Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-02
4 RAILWAY TO MECCA
Turkey Showing Unusual En-
ergy in It's Construction.
FOR MILITARY ENDS
THE SULTAN ANXIOUS TO KEEP
THE BEDoUINs IN sUBJEcTIoN.
Efforts Of the Arabians to Break Away
From His Rule-The Failure Of
Tewak Pasha Expedition.


Tewhk Pasha Expedition.
BY VIM e. CURTIS.
Written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
For several years the Sultan of Turkey
has been building railroad from Damas-
Gus southwark east Of the Dead sea to
Mecca. for the transportation Of military
forces and supplies and Mohammedan pill
grims, who have been crossing the desert
in caravans numbering thousands every
year. The Koran requires these pilgrim.
ages, and men who have visited Mecca are
entitled to the rank Of hadji, have the prfvi-
lege of wearing turbans of green cloth
(Which is the sacred color. and are as
sured OF a high place in paradise. OF re-
cent years the pilgrimage has been made
much Less difficult than formerly by taking
steamers to the port of Jiddah. which is on
the Red sea. only about forty miles from
Mecca. and, under pressure from European
powers, the sultan has introduced sanitary
regulations and quarantine inspections.
which have reduced the mortality among
pilgrims to a minimum. Formerly these
pilgrimages were agencies for the distribu-
ton of contagious diseases throughout the
entire Mohammedan world. Two years ago
the cholera was introduced into Palestine
quarantine regulations. But s..ch instances
are very rare. for the regulations are rig
idly enforced by medical officers who are
educated at the American Presbyterian Col
lege at Beirut.
The number Of pilgrims who visit Mecca
is much less than is generally supposed. and
does not often exceed 100000 during the
season About one-half Of these go by
steamer through the Suez canal and the
Red sea: the other half go In caravans
across the desert, from various sections of
Islam. The majority Of the caravans are
organized at Damascus and follow the an
cient road east of the sea Of Galilee and
the Dead sea, through the mountains Of
Moab and across the desert of Petra. For
a considerable part of the distance they
follow the trail of the Israeiites under
Moses and Aaron.
The Railway From Damascus.
To promote piigrimages and also for mill
tary reasons. the Turkish government has
worked for several years building rail-
way along this caravan trail from Damas-
Gus toward Mecca. A private letter just
received from Damascus states that the
line has been completed and laid with
American rails for 22O miles south Of that
city, and that 2.00O soldiers are now en-
gagged In extending the grade. which has
been completed to the town of Maan, near
the ancient city of Petra. Cars are run
ming daily to Amman. thirty-five miles east
of Jericho, under the management Of the
Frenchmen who operate the railroad from
Beirut to Damascus. 1t is expected that
a regular service of one train day each
way will be established to Maan within a
few weeks. and that the Turks will soon
have all-rail connections between the Med
iterranean and the Red sea.
In the meantime a branch road Is being
built also with American rails, from the
beautiful town Of Haifa. under the shadow
of Mount Carmel In Palestine, to the town
of Leraa, the metropolis of the Hauran
valley, and thence to Mezefib, where 1t
will connect with the trunk line from Da-
mascus to Mecca. Three thousand men are
employed on that line. which is to be COM
pleted and in working order by the LIST OF
June next. My friend writes me that the
Tui kish government has never before
shown such energy in carrying out public
Improvements, and there are various theo-
ries to account for the phenomenon Inc
popular opinion is that the railroads are
more for military than for religious pur-
poses. and have recently become necessary
in order to enable the sultan to send troops
to suppress the bands of Bedouins. who are
now in revolt against his authority. If he
wants to keep the Bedouins of Arabia under
control he must have means to reach their
territory with his armies.
Regardless of the reasons. however. 1t Is
an interesting fact that within a few
months, it will be possible to cross Pales-
tine by railroad from Mount Carmel. where
Elijah performed his great miracle: along
the River Kishon; over the battlefield
where Saul visited the witch Of Endor.
where the Philistlnes slew Jonathan, and
where Deborah the prophecies directed the
battle between Barak and Sisera. The
track runs over the famous plain of Es-
draelon, touching the southern shore of the
Sea of GaIilee, an hours drive from IT.
berias, across the valley of the Jordan into
the desert. Every mile is associated with
some scriptural story.
Artesian Wells in the Desert.
Cargoes of American rails from the steel
trust are landed at Haifa every week or
two. and future pilgrims to Mecca will be
carried in American cars.
One of the great problems involved in the
construction of the Damascus-Mecca rail-
road has been a lack of water in the desert
south of Petra. but that has been solved by
an American engineer who has discovered
an artesian basin filed with pure. cold
water underneath the burning sands, and
it Is reported that an abundant supply can
be obtained anywhere by boring thirty or
forty feet.
These railways are being built partially
with money borrowed in Germany. and the
work is being done under the direction OF
German engineers. although both lines be-
long to and will be controlled by the Turk
ish government. portion Of the fund is
being raised by a new stamp tax. Every
document and piece of official or CONNER
cial paper must hereafter bear a scent
stamp for every $50 value. Every petition
Or communication in writing to any official
of the government must bear a stamp also.
and recently the authorities have issued an
edict requiring official communities tons to
be written upon certain paper which bears
a water-marked seal. and is sold by the
government for 5 cents sheet.
Construction Of Wagon Roads.
In connection with the railway the gov
eminent is showing great enterprise and
energy in the construction Of wagon roads
for military purposes. as well as for the
convenience of travellers and traders. These
improvements are said to have been sug-
gested by the Emperor of Germany during
his visit to the Holy Land several years
ago. Most of the roads through Syria and
Palestine have been practically impossible
for wagons. and indeed few wagons are
used. Most Of the transportation is done
by caravans of camels and donkeys. But
a year or SO ago the sultan issued an order
requiring several of the most important of
the ancient roads to be put in order, and
thousands of soldiers have been working
on them since, under the direction of Ger
man engineers. The ancient highway over
which Christ travelled between Galilee and
Jerusalem. by way of Nablus. has been put
in perfect order The road between Beirut
and Jaffa along the shores of the Meditar-