The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-05-19

route to the Atlantic Ocean. This was
the line favored by 81 Mehdi el Meneb-
bi, the ex-War Minister Of the Sultan.
Both the French and the Germans are
now after railway concessions in Mo-
rocco.
More interesting than any of these
schemes are those which are planned
Ito connect the rich regions of the
Atlas Mountains with the Soudnn. that
great fertile, healthy belt Of North
Central Africa. The Soudan runs clear
across the continent from the Nile to
the Atlantic and 1t is wonderfully rich
in resources and people. The barrier
between the two regions is the great
Desert of Sahara, which Is as long as
the Mediterranean and as Wide as from
. the Atlantic ocean to the Rockies. 1t
is in this desert that am now writ
| ing. I have ridden for many miles
| over It's rocky wastes of stone and
| sand, and have climbed the mountains
and plateaus which are found here and
| there In many parts Of it.
| The Sahara itself Is neither level
nor low. 1t has vast plains where the
| sand stretches out on every side to
| the horizon, but there are many places
where the country is rolling. There
| are gorges along the beds of dry riv-,
ers, there are mighty bluffs OF stone
| anu IlO Gnu Ol MUS anu mountains. !
| am in sight OF the chief range OF the
Atlas at Biskra. and it's hills are dryer
than the Sahara itself. I rode for
several hundred miles along the range
which separates Algeria and Morocco.
1 The sands Of the desert go to the foot
! hills and pile up there In great masses
while the slopes above are absolutely
bare of vegetation and altogether
1 arid.
The average level Of the Sahara
throughout is as high as that of the
Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia
/ There are but few places where it
drops to 500 feet above the sea, and
only one or two in which it falls below
sea level. Lake Chad Itself is several
4 hundred feet above the ocean.
In the lower part Of the Central Sa-
Z hara. on the upper edge Of which I
am now writing. there Is plateau ex
tending from northwest to southeast,
which Is on the average more than
1000 feet high, and upon 1t there is
a mountain range which rises In places
to almost 10000 feet. The mountains
are SO high that they arc crowned
with snow In the winter
In the Western Sahara the country
!, Is almost equally rough, and there is
much rolling land in the Desert OF Lib
va, at tho east
A Poor Place for Railway.
2 addition to its rolling character
the desert offers many obstacles to
railroad building. Ono Is the long
stretches over which the track must
go without water. and another Is the
: enormous cost of hauling the fuel. Al
Colomb Bechar, the terminus Of the
, road which the French are building
southwark toward Timbul1tl, coal is
!, now worth $50 q ton; and, unless mines
!, can be found along the line OF the
:. route, cheaper fuel must be obtained
: or the extension abandoned, The sta.
, Ions Mt present are chiefly at the
: GASES; but even there the pipes which
supply the water tanks are wrapped
3 with straw to retard evaporation ant
: every means is used to Increase tn,
/ water supply.
. The Soudan.
r The Soudan. at the south of the Sa
/. harl, Is far different. 1t has an enor
nous population of native blacks. N,
q one knows how many there are, bu
: the probability Is that they numbe
;, between 600O0,o00 and 100, 900, 90,
9 souls. There are something like 25
. 900 In Nigeria alone, and the Frencl
4 and German provinces contain man,
q millions more. There are big town
! there. sucl, as Kuka and kano. whlcl
d are now caravan centres, and others
O such as Tlmbuktu, which were elite
o once, and which would be great agai
d II "a railroad could DO built to them
3 At present the caravan trade Is fall
% Ing of, Tho trains of 1000 or nor
9 cnmels. guarded by soldiers. whc
e used to start across the Sahara wit
4, perhaps n holfmillon dollars wort
u OF goods, consisting Of Ivory, gold dus
- and slaves, have dwindled to train
= containing 100 camels or less. and tn
Z caravan trade dlminshes every yea
~ 1t still carries some European mer
- chnndise across from Tripoli. Tuni
= sa and Algeria to the soudan, bu
n most OF the goods for that section g
d Ito the ports of West Africa by steame
= and arc taken by railroad and river
"a to the headwaters OF tho Niger.
o. Copyright, 1907, by Frank G. CARPENTER