Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-06-11
CENTRAL AFRIcAs FIRST ROAD.
A Sootehnnan's Gift, II Has Done Much
to Develop the Region.

10 DeVeioP INC ne9ion.
James Stevenson, a wealthy Scotch
man, gave $25,oOO to build a road be-
tween 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 we'll built It's length is
211 miles.
Apart from the great usefulness Of
the road the white men there have al
ways said that 1t has been a powerful
civilizing agency.
1t has helped to accustom. the natives
Of that densely populated region to
work for the whites, and to use calico
and other European articles. The work
O; construction was the first instance
on a large scale Of the utilization Of
native labor in Central Africa. Many
trained laborers now live along the
road and engaged in transport service
between the two great lakes.
This highway is known as the Ste
venson road. Mr. Chrapkovsld, an Of
fetal in the German service who re-
Gently travelled over the road has writ
ten 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 be-
tween Victoria Nyanza and Tanganyika,
the best highway in Central Africa.
AS nothing has been done to maintain
the road 1t is now covered with grass,
but travellers say this is really an ad-
vantage as the vegetation has helped
to keep the road from washing, and
it is also better for the feet Of the car
riers who dislike to walk on those
stretches where there is no grass, for
1t is hard as stone and hurts their
feet
The usefulness Of the road is proved
by the fact that porters carrying sixty
pounds on their backs make an aver
age 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, COM
Portable brick and concrete houses af-
ford excellent conditions for good
nights rest and there are cook houses
where the meals Of the caravans are
prepared. One Of the neighboring
chiefs is held responsible for the clean
illness and good order Of each station,
He receives a monthly salary of few
shillings from the government and
few yards of calico from each cara
van passing over the route,
The road was intended and Is we'll
adapted for use of wagons, but unfor-
tunately the South African oxen that
were brought into the country did not
thrive there and the experiment Of
using them was given up, As long as
oxen were used large wagons loaded
with 5000 pounds of freight and
drawn by sixteen oxen made an aver
age Of fourteen miles a. day from one
lake to the other,
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 de-
cided that transportation on the backs
OF men who receive only from five to
seven shilings a month was cheaper,
and now vehicles are seldom seen on
the road,