Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-03
OPENING AFRICA.
A Traveller May Go From Paris to
Timbuktu in Nineteen Days.

Timbuktu in Nineteen Days.
From the New York SUM-
In August next regular steam communi-
cation is to be opened between the Atlantic
port Of Dakar. In Senegal. and the famous
town of Tfmbuktu. near the Niger, on the
southern edge Of the Sahara desert. Any
globe trotter who desires may make the
journey. and IL he connects closely with the
river and railroad systems leading from the
Atlantic to the great northern bend of the
Niger he will be landed at Timbuktu in
nineteen days after putting out of the rail-
way station in Paris.
1t is enough to make African Rip Van
Wrinkles rub their eyes after the sleep OF
ages; and the white races will look upon
the achievement as one of the wonders OF
the year. Many readers of the Sun who
are not yet old will recall the time when no
white man could enter or even approach
the forbidden city unless he could talk
Arabic and by staining his skin pass for a
Mohammedan.
Twenty-six years ago Dr. Otto Lenz. to-
day a professor in the University OF Ven
ma, entered the city in the guise OF learn
ed Mohammedan doctor and traveller. lie
was the last of the five European travellers
who in the course of $50 years saw TINS
fanatical center of Mohammedanism. or
these five men, Paul 1mbert, French Sill
or, fell into the hands of the Arabs, was
led to Timbuktu slave. and finally dled IN
bondage; Major LANG, after spending
month in the city, was murdered few
miles north of it. and the records of his
visit were never recovered; Caille. Barth
and LEM passed unscatched through the
dangers that beSet them, and told the world
nearly all it ever knew of the city until the
French military forces occupied 1t. Not
pain!essly did the ancient town. steeped in
religious prejudice and in bitter fatred oil
the infidel whites, pass under the new rule;
q he wi
der of the popular Col. BONNER, some thir-
teen years ago. before they had assured
their mastery over Tim5uktu.
For some years French gunoo2ts have
piled on the upper Niger between Bam-
mako and the river port of Timbuktu for
the city itself stands nine miles north OF
the river, but 1t was only little over a
year ago that steam communication was
completed between the Atlantic and the
J-pper Niger: and now the French are busy
with their. prepare tons to open the route
to commerce and travel.
Two little steamers have been sent from
France the last appliances needed 10 open
these new facilities for transportation
Each has accommodations for fifty passen-
gers and can carry nfty tons OF Ifelsht.
They will ply the Niger between kun-
koro, the terminus of the railroad now in
operation from Hayes on the Senegal rive-,
and Ansongo, distance by river OF little
over 800 miles. So Timbuktu will be only a
way station on the route, for its Port Is
only ABOUT OJD miles from hulRoTo. 1He
steamers expected to reach the Niger
in March or April, and some months will
be required to put them together, install
the machinery and make the final prepara-
tons for starting the regular steam service
between France and Ansongo The service
will not be put into operation VI til August.
The estimated time between Paris and
Timbulktu has been announced: From Par.
to Bordeaux, one day; from Bordeaux to
Dakar by the French Messageries Mari
times, eight days; from Dakar to st. Lou .,
at the mouth of the Senegal river, on day;
from ST. Louis to Hayes, by steamer On the
Senegal three days; from Hayes to KuN-
koro on the Niger, through the fo-ested re-
gion between the Senegal and Niger river
systems, two days; from Kulikoro to Tim
buktu, by Niger steamers, four days; total,
nineteen days.
So the journey from Europe will be made
in safety and with many of the comforts of
modern transportation; and the trip may be
made in fewer days than the pioneers re-
quired months as they pushed on their toll
some way, at the peril of their lives, over
the desert sands or through the African
jungle.
1t is expected, however, that the journey
will be shortened by two days within the
next few years. Fer part of the year the
water in the Senegal is SO low that naviga-
ton is practically imp POSSIBLE. The French
have therefore made SUI Teys for railroad
from ThieS, on the Dakar-St. Louis line to
Hayes. and when this road is Quilt there
will be rail communication all the way from
the Atlantic to kuiikoro, whence the Niger
steamers depart for 1impuEtu, and the time
from Paris to the city on the edge of the
Sahara will be shortened to seventeen days.