Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-29

but the work has been sublet to Mr.. John
burnoy OF Lisbon, and It was under him
worked. The work has progressed very
slowly as compared with the progress
made on railroads In this country, but
very well for Africa. There Is nov about
loo miles of track laid on this road.
which carries 1t pretty we'll INTO the in
terror. The grade 10 &C mpleted $50 miles
and the line located TO Amboca, 230
miles -
"What kind of life is railroading in
Africa"
VERY hard: but experienced railroad
men can command good salaries and are
III demand. inexperienced men, how
ever, have no business there and are not
wanted -
'Railroading of course is in Its in
fancy THEREOF
Yes; there are at present only $500
miles of railroad on the continent,
though the prospects are very good for
the mileage being rapidly increased.
There is now talked of, and l have no
doubt that it will be built, q new line by
the Portuguese government from Moss
amedes, on the west coast of the interior.
Ihis proposed line is about 800 miles
north from Capetown, and about 400
working on. II will run through a much
healthier country than that have been
in, aud on that account will probably be
built much more rapidly. AS l stated,
the country is hard on strangers, about
half the whites engaged IN the railroad
work dying, though while ! was there
only one from North America, Can
adiau, died. -
How is the work of construction car
RED on?''
In very primitive manner. few
dump carts are used, but most of the
dirt Is moved with wheel-barrows and
baskets. This work is done entirely by
natives, the convicts from Portugal being
Used on bridges aud such other work as
they are capable of dong. Many of the
natives, especially the thlrd-class, or
wild ones, will not work by the day, but
viii esk how much will be paid for doing
Certain task. If the price ia satisfac-
tory they will all-npn, women and
children-go to WORK and do 1t, using
picks, shovels and baskets, the baskets
being used to carry the dirt from cuts to
fills. l have seen negro women with a
babY strapped to their back carry on
their heads baskets filled with dirt, and
they work that way all day.
'How much do they earn at such
wOrk?''
LAS you might suppose, not much.
From ten cents TO thirty cents day is
about the range OF earnings, though the
wages of the other two classes of negro
labor is better, they doing better aud
more work. One thing that makes prog
ress so slow there is your labor is liable
10 leave you at any time--wheDever they
rot rAH Nnr how
to-day and none Tomorrow.
"What effect in the way OF civilization
is the railroads having so far?''
mot much that is perceptible. No
Immigration is going into the interior
and there are no settle .nents except those
of the negroes, nor has there been anv
effort TO develope the country along the
line of road ! have been on. -
'How then will the road get business
sufficient to pay FOR running it2'
''It is the intention and object to build
TO q point In the interior where there are
large coal and iron deposits, end to reach
those sactinns where there are roads
(trails) used by the natives. The coal
and iron will be hauled to Loanda, where
the Portuguese government have erected |
and are still erecting factories OF differ |
ent kinds. And then there is grown in
the country by natives a great deal of
coffee, and the supply OF rubber and |
ivory is almost inexhaustible, all of |
which will afier n while be brought to |
stations to he established by the natives, |
and this will furnish q great traffic for |
the road. While there are no white set
Elements in the interior, there are q |
number of large coffee plantations run |
by Portuguese, who use the native pop |
ulatiou &c cultivate and gather the coffee |
crop. This of itself will be big traffic. |
and on the whole there will be good bus
mess for the road. -
'Will you return to Africa?'
al have not fully determined what | |
will do. Ny mother is bitterly opposed |
TO my doing SO, and am inclined not to |
go, though l have good offer to go /
back and take the position of chief of |
at u salary of fl200 per an
mum. l don't think will go, though. / |
have gone through four years OF hard
life in Africa aud am back home safe. l
might go again and succumb to the
deadly fever which has cut short the
lives of SO many Europeans on that CONT
nent.''