Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-29
FRANK C CARPENTER WRITES OF HIS NEWSPAPER Py
petition THROUGH THE W1LDS OF AFRICA 80

1 Mount kilimanjaro Is 10000 feet high
| and Is the tallest OF the African noun
tains Lake Victoria is the largest OF
| the African lakes. 1t Is said TO be big
ger than Lake Superior, 1t lies about
as far inland from the Indian ocean as
Cleveland Is distant from the Atlantic.
and It IL now accessible by a railroad
which passes through a land OF big
game. one sees herds OF zebras and
CRATES from the car windows, and in
stances have been known OF lions COM
ing into the Pullman cars at night
when the train was sidetracked and
yanking the passengers out OF the
lower berths. Hippopotamuses have
also butted the trains along the tracks
with their noses, and the rhinoceroses
sometimes get In the way of the en-
gines.
One-half OF Lake Victoria lies In
Uganda and belongs to the British.
The other half Is In German East
Africa and is controlled by the Ger
mans. Both nations have their own
little steamers, and / shall be able to
explore many parts OF this lake and to
describe the strange savages living
upon It's shores. Some or the natives
20 absolutely Naked with the exception
OF necklaces and anklets Of telegraph
wire while others shave their heads
with glass and dress In bullock hides.
The people OF Uganda wear bark cloth
or cotton gowns, but they take their
clothes of when they eat 20 as not TO
soil them. Indeed. they are quite CIV
ilized; they have good roads and they
raise so many cattle that tho English
expect them TO compete with the Unit.
ed States In the meat markets OF Eu-
rope.
AT THE SOURCE OF THE NILE.
expect TO visit the source OF tho
Nile during this trip about Lake Vic
toria. The Nile flows cut OF the lake
through Napoleon gulf, over wonder
full falls. with descent so great that
an enormous electric power can there
be developed This matter Is now un-
der consideration by the British gov
eminent
Below Uganda, for hundreds OF miles,
there are vast beds of papyrus reeds,
which II Is thought some day may fur
nish the paper supply OF Europe. Tho
ancient Egytians made their paper OF
papyrus, and the scrolls of the Alexan-
drlan library were Of this material.
The place where Il grows best Is
known as the sud-, region of
swamps, but one which In It's paper
possibilities equals, so | am told. that
of the wood pulp forests of Canada and
Of the United States.
BIG THINGS IN AFRICA.
We arc wont to think that we have
all of the big things OF the world. We
deal in superlatives and talk about our
big country, our Niagara Falls and
our great lakes. As | have just said
1t is now claimed that Lake Victoria
is greater than Lake Superior, and
there Is no doubt but that the Victoria
Falls of the Zambesi river are bigger
than Niagara. They are three times
as high, and their force IL such that
they will develop 35,00000O horse power.
This Is five times as much as the pos
slble horse power Of Niagara, and the
British are preparing TO make use of
1t. | expect TO visit the falls of the
zambesi, going inland from Portuguese
East Africa, through Newfoundland and
Matabeland to that point.
Another big thing 1 shall describe
will be the Nile dam at Assouan. This
is as high as a seven-story house and
as thick as tho widest city street. 1t
holds back the Atbara river and en-
ables the valley below to have regu-
lar water supply without regard to a
high or low Nile This dam adds a fer
tile territory to Egypt twice as large
as the state Of Connecticut. 1t has cost
millions and the story of how II was
built may contain valuable informa-
ton for our engineers at Panama, who
viii have to construct somewhat SINH
lar dams at Bohio and Gamboa.
THE GERMAN AND PORTUGUESE
POSSESSIONS.
I shall see something OF German