The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1891-06-20

It has now a road that connects 1t with
Cape Town on tho south, and another
pushing toward the east, besides the
one mentioned going north, The East
ern railroad runs through tho Orange
Free State, and before long will extend
to Pretoria, the capital of the South
African republic. A Dutch syndicate
has taken a contract to build q railroad
to Join Pretoria with the Portuguese
line from Delagoa bay on the cast coast.
When these are finished Kimberly will
havc direct railroad communication with
both the east and south coasts. In a
short time the railroad from Natal will
be completed from the south coast to
the Transvaal frontier, and thence to
the capital of the Boer republic.
These railroads will be the main chan
nels of communication, which will ex-
tend in every direction through an ele-
waited country Astounding with every
thing essential to comfort. The Portu-
cues are soop to build q railroad from
the head Of the navigable waters of
the Bust river on II east coast TO
gold fields of Manica. 1t is said that
the Germans have about decided upon
the route of their road, which is to con-
meet one of the coast ports with Mount
Kilmanjaro, near the edge OF that enor-
nous plateau where cattle thrive. The
British are already building their line,
which will meet the German road at tho
great mountain and then push over the
plains and through the forests to the
shores of Victoria Nyanza.
Some forty or fifty miles of this line
will soon be in operation, n the Brit
ish road will doubtless have the distlnc-i
ton of being the first to connect the
heart of Africa with the sea coast. For
some time there has been O railroad In
operation from st. Paul de Loanda al
most to Malange, running through the
Portuguese province of Angola. Soon
this will extend to the rich mountainous
coffee district of Cazengo, which will
then be but a days ride from Loanda,
which has the best harbor on the west
coast.
The work of building telegraphs has
far exceeded the railroad enterprise. A.
telegraph line will soon be finished
which will reach the new capital OF
King Khama, 1,700 miles In an air line
northeast of Cape Town; 260 wagons,
each drawn by ten or twelve yoke Of
oxen, have taken their way to the north,
loaded with nothing but telegraph
wires. To support the whites now en-
gagged in these tasks and the 700 armed
men sent by the Imperial British South
African Company to open Mashonalnnd,
1,5OO, 900 pounds Of provisions have been
carted. The most glowing reports are
made of the healthful climate and of
the riches in gold and agricultural re-
sources of this Mashonaland. q.
No recent enterprises Of the sort sur
pass in magnitude, or in the energy with
which they ara being pressed forward, I
these railroad and telegraphic projects
now far advanced in South Africa.
Mashonaland Is called the Ell Dorado Of
Africa, because no other part of inner
Africa holds out the same promise Of a
b~ounteous return for white enterprises.
Soon Mount Hampden, the most
northern station in Mashonaland, will
be connected with Cape Town by tele-
graph, while the railroad that is being
built to the new capital of King Khama
will be extended into this new white
territory.