Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-04
NIAGARA IN AFRICA
HOW THE IMMENSE VICTORIA
FALLS WILL BE UTILIZED.
The Water of the Zambesi River Rolls
Over a Precipice-Monster
Electric Plant.


An empire builders visionary hope is soon
to be realized in Africa. In 1858 David
Livingstone discovered Victoria Falls; in
1861 he visited them again and was still
able to record that no other white man had
ever seen the wonder. In 1879 it was said
that but twelve Europeans had seen Vic
toria Falls; twenty years later, Cecil
Rhodes had conceived his Cape to Cairo
telegraph; by 1900 that daring enterprise
was complete and the empire builder had
already addressed his restless spirit to
a Cape to Cairo railway. We propose
now" he wrote. ito go and cross the
Zambesi Just below the Victoria Falls.
should like to have the spray of the water
over the carriages"
Even to this last picturesque detail, that
dream will come true before next Christ
mas day: and men still called young, who
nevertheless We're born before Livingstone
carved his initials on the rocks above the
falls. will be able to take the train at Cape
town. travel more than 1900 miles without
change and cross the Zambesi not much
more than hundred yards below the Afri-
can Niagara, at a point where the spray
that bounds back from a fall of 400 feet VIII
dash the windows of the cars.
No Esthetic Protest.
Today the engineers of Mr. Rhodes South
African Company are planning the details
of a great electric plant which shall util-
ize the water power of Victoria Falls. In
America there is a strong sentimental op-
position to the prostitution of Niasaras
beauty to commercial purposes; in South
Africa no such protest is heard 1t takes
genera tons of wealth and culture to de-
velop the sentiment which defends beauty
against utility; in new country everything
is sacrificed to the necessities of the plo-
neerS. Coal and wood scare in South
Africa. Every article in the manufacture
of which electric energy is essential must
be imported: and the installation of this
enormous electric plant will be the begin
ming of native manufacturing, and VIII
make possible the development of mines
within radius of two hundred miles which
would otherwise remain idle for lack OF
power.
Great, Without Beauty.
Moreover the Victoria Falls, unlike Nj
agara. possess little beauty. The volume
of water in the Zambesi is in the rainy sea-
son five times the volume that comes down
from Lake Erie. The height of the Victoria
Falls is almost three times the height OF
Niagara and yet the African cataract as
compared with our American wonder will
never create a scenic sensation. At Nj
agara one stand off and see the huge
mass of water tumble over the edge of a
precipice and watch 1t drop the entire
height of the falls. With Victoria Falls it
is different. Imagine river almost exact
ly mile wide imagine in the riverbed, at
right angles to the course of the stream,
great narrow crack like assures in gla-
ciers, about eighty yards wide and four
hundred feet deep. Into this crack the
water falls and escapes at the bottom
through similar ZlgZag assures of the same
depth One cannot see the water falling.
1t is like pouring water into a long, mar
row. deep dish. There is little of the spec
tacular in that process. One can hear the
roar-Livingstone heard ii twenty miles
away-and one can see the high columns of
mist caused by the air, which the falling
carries down congresses T.
bounding to a great height. and carrying
spray with it. These high towers of mist
bending gracefully with the wind make al
the scenic effect there is in Victoria Falls.
The natives have a name for il that Signi-
fies smoke that sounds and DR.. Living
stone got his first intimation of the falls
when the negroes POO miles away asked
him: Have you any smoke soundings in
Your country?' and What causes the
smoke to rise forever so high out of the
water?'
Power of the Plant.
The electric plant will be built on a shelf
cut into the side near the bottom of one OF
the zigzag cracks below the falls. The
water will be carried around the cataract
in great steel tubes and dropped 300 feet TO
big turbine wheels The engineers of the
South African Company estimate that the
falls will furnish 3j,OOO.o0O horse power;
Niagara, if every drop of water were used.
would not furnish more than 900 600 horse
power. Ih1rty-hVe millions horse power
means the equivalent of more than ten
horses, working night and day, for every
white person in South Africa; il is enough,
one would think, to manufacture every artl-
Gle that South Africa needs it is enough TO
light the city of New York, run its street
cars and do all its manufacturing. Niagara,
it is well known, would run dry within
year if there We're economic means of
carrying the power far New York. In
South Africa, since the power cannot come
to the city, the city will go to the power.
They will bind their New York or their
Pittsburg on the edge of Victoria Falls. If
any one has ever sighed with the man who
fifty years ago could have bought square
mile of what is now Chicago for a thousand
dollars, let him go to South Africa and
buy land near Victoria Falls. In his old
age he will be founding universities and
public libraries. The stories of Chicago,
Minnea polls and Denver are sure to be
peated and magnified.
Aside from furnishing light and heat and
power for the city which will spring up
j when the Cape to Cairo" railroad reaches
the Zambesi, Victoria Falls will operate the
pumps, the fans, the lifts and the drills of
the mines which will be developed nearby.
Electric power generated at Yuba Falls,
CAL is carried ODD miles to San Francisco,
and at other places electric power has been
economically carried a distance of 20
miles.