The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-09
THE UPPER CONGO.
Steel Rails Laid i'm Central
Africa.
PROGRESS ON A GREAT ROAD
A Lively Town Rises on a Rocky
Shore-The Line VIII Now Be
Rapidly Advanced.

A cable dispatch from the congo, says
the New York Sun, announ ces that the
railroad has been completed from Matadi
to Palaballa. ten miles After the track
layers reached that point mile and half
of the road was completed in ten days.
though nearly two years were taken to
build the first ten miles. The railroad has
been carried beyond the obstacles that long
made rapid progress impossible; and now
the great enterprise will be easily pushed
forward until the upper river. at Stanley
pool, is connected with navigation on the
lower Congo.
Mr.. Stanley said once that all the resour-
ces OF commerce on the upper river would
not be worth copper until better means OF
transportation were provided. This was
possible view, for the traders of England,
Belgium. Holland and France, in fact, have
pushed their enterprises above the contract
region OF the lower river, have established
stations 1906 miles inland, have transported
dozen steamers to Stanley Pool, and thou
sands OF pOrters have been carrying their
merchandise 235 miles around the cataracts.
About 40. 600 carriers in the past two years
have been engaged in the transport service.
La another year or so the railroad will be
completed and then this army OF porters
will have TO seek other employment, for the
railroad will monopoiize the carrying trade.
The merchants of Belgium, however, took
Stanley's words TO heart and a company
called the Society of the Upper Congo, or
gaDiZed 10 develop commerce in the Congo
basin, began TO study the feasibility of
railroad along the 235 miles of Congo
cataracts. Then steamboats, to Stanley
Pool had unimpeded navigation along
tributaries. They desired first TO learn
IL the trade prospects of the Upper
Congo region would justify the heavy cost
of railroad, So they sent an expedition
four years ago, which spent year in
threading the waterways OF the upper
Congo, taking a sort OF census OF the people,
and making a thorough study of the coun-
try. The exploring party then drew up
careful report with regard TO the natives,
their desire for trade, the Kinds OF mer-
chandise they would buy. and the various
products that could be secured for return
eargoes TO Europe.
The company were well pleased with the
report and at once sent out TWO other eXpe-
ditions, one 10 make surveys along the south
bank and the other along the north bank,
to decide the best route for the railroad and
its probable cost. This work occupied an
other year. and after all this preliminary
work it was decided TO build the line on the
south side of the river. starting from Matad,
ninety miles above the ConGo's mouth. The
engineers decided that the line, after skirt
ing the Congo for FIVE miles, should ascend
L
bala. From this point TO Stanley Pool there
are few engineering difficulties. Ii was esti-
lated that the entire cost OF road and equip
ment would be 100000.
The money was raised and the Congo
State gave the company valuable conces-
sious in lands and privileges to help carry
out the enterprise. Agents were sent all
over Africa " hereyer IL was thought natives
could be hired as tTaeklayeTs and laboTers.
European carpenters, biacksmths and
other artisans were sent to the Congo TO
superintend departments and instruct
natives TO carry on various sorts of labor.
Al firt most of the army OF workmen were
secured from Zanzibar, Sierra Leone,
Lagos. Accra aud the Kru coast Of Liberia.
Then the Dshomey, Senegal and the Angola
coasts furnished their contingent, and
finally many workmen were employed from
the lower Congo tribes. Last summer the
fierce OF black laborers numbered 2500, OF
whom 1900 had cCme from various points on
the Guinea coast.
Then came busy days at Matadi. The
place was An arid. rocky, uniDvitiDg spot
and only two buildings and ten Europeans
were there two years ago this month. One
of our pictures shows part of the town as
il appeared last spring, including the
hotel and the galyanized-iron buildings Of
the Congo State. To-day the town con-
tains about 800 Europeans, fifty
more than Stanley left behind him
to Eurcre after founding his stations
About 1000 native employees OF the railroad
are also quartered at Matadl Three thou
sand people live in and around the little
town. The white population includes Bel
gians, English, Portuguese, Italians.
FreuchmeD, Dutch, Germans. Swedes and
Greeks, and besides the employees OF the
railroad and the State there are quite
number of traders and missionaries.
Harder reilroad building is rarely seen
than that which ushered in the beginning
of the enterprise. One picture shows the
first few miles Of the road along the side OF
Matadi Hill. The arrow on the right shows
the situation of.Matadi. The river here flows
swiftly and is full Of eddies and whirlpools.
A little further up the river are the Yellala
Falls, and the scene of this picture Is where
fuckers Inflated expedition, In 1916, first
heard the roar If the great cataract and
found, in few weeks crowded with dis
aster that those falls formed n barrier they
could not pass. The depression in the big
hills at the left OF the picture Is the Leopold
Ravine, up which the railroad turns TO reach
the heights of oalab8la.
The road. from the starting point at
Matadi, all along this hill slope, and up the
rayine TO Palapalia has been blasted out of
solid quariZtte OF extreme hardness, and
progress has been made with the utmost
difficulty. The slope along the river is very
PERCEPTIONS, and in many places the track
bias been laid between TWO solid walls of
rock. which were blasted foot by foot. Still
greater difficulties were encountered IN the
ravine, up which tie roadbed had 10 be
made at q steep gradient until 1t reached a
height of about 1000 feet above the river.
The work is carried on under the direction
of Captain 1hys, who has been in the SER
vice of the Congo Stale and the Society Of
the Upper Congo for years.
Another picture shows the bridge. about
200 feet long, that has been thrown over the
raw
is the largest bridge Yet put in place along
the line. The able young engineer who
built it. Mr.. jean Baptiste Glaesner. wrote
10 his friends two months ago, Next week
l shall complete the bridge. and then shall
come home TO rest" The poor fellow had
oyertaxed his strength. and the next
steamer from the Congo bore the sad news
that poor Giaesner was dead and the friend
who sent the tidngs enclosed photograph
of The mpleted bridge. to which the young
man had devoted MT nths of hard work that
cost him his life. Seven bridges of i'm
pOrtance must he built before The line
reaches Stanley Pool. The longest, over the
Ngongo River. will be $50 feet long
One problem which gave the engineers
some trouble was how 10 dispose of the tor
rents of water which would be sure to pour
down over the track during the heavy trOp-
zeal rains. 1t was feared that incessant
trouble during half the year would be en-
countered from this source. An effective
solution OF the problem seems 10 have been
reached. At all places where large torrents
occur steel aqueducts are building that will
carry the floods down the hills and under
the railroad track.
At first the company had considerable
difficulty in scouting enough provisions for
its army Of w0rkmen, as it was very costly
to bring provisions from up the river. The
coast regions far and wide were levied upon
for supplies. The workmen have been
we'll fed on rice, corned beef, dried fish,
vegetables and biscuits; and now that the
road is pushing along the plateau 1t Is ex-
pected that provisions will be more easily
obtained and at cheaper rates. Seven loco
motives and thirty cars are on the track,
and large part of them have been kept
busy carrying railroad material and pro-
visions as the road advanced.