The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-11-18

From the New York Sun. ~
II HE announcement that all OBJ
w stacles. principally political, to
the completion or the railroad
from Jibouti, on the Red Sea, to Adds
Abeba, in the heart of Abyssinia has led
Hughes lie Roux, a French traveller and
writer, to tell the story of'an extraord1-
nary feat that was performed for the en-
tertainment of King Menelik in 1904. This
was the transportation of a locomotive
engine from the coast to Menelik's capt.
tai of human force. NJ. LIE Roux says he
was the. only European present when the
barbarian despot first beheld the great
machine.
After the first plans for the railroad
were accepted by the King, somewhere
about 1895, there was a long hiatus. Years
passed by and the construction of the
road and the arrival of the great steam
horse" seemed as far away as ever 1t
got on Meneliks nerves like child
desire for a toy, and he could think OF
nothing else.
Then one of his courters, one Serkis,
proposed that he should go to Europe,
buy locomotive and transport it to the
capital. The Negus pointed out the for
ests the mountains, the rivers that the
machine would have to traverse. Serl1s
insisted that the chiefs of the tribes in
habiting the country could and would fur
nish all the men necessary. He staked his
head on carrying out the project.
BE 1t So" said Menelik.
Serlxis went to Europe and there fell
a., ,,,;+1, q Pussian engineer officer named
Babitcheff. whom he sent ahead to open
a temporary route for the locomotive to
follow. Babitcheff set all the energies of
the native tribes to work, and Tor 200
miles a temporary roadway was con-
structed in which ravines were spanned,
mountains crossed, Jungles cleared and
forest trees cut down.
1T was on May 49, 1904 says M. LIE
Roux, that received a gracious invita-
ton from the Emperor to join the cortege
which was starting to meet SerlSis. Men
elk took the road with all the adornments
of a pleasure party. l have never seen
so many horses caparsoned with silver,
mules covered with splendid saddle cloths.
so many silken hoods and cloaks bordered
with purple. All the functionaries, eager
to stand we'll with the Emperor, were in
the cortege."
AS they were to be four to five days
afield, they took full camp equipage along.
The Emperor alone had 700 to 800 women
cooks each one riding mule and having
a soldier to guard her.
On the morning of the second day out,
on the borders of Lake Kilole. the En-
peror received news that the locomotive
hilltop facing ravine, the slope of which
seemed to reach to a level with the sky.
He wore the big hat of gray felt lined
with green, in which he is generally pic
tured Every one else had a smaller gray
hat, unlined. Menelik kept his telescope
to his eye, watching the crest of tie
gorge over which the great toy was to APP
pear. The moment he saw lie Roux he ex-
claimed, Il hope you have brought your
camera / desire a memento of this meet
ing"
lie Roux had small camera slung on
a strap and he took up a favorable posi-
ton for a snapshot. He goes on:
AT last there came to us the confused
chanting of thousands of men. Then they
came troopng down the dusty track that
had been cleared over the hill. They
dragged the engine behind them by cables.
Others behind prevented its too rapid de-
scent First of all came a crowd of slaves
carrying two magnificent elephant sad
dles, present which England sent from
India to the King of Kings. Z"
Next came two light open railway cars.
Next came extra wheels and other parts
carried by porters. The men seemed in
toxicated with a sort Of religious fervor,