The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-05
REBUILDING KHARToUM.
Imposing Scale of the New Capital of
 the Soudan.

Imposing Scale of the New Capital ot
 the Soudan.
 Another considerable work undertake en by the government has been the re- building of the cities which the Der wishes had destroyed or had allowed to decay. Of these by far the most impor- tant was, of course, the rebuilding of Khartoum, involving as it did the trans ference of the seat of government rom the Dervish city of Omdurman. va riety of motives urged the necessity ot this step; it was gratifying both to BTU ish and to Egyptian national sentiment to see the restoration of the old capital of the Soudan undertaken almost as matter of course, in tribute to the mem ory of Gordon, immediately after the dispersion of the rebels who had sacked the city and taken the Pacha's lie. u was undignifed and therefore danger ous for government whose strength IS not independent of its prestige to ac- cept a capital from the Dervishes at second hand; to destroy the Mahdl city was the logical continuation Of the policy which destroyed his body and his tomb Independently of these induce nents, however, Khartoum was chosen on it's merits as the true national site of the capital of the Soudan. There were not wanting those who urged the claims of the Khalifas city; that the site of Omdurman was higher, drier and healthier could not be denied. The great expense, both to the government and the people, of moving across the river was one which ought not to be lightly undergoneS It was military consideration always paramount in the Soudan, that turned the scale, The strength of a fortified position at Khar- toum would be so great that no future Mahdi, even though he came with Max i'm guns, would ever again be able to plant the black flag of his jehad over the ruin of civilization
 When it became known that 1t was Lord Kitchener's determination to re- build Khartoum, a host of claimants to the soil sprang up where previousiy there had been none. It was found ne- cessary to appoint a commission, under the presidency of Lieutenant-Colonel Drage, to adjudcate upon these con f1icting claims and to award compensa- tion in cases where the land was re- quired by the government. In some cases the old title deeds had been pre- served: in others these had perished, and the testimony of witnesses alone was, available: in others again restitu- ton had previously been made by the Egyptian government in 1885. Assisted by two mamours and by two ancient mo- tables. Lieutenant-C Colonel Drage sat for four months receiving claims and coun- terclaims and issuing certificates to those who succeeded in establishing their ownership This issue of certifi- cates was followed in many instances by their sale for trif1ing sums to the Greek traders who had already arrived upon the scene, and much of the most valua- ble land in the new city passed thus at once into the hands of a few wealthy capitalists; a striking example of the x necessity of the ground landlord to the constitution of the infant community!
 The whole city has been laid out on metropoltan scale. The river front along the banks of the Blue Nile is more than three miles long; the depth inland is nearly a mile and a half. The public buildings lie along the river bank. AL the extreme southeast the Gordon Me- morial college, a large red brick struc- tire with shady galleries and porticoes, covering three SlueS Ol d Squdl0' ht'S he'A outstripped it's scholars, and in a lew months it will be ready for work. In the center of the lines, on the exact site of Gordon's palace, rises the palace or the governor general, now practically completed. It is handsome Venetian looking red brick edifice, With white stone arcadings and ogives; the facade oyerlooks the river; the open court, f1anked by two wings, looks out over the city across a spacious garden in Whlch there still flourish a few of the old ,oalms and lemon trees of Gordon's day Further. northwest are other large build ings which will soon be finished, the government offices, and the supply ana ordnance stores The road in front ot them will be fianked throughout by a stone river wall.
 Parallel with this imposing river 1rohe run several long avenues-Sirdar ave- me Victoria avenue, Shasta Cromef. These are regularly crossed by main streets not less than ninety feet Wlde' The blocks thus formed are further ln- tersected by diagonals, the cross roaas forming the key points of the city TOT nurposes of defence in such way that four Maxim guns could control the whole interior of the city. Near the northeast corner of the river front there is being rapidly built by British capital the hotel which at the end of their long desert Journey will receive the weary