sides of the railway to the
| amount OF 1000 acres, with the accompanying
| mineral rights; free right Of way through
| government lands; a square kilometre of land
In Delagoa Bay harbor; land on an island IN the
L
| the railway from any special tax; the admission
| of all articles for construction and use Of the
! railway free OF duty for fifteen years; the right
| to cut timber from government forests, and the
| right to regulate the tariffs of the company was
| vested IN the board of directors of the company
when organized. 1t was stipulated that the
| company building the railway should be organ
lied under the laws of Portugal, and that the
| line should be constructed on plans provided
by the Portuguese engineers minute specifica-
i dat
! equipment, &c. Fifteen thousand pounds were
to be deposited as caution money, and the con-
cessionaire was bound to the building Of the
road within three years.
4 The concessiOnaire fulfilled his contract nm
der most trying conditions. Capital from the
| first suspected bad faith on the part of the
| Portuguese: the millions of English money al
| ready invested at Natal were jealousy antago-
| nistic to the enterprise; the Transvaal govern
ment threw every available obstacle in the way
| and 1t was with the utmost difficulty that COM
| petent engineers were induced to risk their
lives in making the preliminary surveys in the
maiarious and misunderstanding country
! through which lay the path to the cre-produc-
| ing mountains. Within the specified time
| however, the road was built but at an expense
| OF 925.000 i'll excess of the estimates. New
| complications arose when the Portuguese came
| forward with the extraordinary demand that
| the company should build nine kilometres fur
| Their to new alleged frontier and that within a
| certain period, covering a season when rail-
| way building in tropical country is physical
impossibility. The failure to meet this require
ment-a requirement not contemplated by the
| original concession or by any agreement be-
| tween the contracting parties-led to the at
| tempt of the Portuguese on the oath of June to
cancel the concession and seize the railroad as
| forfeit to the government
| This action was taken in face of protest. or
polite request from Great Britain and the
United States, through the foreign Office in
| London and the State department in Washing
ton. 1t was followed by the dispatch of Eng
lish gunboats to Delagoa Bay and by the filing
| In Washington OF claim Of damages to the
amount of ESQ, 900 by the widow of the Amer
lean concessionaire. Col. McMurdo himself
died only six weeks before the Portuguese pro-
ceeded TO extreme measures to carry their
point, and his sudden death is attributed to the
| threat that such action would be taken The
probability Is, according to the latest advices
| from Lisbon and London, that Portugal will
beat a retreat before British demands and
| agree to settlement by arbitration.
Warrants for High Colorado Officials.
At Denver, Col, the criminal grand jury.
which has been investigating the charges of
corruption made against state officials in con-
nectiOn with the purchase of aunnIiaa and fpr