The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-06
RAILROAD NEWS.
Another Link in Cape to Cairo
Railroad Complete.
Tickets Being Sold to Victoria
Falls, Africa.
NIAGARA'S ONLY RIVAL
Elephants and Wild Animals
Along the Right Of Way.
Dream of Cecil Rhodes About to
Be Realized
NIAGARA'S ONLY RIVAL

Another link in the Cape-to-Calrc
railroad has been completed Tourist
tickets are already being sold in Cape
Town to Victoria Falls. in the Zambes
river. which as a spectacle rivals Nj
agara, being higher and broader, but
the volume of water passing over the
rocks is mucn less than at Niagara
This link in the chain-the dream OF
Cecil Rhodes-is 10 miles long. and
runs from Buluwayo TO the Zambesi
river.
From the Cape to the Zambesi is
1885 miles. At the northern end of the
line there are completed 1.150 miles OF
rail. although with the water way
links in the route a distance of 2,StU
miles. or to Rejaf, may be said to be
covered by travellers. The total length
of the route is 5,S75 miles, 1850 of whlcn
is a water way down the Nile, White
Nile and through the lakes of Albert
Albert Edward. Kivu and Tanganylka-
OF the 1.21O miles OF projected railway
necessary TO be built to connect both
ends of the route the section between
the Victoria Falls on the Zambes1 ana
Broken Hill mine. distance OF Soo
miles, is now under construction
All along the banks of the southern
end of the river elephant tracks are
numerous and when the water dries
up in the pools and SWampS elepnaIltS
are frequently seen drinking ana
from the deck of a Nile steamboat the
tourist catches a glimpse of g1raffes,
lions rhinoceroseS and balloons on the
rivers brink Hippopotami, which diff
fer somewhat from those seen in cap
tivity, are often found sporting in the
lagoOns below Lake No, where the
Bahr-el-Ghazai joins the mighty river
The Cape to Cairo railroad, which Is
now slowly becoming a fact, was a
part of the dream of Cecil Rhodes.
and it will be seen that it is an impor-
tant part of his grand imperial
scheme of all Africa for the British
The career of this man. who held
sway in South Africa little less COM
pletely than a crowned monarch, is
one of the strange, compelling, ro-
mantle stories of success through the
following tenaciously fixed purpose
In 1873, when Rhodes, then an under
graduate at Oxford, was ordered away
for his health. he went to Cape Col
Ony. He did not die, as was expected,
as he was suffering from a lung dis
ease which it was believed would
cause his death. Instead he conceived
the idea of British domination in the
dark continent, and knew that grand
ideas without the cash to put them
into effect are useless.
He set to work to amaSS wealth, but
money to him was simply means of
forcing the hand of time He amalga-
mated the Kimberley mines, he made
the De Beers mines, and with his mill
lions. acquired from his gold and dia-
properties bGSdAA " pay d illOSA
important part in South Africa. He
organized companies, he backed enter
prises. he carried on war with the ma
tives. he allowed nothing to stand in
his way, yet his way was not for him
self, excepting so far as he hoped to
be remembered in his country as an
empire builder. His dream was an uni
ted country south of the Zambesi riv-
err
Considerable credit for mapping the
route of the great trunk line is due to
the young Cambridge undergraduate,
Ewart S. Grogan, who in 1S9S-99 cross
ed Africa from the Cape to Cairo, max
ing the journey. most of the way on
foot, in IS months. He had terrible
experience in the Dinka swampS, sew
eral of his carriers went insane from
suffering. he himself had the African
fever. which nearly ended his career,
but he succeeded. gaining much valua
BILE information about the route and
suggesting several changes in the pro-
posed scheme which were adopted.