Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1892-04-23
TRAINS FOR JERUSALEM.
THIS WAY FOR THE HOLY LAND
AND WAY STATIONS"

French Company Has Built the JsfTa
and Jorusnlem Railroad. and a Here
tofore Disaxreeable Journey Has Becn
Made Easy.
Blase American tourists can have q
novelty next summer in the line of for
eign Reorganization. They can travel
ncrriIy from Jaffa to jerusalem in par
tor carl Perhaps their sense of reverence
would be more soothed by the oldtime
shoon and scallop and staff and covering
the route by the active locomotion OF
their legs. But those who are 10th CEN
luryists in their views will settle into
their comfortable seat in Pullman and
hear the Arab conductor howl out
"Jrusum! All out for J'rus'lum!" with
out being bit disturbed in their mind.
He will do it in Arabic, but there is no
doubt about his swallowing half his words
just the same.
This is the cheerful prospect held out
by a French company which has just is
sued prospectus of the "Jaffa and Jeru-
salem Railway Company" The distance
is fraction over "a miles. The rails,
1sleepers, three locomotives, and 4S
freight cars are already delivered at
Jaffa.
The method OF transportation from
Jaffa to Jerusalem is an ox-wagon or
landaus. The unfortunate pilgrim to tho
Holy Land who journeysd in this way
began his discomforts in effecting land
ing at Jaffa. The sea is very shallow on
the coast of Palestine, and at Jaffa every
thing, passengers included, has to be
taken off the ship in small boats,
which put out to it for this purpose.
Palestine is nothing if not billy, and
the jaunt to the Sacred City is a bit of a
Jolt Occasionally the road is rutty, aud
tie Wheels dig down into the landscape
rs if they were agrculturalists in a new
Ind
However, if the thing didn't break
down, they arrived at Jerusalem with
cir anatomy in a condition which al
lnwel them to open their Badeckcrs and
start in ITO do" the sacred spot with
praiSeworthy heroism.
The Holy Land is one OF those places
which most people do not visit at all and
few visit twice. So the pilgrims who
have made their way thither before this
year of grace 1892 will wish they had put
it of till next summer, when the maiden
locomotive will whistle and Shrek and
snort through the orange groves of Jatfa,
while the smoke it belches forth will trail
across the fertile valley of the Wady-
Stirar, along which the iron horse Will
caprr for most of its course.
The natives will rub their eyes and
look at the wonder almost as Herod might
have done in the years when the Christ
ian era was in its baby days il he had seen
Ill i, phenomenon. The apostles would
i:ave had to wait for trains in that case,
and various possibilities in the way Of
luggage and cabmen suggest themselves
with rather a rude shock to the senti-
ments of the pietist.
The French company which has sprung
this railway on the Holy Land is not deal
ing with subjects of Herod the Tetrarch,
,or forcing Apostles to study timetables
aud eat at railroad lunch counters. With
all their trials they have escaped this at
,east. those holy men.
The company has obtained an absolute
concession for II years of the line from
Jaffa to Jerusalem, with the option of ex-
tensions to Nablous in the direction of
Damascus, and to GAIA in the direction
Of Port Said.
A careful estimate has been made of
the probable traffic which will be man.
.ged by the line. This estimate is
ormed on data and statistics collected
on the spot, and it is supported by the
consular reports Of the foreign office and
by the official records of the trade of the
port Of Jaffa. The company calculates
on q gross annual return for its first
few years of $3.50, 900. On this basis,
minimum net annual revenue is looked
for of $3.50, 900. The payment of interest
aud the redemption of the bonds will take
only $93, 400 year.
This is not very stupendous outlook
for traffic to American eyes, which are
used to seeing larger returns from the
rails. But it is not bad for a little rail
road only "a miles long between Jerusa.
lem and Jaffa. Jerusalem is now city
OF $4,000 inhabitants, and will probably
grow little from becoming terminus
Of railway line.
What the increase will be in pilgrims
;an only be conjectured. Two or three
years later it can be told what effect tho
railway line from Jaffa to Jerusalem has
really had.-New York World.