Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-18

the weight whether it. Is below seventy
pounds or not. The checks are not made
of cardboard or brass. as in our country.
They are merely receipts a thin tough
paper SO arranged that one half Of each
receipt can be given to the passenger and
the other doubled up and tied with string
to the baggage.
Most of the natives carry their belongings
In bags not unlike coffee sacks, and much
OF the checked luggage is of that nature.
At the depots the poorer Arabs throw
these bags over their shoulders and march
Off with them.
First and second-class passengers take
numerous valises and bundles into the
cars. am now travelling with nine pack
ages. and they all go into the car. At
every stop and start the porters take all
are SO low that the cost Of handling is
little. Four cents Is big enough fee for
one man, and one good lusty Arab can
carry my baggage.
In the Cars.
The first and second-class compartments
are comfortable. am travelling first class,
and I sometimes have a compartment for
myself and son. The cars are divided into
little box-like rooms by partitions, which
run across from one side to the other.
They are usually entered from the sides
and it is not possible to go through whole
train, as in our country. The seats are
we'll cushioned, and as the sides are walled
with windows the opportunities for seeing
are good. The second and third-cass cars
are divided up in the same way, and the
second class is almost good as the first.
The third-class seats are bare board
benches, and they usually filled with
Arabs, Moors and kabyles, with a sprin-
king of private soldiers. The latter re-
ceive wages of only about ! cent per day
and hence cannot travel in luxury.
Eating Arrangements.
Within the past year or SO dining cars
have been put on some Of these Algerian
trains. Others stop at the stations for
luncheon and dinner. and at every sta
ton there is a lunch room, called buvette.
The usual rate for dinner is about 40
cents, and for that sum one gets an ex-
cellent meal with a quart bottle of white
or red wine thrown in. Luncheons are
often put up and brought to the cars at
cost OF about so cents each. For that
one gets two slices of roast beef or half
chicken, several boiled eggs. and also
cheese, sweet cakes and fruit. There IL
always quart bottle of wine put in. The
wine Is good and the food Is excellent
I have not the railroad wages at hand,
but they must be exceedingly low. Every
station has large number of officers and
soldiers. crossroads depot which in our
country would hardly9be thought worthy
Of an agent requires half dozen guards
and the large stations proportionately
more. There Is always a chief depot man
ager. baggage master, q telegraph opera
tor, ticket seller and q number of porters.
1t takes a half dozen men to start q train.
The engineer whistles. one Of the guards
rings bell and others run from car to car
and shut the doors while they cry Get on
gentlemen, II you please" On the cars
themselves there are many employees There
are engineers. firemen and brakesmen ga
lore. Every train has its mail clerk and
Its baggage man, and often an express
messenger as well.
New Railroads for North Africa.
The railroads of Algeria and Tunisia at
present have a length Of almost 5000 miles.
The new lines projected number many
thousand miles more. and in the near fu-
ture the railroad system of this part of the
world will probably be several times what
1t Is now. One of the most remarkable OF
the new schemes Is fathered by the young
khedive Of Egypt. His majesty Is rich and
he has trouble investing his surplus He
proposes to boild railroad from Egypt
to TripoH which may be extended on
around the Gulf of Gabes and thus connect
with the railway system Of Tunisia.
Another scheme Is to build line through
gier, the two projects completing q great
trunk line from the Nile to the Atlantic.
The Morocco scheme cannot be attempted
in the present condition of that country,
and II is doubtful whether the travel and
freight OF the region between Tripoli and
the Nile would ever make that part Of the
road pay. The length Of this trunk line
al told, would be about as long as from
New York to Salt Lake City. and fully two
thirds OF 1t remains to be built. Here in
Algeria and Tundsia there are roads rum
ming east and west about as far as from
New York to Chicago and In Egypt the
khedive has already built something like
sixty or seventy miles from the Nils
westward.
On the Libyan Deserts.
part OF this route goes along the
Mediterranean through the Libyan desert.
The khedive has travelled on horseback over
this section and was surprised to find that
/ the country has Q rich soil and that 1t once