Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-09-14
MONBAsA TO VICTORIA NYANzA.

tMOMBASA TO VICTORIA NYANZA.
AZ African Railroad 657 Miles Long
Surveyed and Found to Be Practicable,
The railroad between the Indian
ocean and Victoria Nyanza, which was
surveyed at the expense of the British
government, is likely to built, says the
New York Sun. The report Of the sur
veyors has been published, and the
friends of the enterprise are gratitied
to hear that there are no serious difficult
ties in the way. The most direct route
possible to the northeast shore of the
lake has been followed, and it is found
that the road will be 657 miles long.
The estimated cost of the projected rail
road is S11 100000, or an average of
S17,245 q mile. The gauge proposed
is thu ee feet six inches. No tunnels
will be necessary, and none of the
bridges would be considered in other
countries even SecOnd-claSS in point
of size. Steel rails weighing fifty
pounds to the yard and from thirty to
thirty-siX feet in length, are recon-
mended, and also steel transverse
sleepers, each weighing seventy pounds.
1t will not be economical and hardly
practice to use wood for sleepers. If
the road is built entirely of steel it
will be practically indestructible by
such mechanical appliances as are
within reich of the natives. 1t is also
better to use steel, because the custom
of firing the grass and the temptation
to use wooden sleepers for fuel or for
building huts would expose line with
timber SleeperS to many risks. White
wood can hardly withstand their as
saults.
Only a local traffic is expected at
the outset, and in order to keep down
the working expenses the surveyors
recommend that the stations at first
be built at least thirty miles apart.
Additional stations will be provided
later at such points as the traffic de-
mands The terminal stations will be
at MOmbaSa on the coast and at the
northeast corner of Lake Victoria.
During the construction of the railroad
a telegraph line will be necessary, and
the large number of WOrkmen employed
and the constant movement along the
line will render the telegraph line free
from any danger of destruction by the
natives. The surveyors anticipate that
the construction of the railroad will
have a revolutionary effect, and will
entirely do away with the Nasal raids
upon the territory adjacent to the rail
road. For the first two years it is eX-
pected that the bulk of the labor on the
railroad will have to be imported from
India. 1t will also be necessary to
maintain a special railroad police force.
The route passes through some of the
pOpulOus regions in East Africa. ON
it's terminus on Lake Victoria commune
cation by steamboats, plying on the
lake will connect the railroad with the
fertile districts around the shores and
grant the outlet that is so necessary for
the development of these countries.
The general average speed of trains
is estimated at twelve miles Ii hour,
including stOppages. On sections with
easy gradients, and these include the
greater part of the line, a speed Of
twenty miles of more may be permits
sible When the line is first opened
trains will be run only by daylight.
This gives a running time of ten hours,
Or total distance Travelled each day Of
about 120 miles. The officials take a
favorable view of the earning capacity
of the road. They say that, in their
opinion. the actual workings expenses
of the ROAD for the first few years
would not exceed $4,000, and it is
probable that the road at the outset
would be nearly able, from the freight
! the passenger traffic. to pay the work
ing expenses. This does not include the
interest on the investment, and at first
there would be a deficit on the requir-
ed amount of gross earnings to pay all
expenses of about 100000 a year.
They do not think, however, that this
deficit would be for many years tax
upon the enterprise. Great Britain
has now assumed the control Of Ugan-
da, and as the building Of this rail
road is vitality necessary to the devel
opment of the lake region, there seems
little doubt that the Victoria Nyanzd
railroad will be the next enterprise Of
the sort to be carried out in Africa.