Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-10-04
AFRICA OPENING UP.
Commerce VIII BE Influenced by the
Dark Continents Development.

From the Boston Transcript.
As a section of the Mombasa-Victoria
railway connecting the sources of the Nile
with the sea. is now approaching compile
ton, it is of interest to note the signifi-
canoe of this large. enterprise for. the in.
dustrial commercial and political future of
the central portions of the Dark Continent.
The immediate object of the construction
of the railway the FUNDS Tor W whien nc nave
communications with Uganda and the Val
ley of the Upper Nile. That pOpulous coun-
try, with large capacities for trade, is dis
tant 657 miles overland from the Indian
ocean, to say nothing of the width of VIC
toria NyanZa. which the Traveller must
At present the carriage of goods by porters
costs $9i0 per ton. which of itself forbids
ordinary commercial transactionls. ton, lo
effect a saving in the transportation OF
government stores and pass passengers ,od,dt OF at
least S9o year aherS Svanza aTs aIeaes arae
stocks of grain and other produce which
can not bear the present cost of carriage,
but would seek the sea .rI by ral L., II Is pars
in sections to the lake to connect with
the railway terminus at Berkely, bay.
Some sixty-fve miles have been com
pleted at the Mombasa end and fifty miles
more have been aligned. Mombasa is on
| an island and has tirst-rate harbor;; "A a
viaduct /, 1872 feet long connects 1t with the
mainland \ jetty, shops warehouses,
quarters. and. above all, water,distillins
apparatus of large capacity have been con,
structed. Heavy earthwork was required
in the first thiriy-five miles out, and maia-
ria Frustrated 50 per cent of the laborers
and the Whoe EnTopean pse,s s'a ered ofSen from
! a mysterious malady. SO that donkeys had
| TO be largely employed. Labor is brought
recently some 1,4O0 natives have been in
! duced to work by the regular payment OF
wages in coin. After the thirt.eth mile
west from Mombasa the route enters and
ascends through a sterile and utterly wa
| terless tract known as the Taru desert,
| extending almost to the river Tsavo. some some
| feet above the sea. Along the section
| water is to be sought by means OF artesiah
| wells. Beyond the Tsavo river the is,asi okam,
| missionary station, where the road begins
to rise, and at the SO0th mile reaches an az
| crossed to the country of the Kibuyu.
Some earthwork has been done over thlrIt
miles near Kibkezi. No severer gradient
tmnneIs or important bridging will be nee
essarv in the paG of the route here in
| dcated. , 49, ooo nan -.
ouired to construct the whole line soidiy
and provide an adequate supply of rolling
stock and other adjuncts: me gauge IS
| the metre gauge of three feet three inches,
and ffty-pouifd rail is to be used. The
| ties will be creosoted pine. The metre
gauge makes the large resources OF xI dnuia 5
| encv To save time and protect the new
eouipment from the rough work OF con
struction. old enginss and cars from India
have already been largely employed: The n
| effect of the fine upon the social and in
| dustrial condition Of the people in East
Africa. and about the sources Of the Nile Me
is expected to be very considerable. me
raidng and cattle lifting of the Nasal Will
he ended. The terrible devastations of
Arab slave raiders will be arrested ted and d. a a
stop put to their nefarious trafiic; ~ Ihe ,he
rountry l,1Til Will stimulate the industries of
Uganda and unyoro and the e fgrhsr 9rfr. ely civ
| proSucts now unstable will have value
and and'tra trade will increase and. with it the
com Comforts at the command of the people,
nrotecforates of Uganda, Unyoro and the
region of the Upper, Nile will be greatly
Strengthened Not the least of the ncen-
| tives indeed to the hurried building of the
railwav is the fact that the Germans are
now constructing a line to Victoria
| NyanZa,