Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-11-09

70 Asslout. which is 200 or 800 miles
further north. Then comes me road
from Assiout &c Luxor, ending up with
mo narrow-gaRc line from Luxor 90
Assouon. All OF these divisions are
through the marrow valley OF the Nile
with the desert IN sight all the way
FOR almost 1000 miles above Cairo the
celebrated Nile strip varies In width
from nothing "a about nine miles. IN
many places Il IL less than three miles
wide. The river winds this way and
NAV, but the railroad is comparatively
straight, and u Is often far or from
tne river amid the sand and rocks.
such parts OF the strip are uncom.
Portable. At times the sands are blind
ing, the dust fills the cars, and our eyes
smart These disCOmfOrts are sOme-
what obviated IN the first class cars.
Al of them have shutters and double
WINDOWS 70 keep out the dust, and the
inner window ranes are OF smoked
glass 70 lessen the glare. with the
shutters up u II almost dark In the
cars. and when down both windows
give the Interior the appearance or tyf-
light. When .hc white glass alone Is
used the rays are binding, and the
sun comes through with such strength
that it f. not safe 10 have Il striltc
the back or ones neck as he site IN tho
train.
THROUGH NUBIA BY RAIL.
! found the conditions oven worse IN
the Nubian desert. which I crossed q
the railroad from Wady Halfa TO Ber-
Der. That region Is about the bleakest
ana dreariest on earth. II is all sand
and rocks. with here and there a low
thirsty mountain. The Nubians them
selves call Il the stone belly" and the
name Is well chosen, The cars must be
Kept closed 20 keep out the dust They
have double windows and shutters, and
IN ADDITION wooden hoods over the
windows, In order that the direct rays
Of the sun may not shine IN. The cars
have double roofs. and the doors have
windows OF smoked glass. There Is
90 much dust that It comes In when
everything is shut, and the porter
brushes out the cars every hour.
The scenery Is dreary. The only wa
ter Is that pumped from artesiau wells.
and the stone stations have no green
whatever about them. The stations
have not even name. They are
known by numbers; and their only in
habitants are the railroad employees.
This Is the condition all the way from
Wady Halfa to Abu Hamid which is a
port on the Nile some distance above
the fourth cataract
The SUDAN MILITARY RAILWAY
This road is a part OF the soudan
military railway, which extends from
Wady Halfa to Halfaya. The line ali
told is $40 miles long and II has gage
OF only AZ inches. II is the road which
was built by Kitchener during the war
with the MahdL II was constructed in
less than is months BY the English
engineers and the soldiers. and Is one
90 IL.
railroad building on record. A large
part OF Il was laid at the rate OF one
and one-fourth miles per day, and at
one time more than three miles were
laid In one day. The track was con-
structed during the hottest time OF the
year, and the work was so well done
that trains carrying 200 tons and
drawn by engines weighing, without
their tender, 80 tons, could travel safe
~ over II at the rate of 25 miles per
hour. II was built through a waterless
desert, which had never been mapped
until the surveyors went over II, and
the survey camp was kept about six
miles IN advance OF the rail head dur
ing It's construction. There was always
danger OF attack by the Dervishes and
the road was built through a hostile
country.
Today the cars move as smoothly
over Kitchener's tracks as they do over
those OF Egypt and thoy give that
country regular connection with the
Soudan. There Is now train de luxe
connecting Khartoum with Wady Hal
IN. and this has both sleeping and din
ing cars.
SOUDAN SLEEPERS AND DINERS.
The sleepers ara divided up into
compartments about seven feet square
with two berths to each compartment
There Is an aisle from which the COM
partments are entered. running along
the side OF the car. and the compart-
ments are large enough TO enable one
% have a wicker chair In them. IN ad-
dition TO the berths Each little room
has an electric fan and IS lighted by
electricity.