The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-28
A Great Morocco Oasis.


About the best dates known to the
world come from Tablet, situated west
of here in Morocco. They are very
large and sweet and they are shipped
in great quantities to Europe as It'd
bits for the holiday season. Tablet,
like Tuat. comprises number of sep
arate GASES. having altogether three
hundred fortified villages.
Its chief town is Abuam. which has
the largest market of the western
Sahara. 1t is a great caravan centre,
and 1t sends two immense caravans
every year to Timbuktu. which lies
almost thousand miles directly south
of 1t. In the past there was consider
able trade between Tablet and Figuig,
the dates coming there and then going
on to the north; but this has now been
diverted to Benz Ounif and Colomb
Bechar to take advantage of the
cheaper railroad rates.
The people of Tafilet are indepcnd-
ent and warlike; they are fanatical
Mohammedans. and they are now caus-
ing no end of trouble to the Sultan
of Morocco. The governor of the oasis
is said to be preaching holy war.
and to be organizing raids to cross
over into Algeria and assault the
French. The Algerian papers are full
of the schemes of these war prepara-
tions, and the troops here are prepar-
ing to give them hot reception. IL
caravan was attacked by Tablet bril-
gands few days ago and an invasion
seems imminent. Sooner or later the
French will have to take possession of
Tafilet or the powers of Europe will
have to control its people. 1t has with
its surroundings population Of more
than a million, and Its people are
about the worst in Morocco. The fam
lily of the Sultan comes from that re-
gion and the Tafletites have great
Influence over all parts of Morocco.
The GASES there are due to several
causes. ! understand they have both
springs and wells, and that the south
ern portions of the country are water
ed by underground rivers fed by the
inner slopes of the Atlas.
Railroads Versus Caravans.
This town OF Colombo Bechar Is at
the end of the railroad, and caravans
from all this part of the Sahara bring
their goods here to be shipped north.
understand that the railroad Is pay
ing and that Notwithstanding 1t was
built as a military necessity. About
three years ago a plan was proposed
to push the line on to Timbuktu, n
distance Of eleven or twelve hundred
miles further
If this is done, the French will have
| IL TdllIodu CIGAR .tSloss liiS N'ihdAa' anu
much of the trade which now goes on
camels to rripoli and to the Atlantic
| will be carried over this road. The
! road is a narrow gauge, but 1t is we'll
| built and it carries considerable
| freight. The trains are slow. but they
! are infinitely superior to camels. which
| make only two or three miles an hour,
| and with which eighteen or twenty
| miles is q days journey. AS 1t is now
| n great deal of the caravan trade OF
! the Sahara has been diverted to the
| Atlantic. Tho products of the western
| Timbuktu and Jcnne, and thence sent
| French have built from the port OF
I the Senegal River. That whole region
is now controlled by the French, and
| there are French soldiers stat .oned In
| Sahara is policed from that region. and
| via the Atlantic Ocean instead OF
| There is another scheme to extend
the Biskra road, which runs down into
| the Algerian Sahara from Constance
| not far from Tunisla, and in time We
may cross the Sahara by rail.
Surveying the Sahara.
Tho French arc rapidly prospecting
| the desert, They have already laid out
the route for n telegraph line from
| Algiers to Timhuktu and Lake Chad, II
I will be $500 miles long,
| Copyright 1907, by Crank G. Car
Deutcr)