New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-10
ZAMBESI FALLS NEXT.
Great african Cataract To BE Maze
Useful.

Since the success of ''harnessing Niagara 10
Svnarnos eight OF years ago scores OF scheiheS
for utilizing water power in similar manner ia" .
been carried into effect in America, Europe anu
asia Nowhere as vet has the work been con-
Quoted on so grand scale. because the cataract IN
the outlet Of Lake Erie is practically Wiuho'' on
equal in the world. One OF the very rev ~
IS found in British South Africa: and IL freshls
illustrates the farreaching influence of the example
set y American engineers and capitalists TO De 'oio
shat there. too. plant Of the same chai "
likely 10 he installed in the near future
Victoria Falls. the scene of this undertaking are
ss,uate5 in tbe Zanbesi River which runs IN
generally easterly direction and empties into the
indian ocean. The falls are about SIX huIiuiS
miles in a bee line from that body OF water anu
perhaps fifteen hundred from the Cape IT "ooo
Hone The Cape to Cairo railway. as orlglhanS
-,lanned would have crossed the Zambesi further
downstream. a year or two ago the route was sai-
,e-ed 81 As to intersect river at the fans Inc
line has been in operation az far as BuiuWa9o LOT
several months. and is expected 10 reacn DaIhoesi
during the coming summer or autumn
From comparison made by Francis Fox, who
describes the project At length in Casters Maya
zine for April appears that the height OF VIC
-oris Falls is from four hundred to four hundred
and twenty feet while that Of Niagara is not far
from 2 hundred and sixty feet The entire width
of the former is a mile. or twice as great as fhat
OF the latter. When at q food height the volume
of water the Zambesi is about double that OF
Niagara Estimates of the available power OF
rsu must take account of both the amount of fluid
snd the change Of level head Hence IL IS
Thought that great African cataract Is good for
eetxeen thirty and thirty five million horseTo"e
ar five times as much as Niagara. The minimum
cspacitv at the dry tina of year would he very
much less however Having the same knd OF
sources as the great majority Of other rivers no
~aol,. tho Zamheei experiences great variations IN
mower from one season to another-much greater
On fact than the outflow Of the great lakes
Those who are familiar with the shape of the
American cataract remember that it is divided by
Goat Island into two unequal portions The mar
,orgeA on the New-York side. presents an almost
straight front The wider one. Canadian fail
&c co,ca,-r owing to the greater raPidty of wear
e., +,,e middle than the edges Victoria rails
,,-asant 2 straight front an the way across, al
-bouch three islands al the crest separate the
streams into four unequal parts. The roar OF the
cascade can be heard for long distance and Liv-
sston re-orts having seen columns of spray there
from when he was four five miles away Gu
-;ousl,- enough some Of the natives OF that re-
rior attributed this noise the wrong cause, and
asked Livingstone if in his own country there WAS
such a thing as smoke that sounds
a unique feature of this wonderful FORMATION Is
.bat the water. after descending. disappears so
r,r,atelv that it seems to go down into the earth
Ar the way across the river. scarcely more than
,e hundred feet from the falls. is wall of rock
eo,rs1lins Them in height. and apparently dammng
the way completely. When the enormous assure
suto which the water plunges is surmounted by
clouds Of spray the utmost skill is required to
.olve this mystery. Careful examination finally
-s,-ea1s a narrow opening in that solid barrier and
.hgs is the upper end OF gorge which Is sald 10
extend twenty miles AT IT'S entrance 'iI3
water descends further, and. as the passage Is
robs hlv partially choked with masses Of rock the