The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-01
Expeditions Press For
ward, Undeterred
by the Sand.
HER EMPIRE IS INCREASING.
Railroad to Connect Algeria and the Sou.
dan - peculiarities OF the Great
Waste That May Be Reclaimed.

their scheme OF consolidating the ffeNch
empire in the northwestern portion OF Afri-
ca and now the limits OF French infiu nee
extend from Tunis in line 10 the south
east, considerably beyond the region OF
Lake Tchad thence TO the southwest,
and with the exception of Morocco, liber-
"a and the English and German claims,
the dominion OF France comprises nearly
all Of this portion Of Africa as far as the
Congo
the progress during the last two years
has been quite marked and the recent
fighting which resulted In the occupation
OF In Salah By the French forces Is but
one incident OF many In the history OF
the conquest of Sahara For. II should be
understood. until the coming OF the French
the desert tribes were independent, the 1T
tie communities which inhapit the scat
tered cases were governed by their own
sheiks and acknowledged no other author
Nv They were naturally, therefore,
strongly opposed TO the French occupation.
which they resented by force In every IN
stance. and though from the character
OF their weapons their resistance was
feeble, the conquest has given the French
no little trouble from the immense dis
tapces II was necessary 10 traverse In order
10 reach the habtations Of few and wide
Iv scattered tribes. over year ago, there
was a reconnaissance made of In Salah
by a company Of fifty men. Sanaran troops
IN tho nay of the French government. The
hand Travelled on dromedaries from Tlmas-
aanIns on the border of Algeria, aimcst
directly west to In Salah. distance OF
$50 miles going and returning In SIX days
Careful observations were made OF the
,oute. the villages OF the GASES OF In Salah
wore inspeeted from distance and, after
ali available information had been obulin-
Cd. the company returned ana rev
months later strong expedition went out
and. after some hght.ng occupied ana
rarrisonad the oasis. The act was III ,he
nature OF reprisal for the murder or a
French explorer over two years ago. and
Illustrates the manner OF growth OF a
eivilized nation with harbarous neighbors.
s,nnch more important expedition mas
recentiy been made to the south ,or the
uurpoac of locating the line OF the propos-
"a railroad the transsaharan rosd' whch
Is to connect Algeria with the vas, tetti'e
regions grouped under the general hahe OF
M so,,dan. The road IL designed TO fur-
Mai a commercial outlet 10 the wealth OF
Inc interior, and finally connect. by d.
root and expeditions route. the richch
congo with over 2 GEO miles In length. ana
xuI Furnish the main line for the Two or
three French roads already constructed IN
the Niger valley.
The expedition already mentioned starr
Oh more than a year axo, IL was com
,,asad ~ nearly 300 soldiers drawn from
xar,oua Algerian regiments. and com
,,aofad nv French officers. Four Hotch-
kiex guns constituted the artiiery arm
and the baggage and provision tram was
composed of nearly loo" eaIneis' with
ahnu, ,b, same number OF drivers, serv-
ants and camp followers, Commanded
ny Cant Iamy the expedition was
known as the Fourneau- Lamy. from the
hyphenation ~ef the names or the pro-
ieetor and commander. The troops were
mounted on dromcdaries, but very Few
horAea were taken along as water on the
route was scarce, ana whiie Gamer OF
N dromcdary could live without water for
twenty OF thirty days. horse must be
vatered al least twice every twenty-four
hours The expedition started from
Ttmassanlne I'm December, ISIS and push
ed directly south along the principal car
AVIAN route. from Algeria to bernou.
making surveys. turning aside from time
to time 10 visit the principal bases along
the route and gather such Information
as would be useful In determinipg the
lire OF the proposed railroad.
rbe character OF the Western Sahara
ts very different from the popular TIM
pression Of that vast region. The great
African desert. while over 1000 miles
from east 10 west aud 1890 60 l.5oo from
north to south. is by no means the level,
sandy piain that school boys suppose,
The sahara has It's mountain ranges.
It's mains. It's valleys. The cause VI
the extreme dryness of the region IS
the fact that Northern Africa Is guard
,a hs a range Of very high mountains
running parallel With the coast These
densct tht warm north winds from the
Mediterranean. thus preventing clouds
from forming and rain from falling
When there T. y break Ia tho mountain
range as e. the east ~ runis. the north
ern winds penetrate 60 the interior and
onaea are formed extending ia a line al.
ntest across the dessert There Is no such
break IN the Algerian range. consequent
IN great spots arc few 90 the south II
Algeria
There s.. however. diversity, just south
OF Algeria lies the Grandc Etg, "a rcgiou
several hundred miles Ia extent Of shift,
ms sands The fsrg - district Of dune,
or ranges % Mills NJ DRY sand. thrown uF
nv the wind u ~ believed nv somc set
enttH, men that the sand dunes are bs
no means as tgansuorY and chAngcabi,
as some suppose The prncipai dag,s ir
~. r,fg have names which thny have re-
tanned FOR many generations. and th,
belief among the sahara dNcllers Is that
Whale the Wind storms sometimes All,
10 the alHc 40 the dune. sometime
subtract from its dimensions SIS gen
Urai shape aud proportions remain un
chAngcd Under the influence ~ th'
wind. the sand acts much like snow. d
corners - walls. us surface Is crease,
and wrinklcd la regular burrows by wind
as b. water. Amer a storm Of Tmas
NAninc. the sand is banked up around IN,
MALLS as snow would be in 81 Peters bur,
aud a force OF men L. engaged semctlmel
for days sometimes Tor weeks. tn haul
ing IL away
The mountain ranges OF sahara ar,
stony enough 30 answer all require
ments 81 mountain region. but there q
A remarkable difference between then
ana an. AlpS. for the aityltlou of the tiy
inx PARTICLES ~ sand during thousands
perhaps millions of years, bias worI
smooth the cEsgs % thu SasaTaH mount
aine Nowhere is there TO be seen tha
sharpness Of outline eharaetcristic OF tn
elias and precjpices Of other lands: 70
she aging sand srinds away every angle
smooths down the rough outline and s.
time may reduce 10 n comparative leVc
the whole of this vast region
The Sahara has It's wNdis. the natura
6raiaase courses. ssneraily ora. b.