The record-union., 1893-03-27
FROM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM
The Opening of the First Railroad Built
in Palestine.

Consul Selah Merrill at Jerusalem has
sent to the State Department an account
OF the opening of the railroad from Jatfa
| to Jerusalem, says Washington corre-
spondent to the st. Louis GLabe- Demo
crGt. The event was celebrated on the
part OF the Mohammedans by an address
from an imam, one of the priests of high
rank in Jerusalem, after which three
sheep were slaughtered on the platform
OF the station as a kind of propitiatory
sacrifice; and on the part of the company
1t was celebrated by dinner given In the
evening, under tents, at the Jerusalem
station. Djelal Pasha, Abide Camp to
the Sultan, was present from Constaflti-
nople to represent the Sultan in the open
ing exercises. NJ. Collas, the President
of the road and several eminent engi-
neers from Paris, were also present, like
wise the Governor of Jerusalem and Pal
estine, together with the civil and mill
tary authorities and the members of the
DIPLOMATIC and Consular Corps. One hun
dred and fifty guests sat down at the ta-
bles and enjoyed a fine dinner, but the
speech-making was confined to few re-
marks by the Governor, with brief re-
sponse from the Sultan's representative,
and few words by the French Consul
! General on behalf of the Consular Corps.
a toast to the Sultan was drunk, and the
lurking Band played the different ma
The greatest popular interest was mani
tested in this event, and, for the first time
in its history, Jerusalem showed little
Of the life and hustle which characterize
cities in the Western world.
The road just completed first ever
built in Palestine and Syria-is little
over fifty miles long, thirty miles of
which are on the plain land, and the re-
manning twenty-three on the mountains.
There are no tunnels on the road, the
Lnildels preferring to go around bluffs
that might be tunneled rather than to
bore through them. The wooden ties,
brought from France, cost eighty cents
apiece. The road has five engines, all
made in Philadelphia, and the cars,
open at the ends, with passage running
lengthways through them, and there are
| compartments divided by partitions and
doors. Coal is brought from Cardiff and
from Belgium, and 200 tons are required
day.
Between Jaffa and Jerusalem, not in
| cluding these, there are tive stations. For
the station in Jerusalem, which is one
mile from the city, a little more than
eight and a half acres of land were pur-
| chased at very high price-not less than
| S25, ,000-land which thirty years ago was
sold for 81 per acre.
The men who did the most of the stone
"Orh-DlaSlluR through nils, laying walls
to support embankments, and cutting
stone for stations and bridges-were from
Bethlehem and the nearest neighboring
village to it, called Belt Jala, men whose
! ances. ors Lave been stone cutters from
ancient times. The Arabs on the plain
! received from thirty to thirty-tive cents
per day, the Egyptians and others forty
to fifty cents per day, while the men who
could work in stone received from sew
entv cents to one dollar per day. The
company erected barracks along the line
of the road, where laborers could sleep
free of charge, but they provided their
own food. Twice week physicians
passed along tho line of the road wher-
ever there were workmen, to render med
lcal assistance that might be required.
The time between Jerusalem and Jaffa
is three and one-fourth hours down and
three and one-half hours coming up, and
the fare is 81 90 first-class and 81 for the
second-class.