The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-11-26

FRANK G. CARPENTER.
ings could the whole city.
The result was the khartum as you
now see it.
The town is laid out in three great
sections, and all building plans must
first be submitted 10 the government
architects before permits Of conStruc-
ton can be issued. The section along
the Nile is devoted to the government
buildings AMI the residences of the Of
fcials and to others who can afford
good houses. of that there are streets
where houses of a smaller class may
be built, and farther back still and
more to the south is a third section of
houses for natives. The city Is ~
planned that it can grow along these
lines, and we believe that 1t viii some
day be one Of the largest and most
beautiful of the cities Of interior Af-
RIGA"
An Oasis City.
| have now been in Khartum over a
| week and find it most interesting. The
city is d great oasis in the midst of the
desert. away off here in the heart of
Africa. In coming to it | crosses the
sands and rocks of Nubia, and it was
not until | was within a few miles
of Halfaya, which lies opposite here
on the other bank of the Nile, that !
saw signs of vegetation. The train
then entered q region of thorn bushes
ten or fifteen feet high, beyond which
patches of grass bleached by the sun
were to be seen. and closer other evil
dences of cultivation. The. Arabs
were digging out the thorn bushes on
the edge of the desert and stacking
them up in the piles for fuel. There
were a few nimal grazing on the
scanty grass. and the country made
me think OF the Big Bow Bend of
Washington State, which is now being
turned into farms. There is desert
all 9h0nt kh1ftJlm and "pVprVWhpl.r
back from the Nile the lands are
nothing but rock and sand
Out of these bleak and arid sur
r%oundings rises a city of green. All
along the river, for a distance of more
than two miles, rum q wide avenue
shaded by trees and backed by build
ings and private houses in beautiful
gardens. This avenue is a succession
of parks from one end of it to the
other. 1t begins with the Botanical
and Geological Gardens, where all the
trees of the tropics and semi-tropics
luXuriantly grow. and where one may
see the soap tree, the money-bread
tree and other curious examples of the
sudanese flora. There are several
lions and tigers in the garden, and
there is also a mighty giraffe which |
photographed this afternoon as he was
taking a bite out of d branch at the
height of a tWO-story house.
Next to the geological Garden is the
ilC1N q I'IS bdii9bIoN oiiSN ~
structure, and beyond are the two
story homes Of many officials. all beau
tifully shaded by date palms. The first
public building on this avenue is the
post and telegraph office. Beyond it
are the offices of the var department,
with public gardens behind them, and
further still is the great white palace
IN which the governor general of the
Sudan lives ana has his offices. This
is directly on the river, With a beauti-
FIJI on dpn behind ii Fla thp along
the avenue IS the Sudan Club and the
hospital, and away at The south the
large buildings of the Go-don Me-
mortal College, with the British bar
racks at the end of the street. This
avenue runs right along the Blue Nile,
with beautiful views in sight all the
way. On the edge of the river are
numerous Sakiyehs, OF huge water
wheels, moved around by bullocks
with humps on their backs. They raise
the water from the river into the
bitches and canals. which carry it
over the city and make vegetation pos
sible. The sakiyehs start at { O'Clock
every morning. Gheir wheels are
never creased and as they move they
sCreech and groan and sigh. There is
one in front OF the Grand Hotel. which
serves as my alarm clock, for sleep is
murdered at the it begins.
FOUR
Buiness Kilartum.
Tax "a u - IAdI'I bIS
on the streets back from the river and
running parallel with il There is one
/. great square devoted TO the markets.
This covers ten or more acres, and
the Abbas square, in which the mosque
stands, a little farther west. is fully
twice as large. The n~usiness section
has two banks and many stores man
aged chiefly by Greeks. The Italians
also ave some large establishments.
One of the biggest of all is the house
of Angelo CapatO. a man who might
be called the Marshal Field of the Sou
dan. for he has d large business here,
with branches all over the country and
desert stores far up tn Nile. The stores
hive covered porcheS in 'front.' of them
or they face arcades which keep off
the sun.
The new mosque of Khartum is one
of the most beautiful buildings in At
RIGA. 1t is a great stWo-story struc-
ture of white stone, with minare IS rlS-
, ing high above it. The galleries of
the minaretS have q lacewOrk of stone
running Ground them and the towers
are covered with Arabic carvings. The
mosque is named after the young khe-
dive, and he has, l am told, furnished
much of the money for its erection.
khartum las also a new Coptic
church of large size, as we'll as a
Church of England and the schools
and chapels of the United Presbyterian
Mission O four country So, you see,
1t has abundant religious facilities,
Notwithstanding its position on this
far-aWay part of the globe.
Where the Women Do the Work.
| have been interested in watching
the women at work in the building of
! khartum- New houses and bushes
blocks are now going up almost every
where, and every mason and mechanic
has his women helpers. The laborers
come from all parts Of the Soudan.
and the women of a half dozen tribes
may be working on the same build
ing. 9
| wish I could show You some of
these women as | see them laboring
on the buildings and on the banks of
the Nile. They are lusty black girls,
straight and plump, and 50 lightly
dressed that one can see all the out
ines of their forms. Some have but
a thin sheet of blue cotton Wrapped
| loosely around their shoulders, and an