The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-31
IN THE DARK CONTINENT.
Work of Surveyors in the Trans
African Telegraph Service.

i tfrom the London News
Till, Lake Tanganyika. German East
| Africa. Dec. 10, I96g-The surveying party
for the African and Transcontinental
Telegraph line arrived here on the Sd in
slant. having partly surveyed the coun-
try from karema. At the present mo-
ment the line has been laid fer about
sixty miles north OF Kassanga-that is,
it now runs from Edtuta, at the south
up the east coast of that lake. The sur
vey is begged out to karema, 15o miles
north of Kituta. and the preliminary sur
vey between Karema and Ujiji Is being
made. The line will then go from Till
round the southeast coast of the Vic
toria Nyanza, cross the Uganda Railway,
skirt the country west of Lake Rudolph,
and then follow the Abyssinta frontier
and work round slightly to the west and
so to the Nile The country between
Karenla and Ujiji is extremely noun
famous. and in order to find suitable
route Il wide extent of country must be
Surveyed.
The surveyors found the natives be-
tween kare:na and Ujiii, inland, extrerni-
~ shy of Il white man Arabs, or rather
half-caste Arabs. and coast natives
abound everywhere. hardly a village be
ing passed without some of these people
being located in DEMONSTRATING rubber
with the natives. These villages are, by
the bye, very strongly stockaded. and the
natives own quantities of guns. Powder
is, however. scarce, and bits of stones oft
en- do duty as bullets. The guns are muz-
zle-loaders. with flint locks and caps, and
are calculated to do more harm to the
man at the butt end than to the target.
whatever 1t may be Ujiji is very inter-
eSting native and Arab centre The stand
ing white population numbers on an av-
erdge ten, seven being German Govern
ment ofiicialS-all military men-and three
Greek traders. Arabs are very plentiful,
a number being men of considerable
wealth The chief trade is in ivory and
rubber, the former crossing the lake and
coming mostly from the Congo Free
State. The total population OF Ujiji is s.
90. 1t is the second largest native and
Arab town in Central Africa. Tabora,
which is also a German Government sta
ton, is the largest, and has a population
of 10,eN. The Bona. or Government en-
closure. is well-built stone building The
Greek stores are also well-built. two-stOry
stone houses. and the principal Arabs own
similar dwellings, The native huts are
scattered all around these Arab houses.
The currency throughout German East
Africa is the German rupee and copper
coins called pesas. going sixty-four to the
rupee. Fifteen German rupees go to the
poung sterling The Germans pay their
workers and Soudanese soldiers very
high wages for Africa. and one sees
nearly all the natives about here clothed
well and clearly in cotton. white and col
ored goods The language is Swahili.
Scattered all over UjiJi, which lies gem
orally about one mile from the lake shore
on undulating country. are mango trees.
These. with their thick and dark green
foliage, present pleasing appearance.
and just now. the coming season. when
the grass all around is green, and the
atmosphere, in between the showers, so
very clear, Ujiji is very pretty place.
and the view of the mountains across the
lake is simply enchanting The new Ger
man steamer Hedwig Won Wissmann has
made its trial trip, and has proved a
great success. The other two steamers.
the Flotilla Company's and the flanagan
yika Possession Company's, are well on
the way to being launched. All is again
quiet at the north end of the lake. There
is some more trouble brewing with the
natives bordering the lake between mere
and K1rema. and some sort of an eXpedi-
ton viii be sent against the chief often
der. katunka. who ran away when Wis
tied two or three months ago by Lieu
4 nInf El1nnk