The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-16
NEW ROADS OPEN
SOUDAN REGIONS
RAILWAY TO PORT soUDAN, ON
THE RED SEA, COMPLETED.
Last Week in January a Memorable
Date in the Annals of Egypt-His-
tory of the Country Since the Nah
dis Reign Was Destroyed by Sir
Herbert Kitchener.
London Spectator,

London Spectator.
The last week of January is memo
rable date in the annals of Egypt and
the Soudan. 1t was the week which,
"the high that proved too high, " and
give his life for the country. Since
then the Soudan has passed thru a
chequered minority; but with the open
ing of the railway from the Nile to
the Red sea last Saturday, it may fair
" be said to have celebrated its COM
ing of age. The railway was once. a
project Of Ismail IS, that most Ineffective
of dreamers. The man who instructed
his engineers to make the gage OF has
new Nile line the same as that of South
Africa. since it would save trouble In
the end, had no common imagination;
but, tho he saw the economic value OF
distracted by the Wady Halfa project,
and relinquished that in turn after
building some fifty miles of it: Some
years later the idea was revived as one
of the alternative schemes for the re-
lief of Khartoum; but, rightly or
wrongly, the Nile route was chosen, and
with the triumph of Mahdism, darkness
country. When Sir Herbert Kitchener
began his slow advance to the recon,
| quest, it seemed best to him to build
his line from Wady Halfa across the
great bend of the Nile, since the Sua,
kim route involved serious strateglcai
| dangers. ,:
Now that the wars are over and mill
tary considerations are OF less accou ~,
| the obvious economic value OF the
project impressed the new. rulers OF the
Somdan and their Egyptian superlors.
| IT would shorten the distance between
| Khartoum and the sea by 900 miles
and the main need of the Soudan is In
creased facilities for export and lmPoEti
Accordingly, in October, l9o4, , Inc VIE
have been constructed within fourteen
months. Nor has the cost been greaII
| for the total spent is less than MI y.
lion and a half, and the cost per mt
has been only ga $50. When we con
slider the difficulties Of the task1th he
wastes of sand. the hollows ana tnt
ridges to be traversed, the scatSioS o ".
! rental rains in winteT-the modest sun
snent and the speed with which, the
work has been finished reflect the hlgh
est credit upon Colonel Macauiey ane
his colleagues. Not only has the I'm.
been built, but as its terminus ne"
] mort on the Red sea-Port oouoan
has been created, with a more spacious
haThor and better climate than Sua
kim. The new railway is to be the cen
ter of many others. A line from Aa
reima to Abu Hamed, which is almost
eomnleted. will bring the rich proVinct
of Donpola into direct COMMUNICATING
With the sea. There will be a prancl
to Kassala, where great lrrlgaIioh wo IN
are in progress, ana pIahoh fonrtf
line from Ell Obeid to the Nile Will g1 N
Kordofan an outlet for its exports. In.
| SnuIan has found its economic pas'
| 900 miles nearer to hand.
To anyone with the Kaleidoscope
| changes Of the country in the last TWEEN
tv years in his mind the scene at forI
Soudan last Saturday must nave peel
of singular interest. Lord Cromef 10.
mally opened the railway in the pres
ance NOT only of Egyptian and Soudan
ese officials, but of Arab merehant'
from the coast ports, nelghoorins
sbeikhs and wild tribesmen from TN
Hinterland. His speech, spoken IN Eng
i;sb was afterward read in Arabic, an'
was then translated into the Ternacniaa,
by Sir Rudolf Slatin. 1t deait wiz
tbe fundamental economic questlons o
the country with that slmplicltS am
directness which are the secret OF L9r'
Cromer's power. Hitherto the Soudal
railway up the Nile has been rather
military than a commercial undertaK
;no II made the reconquest OF Tn
conntry possible and it enabled the ne'
miers to import the first necessaries o
c;v;l;zation. but it's trading characte
has always been subordinate to Its &C
ministratiye. It is not run as revenue
producing expedient, for its recelp's a
present lust balance expenditure. bu
the Red sea line is thoroly sommerclS
in it's character, an artery of commun
cation which will open up the SCUBA
to the world. On this point Lor
Cromer's words are emphatic. None
must be spent in development work OF
fore the country can become self-suI
nort;no- Peace is scarcely six yea1
cid and the land when taken over We
Quilted to its foundations by Two ae'
AIDES of war. It is the Egyptian ia!
payer who meets the cost OF such Work
hut they are the only means whereby tt
Sondan can cease to be a charge on n
hands. "Trust on is Lord Cromer
advice to him, "and think tomorro
|. win repay" ,s ~
: mer referred to his own part IN the r
: generation of the country. AT III
, time of life I can only hope to stan
/ ON the top of an administrative flsga
I can scarcely hope to enter the prom
ised land" No man, he declaredl WI
: country. The foundations had bee
, laid broad and deep, both in intern,
> well-being and international goodwill
IF any worker, even the most, prom,
, nent went. "all that need be ga!
: would be, IN ny gu 'un Anglais
8 moins. - Egyptian policy on its pre-
emit lines had become an unquestiont
9 axiom Of the British government al az
3 there was no fear of turning back. Th
d we believe to be true. The future
!. the Nile valley has gone out OF par,
: politics; it has even gone OUT OF al
!. Sromer's regime would be perpetuat'
, nnder any successor. But this fact do
: not diminish the gratitude Of Egg
: and Britain, and, indeed, Of the w ,ysa
e In general, to the one man who lift,
8 the country from the slough Of ban
. ruptcy and confusion, and made its I
Il ture secure. To have so ordered thln
that even he is not indispensanie