The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-15
THE IRON GATEWAY TO THE, SUDAN
All About the New Railway
Across the Nubian
Desert.
HIGHWAY TO CENTRAL AFRICA
How 1t Was Built and Queer
Features of Traycl
Upon 1t.
by FRANK O. CARPENTER.

Atbnra.
- HAVE come TO htbara to describc
the new railroad which the Brit
ish have built from here to the
Red Sea. The road begins 2op
miles to tho north OF Khar-
trn, in the heart OF tho Nubinn Desert.
and goes over the sand and rock, MP
hill and down. for distance of 332
miles to Port Sudan. IT crosses one "f
tho blaakest deserts on earth. There
Is no vegetation at all between here
and tho Red Sea, until within about
nIne miles OF the coast, where there
is scanty growth of thorn bushes
md scrub which feeds small clocks
of cnmelB and sheep. The only inliabi-
tants OF the desert are some Nubiaa
tribes, who go about from place TO
place, living In tents OF mating, seek
ing pasture for their flocks and camp
ing down by the occasional wells.
The Red Sea road was opened ~
little more than q year ago: 1t began
doing business as soon as 1t was I'm
ished, and It now has more freight
than cars. All the trade of the Sudan
Will probably go over IT. and, 1t is
believed. much OF the tourist travel
as well. Already the Mohar,medsn pill
grims, from Central Africa and the
whole Upper Milo valley arc taking
this railroad on their way to and
from Mecca; some of the tourists VINO
20 up the Nile are returning by the
Rcd Sea. and ships are now SAILING
regularly from Port Sudan TO sue"'
A Great Freight Route.
This road lis bound to make great
change I'm the freight rates to tlle
sudan. All the goods OF the past maze
been landed Mt Alexandria ana car
ried by rail or boat UP the ME- 10
ShellaI, distance almost as great 10
n
There 1t has been taken on steal'ie ~.
IN Wady HnIfa, and thence on trains
To Khartum. The railroad freight had
10 he transferred on It's way 10 Sheiia''
being taken from the broad sauRe cars
Mt Luxor and placed on the marrow
gauge from Luxor to Ashouan. All ot
these transfers We're cosby, ana .,,e
freight rates were high md the traihc
SLOW. Now ships go right through me
Suez Cana, to Port Sudan, on the Red
Sea. and there land their goods for the
sudan. There arc excellent shipping
facilities, and the freight is transferred
almost direct to the cars, whicn by one
continuous 50o-rnile haul land them In
Khartum. In the past wheat could be
sent from Chicago TO Liverpool at
lower freight than that which formerly
prevailed between Khartum and Wady
Halfa. The causeIof this was the high
price of coal. az 1t all had to be
brought up the Nile from Alexandria
and onward by ship and road. The
coal Is now coming in from the Red
Sea and the English. are erecting ship
ping facilities to accommodate the traf-
fc.
The Atbara River.
SEnt first let me give you some idea
of the station which forms the tcrmi-
nus OF the Red Sea Railroad. Atbara is
right in the heart of the Libyan Desert.
1T is about 200 miles north of khartum,
at the junction of the Atbara River
and the Nile. 1t Is also ut the junction
of the Red Sea road With the great
trunk line which is to go from Cairo
to tho Cape. The northern section of
the latter starts at Alexandria and runs
northward through here to Khartum.
where the Blue and White Niles come
together and form the main stream.
The Atbara River, which can be
plainly seen from this station. is the
last branch that the Nile has between
this point and the sea. The Atbara
rises In the Abyssinan mountains and
II carries down 10 the Nile every year
millions of tons of the rich Abysslnian
mud which makes so fertile the Lower
Nile valley. During part of the year
this river has volume which COM
Dares with that. of the greatest rivers
of the world, and at other times 1t is
as dry az bone. From March until
Juno you can walk across it In most
places without wettlng your feet, and
there is only water here and there
collected In the deprcssions and pools.
These contain hippopotami, crocodiles.
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