Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-12-17

above the river The work is carried
on under the direction of Captain Thys,
| who has been in the service of the Con-
20 state and the Society of the Upper
Congo for years.
| A bridge, about two hundred feet
long has been thrown over the Maposo
river in the Leopold ravinc This is
the largest bridge yet in place along
| the line. The able young engineer who
| built it, Jean Baptiste GlaeSener, wrote
10 his friends two months ago: Next
week l shall complete the bridge, and
! then | shall come home TO rest" The
roor fellow had oyertaxed his strength,
and the next steamer from the Congo
bore the sad news that poor GlaeSener
was dead; and the friend who sent the
| tidings enclosed a photographs of the
completed bridge to which the young
man had devoted months of hard work
that had cost him his life Seven bridges
of Importance must be built before the
line reaches Stanley Pool. The largest
one over Ngongo river will be $50 feet
long.
One problem which gave the engineers
some trouble was TO dispose of the tor
rents of water which would be sure to
pour down over the track during the
heavy tropical rains 1t was feared ,uat
incessant trouble during half the year
would be encountered from this source.
An effective solution of the problem
SENS to have been reached. Al all places
where large torrents occur, steel aque-
ducts are building that viii carry the
flood down the hills and under the rail
road track.
At first the company had considerable
difficulty in securing enough provisions
Tor its army of WOrkmen, as it was very
costly to bring provisions from up the
river. The coast regions far and wide
We're levied upon for supplies. The
workmen have been well fed on rice,
corned beef, dried fish, vegetables and
biscuit, and now that the road is push
ing along the plateau it is expected that
provisions will be more easily obtained
and at cheaper rates. Seven lOcomO-
lives and thirty cars are on the track
and a large part of them have been
kept busy carrying railroad material
and provisions as the road advanced.
This stretch of ten miles above Matadi
has, for nearly two years presented the
busiest scene in equatorial Africa Fully
one-third Of the entire work has center.
ed in these ten miles. Now the com
pany can make rapid progress to Stan
ley Pool, where they expect mat trad
ers viii furnish considerable freight IN
the way of ivory, india rubber, gums,
dye SUITS and other articles. II is ex-
pecteu also that coffee, cotton and to-
bacco plantations viii ultimately be
found profitable on the Upper Congo.
When the railroad is completed, inner
Africa will be within a few weeks Of the
capitals Of Europe Who knows but
some day Il small part Of the tourist
traffic win be turned in this direction?
The railroad company say they expect
to provide facilities for comfortable
travel 20 that whoever desires, may
visit the once mysterious regions If
inner Africa. 1t is likely that within
the next twenty years it VIII be feast
BILE to visit the great lakes without
spending over two or three weeks
Africa The merchants and missionaries
among the Nyassa highlands say that
when facilities for reaching Lake Nyas-
sa are improved these mountains viii
be well worth the attention of tourists.
The Congo railroad is one Of the most
significant features Of the colossal work
which Europeans are carrying on in
Africa. 1t is not wise, however, TO take
a too sanguine view of the prospect of
trade in the Congo basin. Its people
as yet have few wants, and these are
easily supplied The ultimate value Of
the region will probably depend more
upon plantations of sugar, cotton, coffee
aud tobacco, conducted under white
superintendent, than upon any other
source of commerce.. Ia time, india
rubber and one or two other products
may become large sources of traffic;
but no hopes of permanent prosperity
can be built upon the ivory trade, which
is sure to dwindlc in few years.