The record-union., 1897-10-28

rarely more than twelve on the sick
list; and accidents account for the ma
JCr1ty Of these cases. 1t is noticed, by
the way, that the men put on this
work, receiving as they do regular and
wholesome rations. rapidly improve in
physique, increasing in size and weight
to remarkable extent.
Every twenty miles or so we came to
a group of white tents-a station with
siding to enable trains to pass each
other, with five or six men in charge.
In the middle of the night we stopped
| tor time at station No. t. which is
seventy seven miles from Halfa- When
Lieutenant Girouard planned this rail-
way he had TO base his calculations on
the assumption that not a drop of
water would be found from one end
OF the line to the other But, happily.
on digging for it at No. station, he
has found an abundance of water at
| a depth Of fifty-six feet Three wells
have here been sunk, connected with
each other by tunnels. In this desert,
beneath the thin layer of loose sand,
the earth is almost as hard as rock, so
that no timbering is needed TO support
the we'll sides. A steam-pump will
I
engineers are also now digging for
water at station No. 6, 126 miles out.
1t now seems probable that water can
be found in any portion of this desert
by digging to no great depth. If this
is the case the engines will be supplied
at the various stations instead of hav-
| ing, as now, to draw trains or trucks
heavily laden with tanks of Nile water
the 22d our train reached its destina-
ton, an extensive railway camp, 131
miles from Halfa. where on a. plain of
hard yellow sand stood the white tents
of the two railway battalions, and the
three companies Of the newly raised
Eighteenth Battalion, under Captain
Ford Hutchinson, which guard rail-
| end. When We arrived the camp was
almost deserted, the men being at work
at rail-end, which was five miles fur
Their on. This entire camp is advanced
a few miles every three or four days
as the work progresses; we were told
that it would be struck that very even
ing, to be pitched again about six miles
on. A temporary siding, $50 yards long,
to permit the passing of trains, is car
ried along with it, and is rapidly relaid
at each fresh encampment. The men
are extremely comfortable in camp;
their rations are excellent, and an en-
| terprising Greek sutler has been allow
| ed the use of a large covered truck
which follows the shifting camp down
| the railway Here the men can pur
chase anything they need from cloth
/ ing and tobacco to the sugar sweet
meats of which they are SO fond; but
/ the sale of intoxicating liquors is kept
under strict control.
Shortly after a. m. train rolled
in from rail-end with all it's trucks COW
| cred with men of the railway battal-
ions, who had already laid 1000 yards
of rails that morning and were return
ing to camp for their midday rest and
meal. They all, both yellow Egyptians
and coal black Soudanese, appeared TO
be in the best of spirits. These pei
pie have a great capacity for railway
construction and seem to thoroughly
enjoy their work. OF the CHEEKY, ever
grinning Sudanese, numbers, as l have
already said We're Dervishes, but few
months since fighting against US; and
some were still wearing the jibbehs or
Mahdist uniforms from which the col
ored patches had been torn off. 1t is
probable that within a few days the
railway battalion will be reinforced by
the black prisoners captured at Abu
Mahed after the recent battle.-London
Times Wady Halfa Correspondence.