Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-06-23
LOCOMOTIVE
TO AMuSE KING
MENEL|K
HUNDREDS HAUL UNIQUE
TOY OVER JUNGLE TRAILS
AbySSinian Potentate Goes in
State to Meet PROFESSIONS
Disappointed at Size of the
\, Machine,

The announcement that all obstacles, prin'
eipally political. to The completion OF the
railroad line from Jibouti, on the Red Sea
to Adds Abeba. in the heart OF Abyssinia'
has led Hughes lie Roux, a French traveller
and writer. to tell the story Of an eNtraor-
binary feat Of King Menelik in 1906 rus
was the transportation Of a locomotive en-
CINE from the coast to Meneliks cap"al ny
human forces M lie Roux says he was the
only European present when the BARBARA"
despot first beheld the great machine
After the first plans for the railroad were
accented by the king. somewhere about 1898
there was a long hiatus. Years passed by
and the construction Of the road ana the
arrival Of the great steam horse seemed
as far away as ever. 1t got on Meneliks
nerves like a childs desire FOR a toy anu
he could think Of nothing else.
Then one Of his couricrs. one Serkls' pro
posed that he should so to Europe, buy a
! locomotive, and transport 1t to the captaN
The Negus pointed out the forests the noun
tains. the rivers that the machine would
haye f.. traverse. serkis insisted that the
chiefs Of the tribes inhabiting the country
could and would furnish all the men neees-
sary. He staked his head on carrying OUT
the project.
BE Il So" said Menelik.
serkas went to Europe and there fell IN
with a Russian engineer phiNtA' h"ihNN -"
bltchef. whom he sent ahead to o2en d
temporarv route for the locomotive to fol-
! low. Babiteheff set all the energies OF the
native tribes to work. and for $50 miles a
temporary roadway was constructed IN
which ravines were spanned. mountains
crossed, ~jungles cleared and forest trees cut
down.
IT was on May is, 1904, says NJ, lie RouN'
afhat received a gracious invitation from
the Emperor to Join the cortege- whlch was
starting to meet serkis. Menelik took the
road with all the adornments OF a pleasure
3 party. l have never seen SO many horses
eaparisoned with silver. mules covered with
sniendid saddle cloths, so many silken hoods
e and clnaks bordered with purple. All the
: functtonaries. eager to stand well with the
e Emperor We're in the cortege.
AS they were to be four or hve days
@ aheld they took full camp equipage alohs'
e The Emperor alone had 700 to 500 women
n cooks. each one riding a mule ana having a
soldier to guard her.
e Met Locomotive.
on the morning Of the second day out on
the borders OF Lake Klloie, the Emperor re
i. cefved news that the locomotive was nearby
4 He took mis- station on a hilltop racing a
| ravine. the slope Of which seemed to reaeh
to a level with the sky.
He wore the big hat Of .grey felt lined
with green, In which he is generally pto'
tured. Everyone else had a smaller grey
hat. unlined. Menelik kept his telescope e
his eye. watching the crest Of the gorge ovei
which the great toy was to appear me
moment he saw lie Roux, he exclaimed
hone YOU have brought your camera. l de
sire a memento Of this meeting
lie Roux had a small camera slung on .
strap, and he took up a favorite position ioi
a snapshot. He goes on;
at last there came to us the confused
chanting Of thousands Of men. Then they
came trooping down the dusty track tha'
had been cleared over the hill. Tley dras'
4 ged the engine behind them by cables. Oth'
= ers behind prevented its too rapid descent
First Of all came a crowd Of slaves carrying
two magnificent elephant saddles a presen'
which England sent from India to the Klnt
e Of kings"
Next came two light open railway cars
Il Next came extra wheels and other part
carried by porters. The men seemed intoX
icated with a sort Of religious fervor, as
singing. they approached and marched pas
The Negus. There were thousands OF them
Every province had furnished its contin
N gent. and when the forced labor ot eacl
Is let was completed many fell in behind th'
IS procession and kept on to the end OF TN
journey.
An ETHIOPIAN banner huttered above thu
crowd. 1t was fastened to the body OF TIT
Is locomotive. When the big machine APP
II neared last at the summit N the gorge a ter
y rife shout rent the air. The Emperor stoo'
re UP, took a step forward and made a ges
q ture Of salutation''
.e ~ thought it would be bigger" was hi
If comment when he saw it at closer range.
Behind the locomotive came serkis, VIII
r. fell to his knees at his masters feet. II hat
o taken him twenty-eight days to DRAG TN
engine thither from the coast at
reaching an elevation Of nearly S.oOo fee
: above sea level.
U Locomotives. unfortunately, have their ca
\ prices as well as despots. some weeks later
when tracks were laid at Addis-Abeba. tn
> locomotive refused to operate. Oil and char
coal were consumed. in vain. II Woulqh9
Ibudge.
1t took weeks OF overhauling before the,