Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-01

whoss name IL spelled Ju1uy and pro-
nounced Weewee.
This leaves / 400 miles In Central Amer
lea. $40 miles In Colombia. 80 miles In
Ecuador and Loo In Peru to complete the
Intercontinental railway. and tear 1t win
be q long time before that part OF the line
is pushing through Patagonia to the Straits
OF Magellan and has already built 600 miles
south Of Buenos Ayres.
No one expects that this road Will carry
through freight from New York to Buenos
Ayres. or even to Bolivia; or that the
through passenger traffic win amount to
very much but these roads viii be devel-
opers and civflizers and will have branches
extending in both directions to the sea.
The Cape to Cairo Line.
The same is true of the Cape to Cairo
railway. 1t cannot compete with ships
for through traffic. either for freight or
passengers 1t will be a much longer jour
ney from London by rail than by sea, even
after the road from Damascus to Mecca Is
built: and the cost Of hauling freight would
not permit of competition with the steam
ships. The late Cecil Rhodes, who pro-
posed and started the Cape to Cairo rail-
way, understood this fully. but he had an
idea that it would pick up freight in the
interior and send II to the seaports by
branch lines. The branches Will be much
more difficult to build than the trunk line,
because the mountain ranges run north
and south as In America and the coast is
bordered by impossible jungies ana
swamps. Two roads are now being con-
structed into the interior. however one
along the Congo State and the other IN
German Africa.
Sir Charles Metcaf has been intrusted
by the British government with the duty
of colonizing immigrants along the lines OF
the Cape to Cairo railroad and Is onerlng
free grants of 1G0 acres each to bona noe
settlers in South Africa. The local gov
eminent is planning also to loan them
money at the rate of $500 to the FANNY
for five years In order to give them
start and enable them to support them
selves until their first crop comes in. But
although it Is possible that he may sue
coed in locating number of colonies, the
United States and Australia offer greater
advantages to any who wishes to leave
the united kingdom and take up farm
in new country.
Importance of the Siberian Road.
The commercial Importance of the great
Siberian road is very much greater than
either of the others I have mentioned.
Ever since the knowledge of man caravans
have been passing to and fro between Rus
STA and China and the traffic has been very
large. The Monaghan trade is of great I'M
portance. while that of the intervening
countries is nearly equal to 1t. The develop
ment of the agricultural resources of Sibe-
ria has been rapid ever, since the read was
built. Hundreds OF thousands of families
have settled on both sides of the right OF
way and are growing wheat, corn and rye
and other staples with the most modern
American machinery under the encourage
ment of the government. The traff1c over
the Siberian road is already quite heavy,
and although it does not yet pay expenses,
1t is likely to do within very few
years.
China is to be the scene of the greatest
activity in railway construction during the
next quarter of century. Those who are
well informed are bold enough to predict
that an average of a thousand miles
year will be constructed within the next
twenty-five years. During the last twelve
years more than two thousand miles have
been constructed.
Railways in China.
The following railways are already com
L. tiL,x.