Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-12-11

LOCOMOTIVE FOR KING MENELlk
Huge Toy Dragged Over Mountains
From the Coast to Annuse Him,

| ''~0S ~'~SS~S s"~S'~c'~
From the Coast to Anuse Him.
The announcement that all obsta-
cles, principally political, to the COM
pletion of the railroad line from Jibou-
ii on the Red Sea to Adds Abeba in
the heart of Abyssinia has led Hughes
LIE Roux. a French traveller and writ
er, to tell the story Of an extraordi-
nary feat that was performed for the
, entertainment Of King Menelik in 1904.
This was the transportation Of loco
motive engine from the coast to Meme
lik's capital at Adds Alem by human
force. NJ LIE Roux says he was the
only European present when the bar
barian 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 as
ever. II got on Menelik's nerves like
child's desire for toy and he could
think and speak Of nothing else.
Then one Of his couriers. one Ser
kis, proposed that he should go to Eu-
rope. buy locomotive and transport
II to Adds Alem. The Negus pointed
out the forests. the mountains, the riv-
ers that the machine would have to
traverse. Serlxis insisted that the
chiefs of the tribes inhabiting the
country could and would furnish all
the men necessary. He staked his
head on carrying out the project
BE II so," said Menelik.
Serkis went to Europe and there fell
in with a Russian 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 for $50 miles tempor-
airy roadway was constructed in which
ravines were spanned, mountains
trees cut down.
TT was on May IS, 1904" say M. lie
Roux. that / received a gracious in
vitation from the emperor to Join the
cortege which was starting to meet
Serkis Menelik took the road with all
the adornments of a pleasure party.
have never seen so many horses
caparisoned with silver, mules covered
with splendid saddle cloths, so many
silken hoods and cloaks bordered with
n,,r,la All tba funoti0na riaa aa Oar IN
stand well 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
500 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
emperor received news that the loco
motive was near by. He took his STA
ton on hilltop facing a 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 gen.
orally pictured. Every one else had
smaller gray hat, unlined. Menelik
kept his telescope to his eye, watching
the crest of the gorge over which the
great top was to appear. The moment
he saw lie Roux he exclaimed: Il
hope you have brought your camera
I desire memento Of this meeting"
LIE Roux had small camera slung
on a strap, and he took up favorable
position for snapshot. He goes on:
AT last there came to US the con-
fused chanting of thousands Of men.
Then they came trooping down over
the hill. They dragged the engine be-
hind them by cables. Others behind
prevented its too rapid descent First
of all came a crowd Of slaves carrying
two magnificent elephant saddles, a
present which England sent from In
dia to the King Of Kings?
Next came two light open railway
cars. Next came extra wheels and 9TH
er parts carried by porters. The men
seemed intoxicated with sort OF re-
ligious fervor as, singing, they ap-
preached and marched past the Negus.
There were thousands Of them. Every
province had furnished its contingent,
and when the forced labor Of each lot
was completed many fell in behind the
procession and kept on to the end OF
the journey.
IAN Ethiopian banner, futtered
above the crowd. 1t was fastened TO
the body Of the locomotive. When the
big machine appeared at last at the
summit Of the gorge a terrific shout
rent the air. The emperor stood up.
took a step forward and made ges-
ture Of salutation.
"I thought 1t would be bigger" was
bis comment when he saw 1t at close
range
Behind the locomotive came Serkis,
who fell to his knees at his masters
feet. II had taken him twenty-eight
days to drag the engine thither from
the coasts at Der-Daona, reaching an
elevation of nearly 5000 feet above sea
level
Locomotives, unfortunately have
their caprices as we'll as despots. Some
weeks later, when tracks were laid at
Adds Abeba, the locomotive refused to
operate. Oil and charcoal were con-
sumed in vain. 1t wouldn't bulge.
1t took weeks of overhauling before
they got the engine going at last. BY
that time Menelik had lost all inter-
est in 1t.
81 realize" said he, that we will see
nothing serious until the real railway
reaches here from Jibouti"
1B There Is established in Turkey
governmental agricultural bank with
s68 agencies. for assisting the farmers,
usually on the security Of real prop
erty The capital is $1S,150,000, and is
supplied by light tax an agricultural
property.
III One of our commonest mental op-
,t,la 80 tt,,aA