Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-01

AND ThE bOiLDlSo VI In ecAD
SENT TO THE STATE Dnr.RrNrsf BIT CONSUL
nrRRILL-
can aboard for Jerusalem"
Tins Is the busine-s-IikS cry that astonishes
the traveller of the Holy Land now as he stands
In the streets of ancient Jaffs and hears the
warming clang Of . locomotive bell Then be
sees the familiar sight Of an American loco
motive bearing the factory mark Of Baldwin,
Philadelphia. standing pufing on the track
ready to haul q train over the sacred plains
where for 1000 years only the Arabs steed and
the stately dromedarv have furnished trans
port
The Jaffs and Jerusalem railroad has been
formally opened. writes United States Consul
Sel>h Merrill 20 the State Department.
OPENING A RAILROAD.
The event celebrated on the part of the
Mohamraedans by an address from an imam,
one Of their priests of high rank in Jerusalem,
after which three sheep were slaughtered on the
platform Of the station q kind OF propitia-
tory sacrifice: and on the part Of the company
II was celebrated by dinner given in the even
ing under tents at the Jerusalem station
Djelal Pssha, aide-d-camp to the sultan.
present from Constantinople to represent the
sultan IN the opening exercises. NJ Collas the
president of the road. and several eminent
engineers from Paris were also present, like
wise the governor of Jerusalem and Palestine,
together with the civil and military authorities
and the members of the Diplomatic and con-
sular corps One hundred and fifty guests sat
down At the tables and enjoyed fine dinner,
but the speechmaking WAS confined to . few
remarks by the governor. with = brief response
from the sultsns representative. and 3 few
words BY the French consul general ON behalf
Of the consular corps toast to the sultan
WAS drank and the Turkish band played the
different national airs represented by the
guests. The greatest popular interest was
manifested in this event, and for the first time
m its history Jerusalem showed a little Of the
hfe and hustle which characterize cities in the
western world
THE FIRST EVER BUILT PALESTINE.
The road Just completed. the first ever built
in Palestine and Syria is little over fifty-three
miles long. thirty miles of which are on the
plain land and the remaining twenty-three in
the mountains. There are tunnels on the
road. the builders preferring to 60 around
bfuns that might be tunneled rather than to
bore through them. There at least i've
deep cuttings among the hills and three or four
fine iron bridges The steepest grade is per
cent. or about 100 feet TO the mile. The
track is rsrrow gauge, exactly one
meter in width. Wooden lies used,
which were brought from France and cost.
delivered in Jaffa, 80 cents each, and half of
the rails came from France and the other half
from Belgium The road has five engines. all
made by the Baldwin locomotive works in
Philadelphia, and the cars. which were made in
the north of France open at the ends with a
massage running Iengtbyays through them and
there are compa-tments divided by partitions
and doors Coal is brought from Cardiff and
from Belgium. and 200 tons are required . day.
FIVE STATIONS.
Dooen Jun" anu 'eiue"ieii' ho' An'4uuins
these, there are five stations For the station in
Jerusalem. which is one mile from the city,
little mora than EIGHT and half acres of land
were p1rehased at a verv high price-not Less
than s25. OOO-Iand which thirty wears ago was
sold FOR AZ per acre This station ia 47S feet
above The lsvel of the station at Jaffa and the
exact length Of the road ia eiyhtv-six s-,d . half
kiloneters or fifty-tbree and six-tepths miles.
The cost Of The ro.d Ia NOT far from, az OOO OOo
The Company wa. Organized in 1850 and the
concession was obtained in that year. three
wears being allowed for the CONSTRUCTION of the
road. but the builders completed it in two and
one-haf years French money built the road
.ha u. pr,hcipaI ow nefs ,s,iue IN ais where
p.-., :, -.
De' 'ne Peaeans Vi 'ue 0ouhut, 'he
puiiders empioyec IN the CONSTRUCTION OF the
road 800 Italians and Q large number Of Al
aerines and Pcyptians The men who did most
OF the MISUNDERSTANDING through hills law
ing walls to support entertainments and cutting
stone for stations and bridpes-vere from, Reth-
lehem and the nearest neighboring village 70 it.
u nav
stonecutters from ancient times The Arabs on
the plain received so to IS cents per dav. the
Eeyptiaus and others 40 to 20 cents per daz
v6ile the men VINO could work in stope received
from 20 cents 10 AZ ner day The comnsny
erected barracks along the line of the road.
vher, Iaborers couId sleen free or CHARGE bnr
thev crowded their own food Tuice a veet
nhyxiriar. passed along the line of the read
wherever there were workmen to render any !
medical asz,stanee that might be required
The time between Jerusalem aud Jaffa ia 4
three and one-fo1rth hours down and three
and one-half bonrs coming mn and the fare i. !
A. 20 frst-cI.s. and 81 foy .econd class
Ths ENGINEER Who has had cbar,e 81 ,n-xar
ing and constructine the road untiI il was for
IN, h,j.5 - - ,ba ,.rs !. NJ CoiI
.;obt xa.rS, nrsctic.l e1ner,enca ,ritb tbs Ill
road in Panama
LOOKS IN RE- WILL. nrur
The road .n,e.-s 70 bs fairly we'll b,;,, Al.