The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-19
THE WIRE ACROSS AFRICA.
Pushing the Telegraph Forward Two Miles
Day.

The telegraph line now building to connect
the Cape of Good Hope with tho Mediterranean
will pass through a greater extent Of wholly
undeveloped country than any other line in the
world. Fora distance equal TO that between
New York city and San Francisco the natives
living near the route have rarely seen a white
man. and are almost untouched as yet bv white
influences. The enterprise IL largely n pioneer
venture. requiring special plans and devices for
construction and for insuring it's safety and
durability as far "a possible.
The line is already building in the wilder
ness. far north Of the Zambesi and at last ac-
counts the poles were being reared and the
wire strung on the plateau between Lakes
Nyassa and Tanganyika. one Of the favorte
haunts OF the wild elephant These animals.
in fact. have seldom been seen in herds 80
large as near the north end OF Nyassa. Some
interesting facts have, come from the, lake
region DESCRIPTIVE Of the Tay IN which the
charge Of Mr. Otto Berinser who is about It 50
and preparations for the pole rearing about
220 miles beyond the point reached by the con.
arr now ahead on hs Fnss
England. The completion oil, two miles day
10 very excellent work considering that the
poles. wires and other material must be trans
ported hundreds of miles from the coast
and that an enormous amount OF work must
construction parties. Five parties are engaged
IN TIE work and the total force employed s ten
niger has personal charge Of o' Surveying the
whites and 200 natives He selects the route
It about fifteen, feet wide. This ia no easy mat
ter. for it involves cutting way through the
high. The second party follows and widens
the fifteen feet path to sixty feet more or
[ "A c a.
sary. There will be no linemen every few
S rs In onr 93qpn IN to keen the fepe
Civilized lands to mend broken wire or repair
other ia DAMAGES. 80 every preliminary ca9ti9n
falling, would break the wire. and therefore
thousands OF trees, many Of them Of great size.
ehs s Of ~ o
holes; and this il closely followed by the fourth
detachment which plants the poles. and hnally
work The poles are Of iron and have ali been
less than $50 pounds. and most q them rise
fourteen feet above the ground. These are the
shortest poles. and higher and heavier ones
spans Of unusual length. When the line has
70 cross gullies or streams it is not unusual for
The line has been carried up the west coast
Of Lake Nyassa and will now pass to the west
ritory it viii connect about half way tH, UP the
lake with the branch line the Congo State Ia
pudding up the Congo IRON tho Atlantic to the
like. Then the line will pass along the west
shores Of Victoria Nyanza. in German terri
tory; to Uganda. and from this point, it will be
in British Or Egyptian territory all the way
down The Nile. 1t ts predicted that it will
he great boon to the continent when
close. touch with the rest OF the world. 1t
Is not SO very long ago that explorers required
from six to eight months to reach regions
whose news happenings OF Importance will
soon be read by all the civilized world the day
after their occurrence. We shall then be able
to hear in a few hours from the place where
Livingstone lived for many months while the
worl was wondering il the great man had not
perished in the midst of his work.