Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-10-15
DEVELOPING A NEW WORLD
Civilization and COmmercialiSm Marching
Together in Africa.
NEW RAILROADS IN A VAST CONTINENT
Magnificent Distances of the Cape to
Cairo Railroad Scheme-How
the Country is PartitiOned
Among Natives.

Africa probably has been opened TO CIVIL
cation and commercialism more rapidly
than any other country. Many of us nave
been prone to look upon 1t as the Africa
of Livingstone, OF Paul Du Chaillu and OF
Stanley. Few of us realize the strides 1t
has made in the past decade. In the place
of unbroken jungles filled with wild beasts
and wilder men great cities have arisen.
Tall buildings and broad streets noisy with
the hum of trade mark the spots once
deemed inaccessible to the white man.
Cape Town. the capital of Cape Colony,
coded to the British by the Dutch In 1915,
was then an unimportant village. dotting
the outskirts of warlilSe tribes OF natives.
Today II is bustling with all the life of
civilization and commerce, and it's popula-
ton of 10000 is rapidly increasing. johann
nesburg, farther In toward the interior
with a population OF between 10000 and
10000, is another city of the once Dark
Continent that is opening the way to the
unexplored regions now made possible to
the march of progress by the aggressive
actions Of Cecil Rhodes. And still further
inroads will be made into this wonderful
country by the building OF railways Of
which the Cape to Cairo project is the
pioneer With the railroad-the greatest
OF all civilizers-will come the conquest Of
the entire continent OF Africa so the action
at Victoria Falls the other day may be
noted as the beginning of new era in a
new land with unlimited possibilities for
all nations.
Picturesque Bridge.
The great iron bridge which is the most
| picturesque point of the Cape to Cairo
! railway, spans the Zambesi river at a
| height of 400 feet above low water, cross
| ing the gorge at Victoria Falls, and is
! consequently the highest structure Of the
kind in the world the second highest being
the Viaduct du Viaur I'm France, with a
height OF S75 feet. The bridge is Of the
| cantilever type. was constructed in three
spans on the grder pattern and has a
| width OF thirty feet 1t was built by an
English company the work being com.
menced simultaneously from both banks
Of the river. an electric motor cable-the
| largest ever used-with a span of 900 feet
carrying the material from one side tc
| the other. The height OF the falls at the
| places known as Danger Point and Boiling
| Pot is 40 feet and the width OF the river
! above the cataracts is fully a mile while
the cleft in the plain through which tn,
water PUSHES narrows down in one SPOT Il
scarcely more than 100 yards Victoris
falls are considered as one OF the creates
sights in the world, the cloud of vapor,
arising from them moistening the banks
of the river. which contains all theil
original beauty, having been thus far un
molested by the hand OF man. Along tn,
river dense growth OF grass and foilag,
hourishes, serving as food for great herd
of buffalo and numerous other animals
This primeyal beauty. however, will be o
short duration. for even now a project 4
in hand 70 harness the mighty force OF tn
falls as Niagara has been harnessed an,
80 provide power for the mines which ar
the leading Industry at this point
Magnificent Distances.
rhe Cape to Cairo railway will connec
Egypt with South Africa by a line OF {, "a
miles long. From the north the railway ha
reached Khartoum. a distanoe-aIIowinj
for the river gap between Assuan an
Wady Halfa-Of leo miles. Prom Kalom
the line Is TO be continued for go miles Il
a northeasterly direction, and proba bl
from Tanganyika there viii be two lines
one through the Congo and anothe
through German territory. Good progress
has been made with the railway north o
the Zambesi. on the section known az tn
northern extension, leading from victori
Falls TO Kaloma. the administrative cen
ter OF Barotseland. a distance OF 100 miles
The line to KAloma Is now practically bsin