Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-07-11
CENTRAL AFRIcA's FIRST ROAD.
A scotchman's Gift, It Has Done Much
to Develop the Region.

New York Sun James Stevenson,
a wealthy Scotchman, gave $4,000 to
build a road between the north end
of Lake Nyassa and the south end OF
Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa
about twenty-five years ago. He was
convinced that nothing would help
more to develop Africa than good
highways.
1t took two years to build the road
and it was well built. Its length is
211 miles. Apart from its great use
fulness the white men there have al
ways said that it has been a power
full civilizing agency.
1t has helped to accustom the
natives of that densely peopled re-
gion to work for the whites, and to
use calico and other European articles.
The work OF construction was the
first instance on large scale of the
utilization of native labor in Central
Africa. Many trained laborers now
live along the road and are en-
gagged in transport service between
the two great lakes.
This highway is known as the
Stevenson road. Mr.. Chrapkovski, an
official in the German service, who re-
Gently travelled over the road, has
written an interesting account of it.
He says that though nothing has
been done to maintain the road built
twenty-five years ago, it is still,
with the single exception of the road
between Victoria Nyanza and Tang
anyika, the best highway in Central
Africa As nothing has been done
to maintain the road it is now covered
with grass, but travellers say this is
really an advantage, as the vegetation
has helped to keep the road from
washing, and it is also better for the
feet of the carriers. who dislike to;
walk on those stretches where there
is no grass, for it is as hard as stone
and hurts the feet.
| The usefulness of the road is proved
| by the fact that porters carrying,
sixty pounds on their backs make an
average of twenty miles day, while
the usual journey is only ten miles.
The road passes entirely through
British territory, and the government
has erected a station every twenty
miles where caravans may spend the
night.
There is provision at each station
to put all the freight under cover,
comfortable brick and concrete houses
afford excellent conditions for a good
nights rest and there are cook houses.
where the meals of the caravans are
prepared. One CT the neighboring
chiefs is held responsible for the
! cleanliness and good order of each
station. He receives monthly sal
airy of few shi,lings from the gov
, eminent and few yards of calico
+, from each caravan passing over the
route
| The road was intended and is we'll
adapted for the use of wagons, but
unfortunately the South African
oxen that were brought into the,
country did not thrive there, and the
i experiment of using them was given
up. AS long as oxen were used large
, wagons loaded with 600 pounds of
| freight and drawn by sixteen oxen
made an average of fourteen miles a
day from one lake to the other.
i When the oxen proved a failure,
small carts hauled by the natives and
carrying about 1000 pounds of freight
were introduced, but it was finally
decided that transport on the backs
+, of men who receive only from five to
seven shillings month was cheaper,
, and now vehicles are seldom seen on
i the road