Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-11-28

other projects, such as the German
road to Tanganyika. the French road
from Algeria TO the Sudan and the Bel
gian road from the Kongo to the Nile.
all government schemes and not yet
under way. 1t is probably conserva-
tive estimate TO say that the end of the
next decade will see $1,000 miles of
railroad in operation.
The colonial council at Berlin was in
formed on Oct. 1G that the imperial
government had decided to build the
East African Central railroad. and for
this purpose would raise a loan at
80 per cent interest. The object of the
government in building the road itself
is to hasten the development of the
colony and also TO have a free hand in
the settlement of all questions that
may arise when n junction is effected
with the British road from Cape Town
TO Alexandria. The German Colonial
society has advocated this great prof.
ect for some years. but the reichstag
has not been willing to guarantee in
terest upon the necessary capital. The
funds therefore have not been raised.
The estimated cost of a narrow gauge
railroad. with tcrmini on the Indian
ocean ut BaCamOyo and Dar-eS- Salaam,
to Till on Lake Tanganyika. with Il
branch from TabOra to the south end
of Victoria N!anza, is $50, 100000. As
a private enterprise it has seemed i'm
practicable. but it is necessary for the
development of German East Africa
which is over Il third larger than Texas
and is believed to have double the pop
ulation of that state. The British are
rapidly building their railroad from the
Indian ocean to- Victoria Nyanza. and
it is now about half completed. The
same considerations that induced this
enterprise impeI the building of the
neiGhborinE German line.
No one dreamed Il few years ago of
the activity in railroad building which
the last years of this century have
witnessed. To say nothing of the rapid
development OF railroads in civilized
North and South Africa. there are now
in operation or under construction be
tween the tropics IL lines of railroad
leading from the seacoasts to the in
terror. Besides these enterprises in
tropical Africa. there are the north
and south roads. such as the three AL
gerian lines pushing TO or into the
Sahara, all of them TO he feeders of the
future Transsaharan line; the road
up the Nile, which has crossed the
Atbara river on an American bridge
and is now approaching Khartum.
and the line extending north from
Bulawayo to Salisbury. which is to
be another link in the road that is to
join South Africa with the Mediter-
ranean.
The day of the camel caravans and
human portage is passing. The 10000
black carriers in the cataract region OF
the Kongo have given place TO freight
cars AT II points along the tropical
coast railroads now supplant the old
trade routes for a considerable dis
lance inland. The iron rails are COM
ing nearer every day to the holy city of
Harar. which a few years ago no in
fdel had ever entered except in dis
guise. The railroad is following the
telegraph line TO the capital of King
Menelek and while the Nile road will
cross the Mahdist territory north and
south the line now building from
Suakin TO Berber will cross il from
east to west. Thus the era of the pio-
neer explorer has given place TO the
brighter day of the railroad. making
all progress possible by bringing even
the far interior of Africa into close
touch with the rest Of the world.