The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-30
RAILWAY BUILDING IN AFRICA
Surprising Figures Regarding the
Spenin. Up Of the Dark Continent

WAY 0UIlUlNd TN rhlOA
Surprising Figures Regarding the
Openin. Up Of the Dark Continent
Washington, Sept. 29.-Railroads in At
! RIGA are discussed at considerable length
in a monograph entitled Commercial
Africa in 1S99,' just prepared by the
treasury bureau of statistics. 1t shows
that the railways now in operation or I'M
| der actual construction are nearly 1000
miles in extent, that about two-fifths Of
the distance from Cape to Cairo" has al
ready been spanned by railway lines
which are being extended from the
northern and southern extremeties Of the
continent toward the equator, where they
are expected to meet early in the Twen-
tieth century Already railroads run
northwardIy from Cape Colony about l.
400 miles and southwark from Cairo
about 100 miles, thus making $500 miles
of the Cape-to-Cairo railroad complete,
the intermediate distance being about
5000 miles. Mr.. Rhodes. whose recent
visit 10 England and Germany in the in
terest of the proposed through line from
the Cape to Cairo is q, matter Of record
and whose visit to Germany was made
necessary by the fact that in order to
pass from the southern chain of British
territory to the northern chain, he must
cross German or Belgian territory. IS re-
ported as confident that the through line
will be completed by the year 1910 It
may be reasonably be assumed that a
continuous railway line from the south
ern to the northern end of Africa will be
~ IN h. Nv Of he
twentieth century. Toward this line.
present and prospective, which Is TO
stretch through the eastern part of the
continent, lateral lines from either coast
are beginning to make yheir way. A line
has already been constructed from Natal
on the southeast coast. another from
Lourenzo Harquos IN Portuguese terri
tory and the gold and diamond fields, an
other from Beria, also in Portuguese ter
ritory, but considerably farther north,
and destined to extend to Salisbury in
Rhodesia, where 1t will form a junction
with the Cape-to-Cairo road; still anoth
er is projected from Zanzibar to Lake
Victoria Nyanza to connect probably. at
Tabera with the transcontinental line;
another line is under actual construction
westward from Pangani, just north Of
Zanzibar, both of these being III German
Sast Africa; another line is being con-
structed enthusiastically from Nom
hasa, in British territory. toward Lake
Victoria Nyanza. and is completed more
than half the distance while at the en-
trance to the Red sea road is projected
wSstwardly into Abyssinia and is expect
ed TO pass farther toward the west and
connect with the main line. At Suakim.
fronting on the Red sea. a road is pro-
jected to Berber. the present terminus of
the line running southwardly from Cairo.
On the west of Africa, lines begun to
penetrate inward a short line in the
French Soudan running from the head
OF navigation on the Niger with the ulti-
mate purpose OF connecting navigation
on these two streams. In the Congo Free
State. a railway connects the Upper Con-
go with the Lower Congo around Living
stone Falls; in Portuguese Angola a road
extends eastwardly from Loanda, the
capital. considerable distance, and 9TH
ers are projected from Benqueala and
Mossamedes, with the ultimate purpose
OF connecting with the Cape-to-Cairo
road and joining with the lines from
Portuguese East Africa, which also touch
that road. thus making a transconunen-
tai line from east to west, with Portu-
guese territory at either terminus. Fur
Their south on the western coast, the
Germans have projected a road from
Walsh Bay to Windhoek the capital Of
German Southwest Africa. and this viii
probably be extended eastwardly until It
connects with the great transcontnental
line from Cape 20 Cairo. which is thus 70
form the great nerve center OF the sys-
TEN. TO be contributed TO and supported
by these branches connecting * with
either coast
Another magnificent railway project.
which was some years ago suggested BY
Monsieur B0Iieau has been recently re-
vived. being no less than an east and
west transcontineutal line through the
Scudau region. connecting the Senegal
and Niger countries on the west with the
Nile valley and Red sea on the east and
penetrating a deHseIy populated and ex-
trenely productive region. OF which less
j. known. perhaps. than Of any other
part n Africa.
Al the north. numerous lines skirt the
Mediterranean coast especially in the .
French territory Of Algeria and in Tunis .
where the length Of railway Is. in round .
numbers. = - miles while she Egyptian .
railroads are. including those ROW under
construction about IA miles IL length. I
Those OF Cape Colony and Natal are
nearly SEQ miles in length. Those Of .
Cape ConoIy and Natal ara nearly 3ef] .
miles. and those of Portuguese East Afri-
ca and the South African republic. an
other thousand
Taking into consideration al q the
roads row constructed or under actual
C instruction. their total length reaches
nearly 1880 mlies. while there seems
every reason 70 believe that the great
through system connecting che rapidly
developing mining regions of SCUM A.
rica Vtth The north Of the continent and
With Europe viii soon be pushed % a
15rsuulraa ti9n. A large proportion q tha
railways thus far constructed are owuss
5y the several colonies or states xhich
they traverse. sbout $50 miles - the
Cape Colony system belonging % the
: ve-nment while nearly AZ ina: u
EgyPt Is owned and operated By IRE
s;ete
Peoria. II. sept She plant o. TIE
Peoria RRo5er and Manufactures con-
ANY las been sod 10 the Americas ~
y &c company 20: kes.aoo.