Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-09-19
How Their Old Workings In Southern
Rhodesia are Being Reopened.

kishanshi copper mines, which are 2Sn
miles away, and each carried a bag
weighing so pounds OH his head or
back The men are expected to make
that distance in II days. Another set
of post runners was loaded with the
mail bags for Fort Jameson which
lies 900 miles due east of Broken ETH
and they Will reach there within L,
days, while Il third has started out
for the station Of Mumbwa. which y
100 miles westward. AT each of these
far-away places there are branch route
going out in different directions, 50
that almost every settler and miner
has his regular mail, There arc alto
gether $50 runners to whom the kings
mails are intrusted. They have been
carrying them for some years. and so
tar only one has failed to make good.
The men are paid 10 shilinEs q month";
and their rations, They carry two
DAYS food with them and enough CALI
co To purchase what they need for the
balance OF the journey, each being
allowed onc-half yard L day for eating
and lodging.
While at the postofficc T sent n letter
10 tho United States. The postage was
s cents and my letter will be about a
month on the way. I asked usto the
telegraph rates and was told that 7
per word. A. telegram which sent
10 Livingstone. the capital Of north
western RhodeSia, $50 miles distant cost
me only 25|ccnts, which was ut least 10
cents cheaper than ] could have sent
" through TIE settled portions of our
own country. There are HOW 1000 miles
of tcleeraph$ in these colonies and
there ARE a6 Telegraph Offices The AZ
rican traiscontincntal telegraph line
has been extended northwGrd as far az
Ujiji. on Lake Tanganyika. 50 that ono
can now send q message via the Cape
IA Mo- Ia, -, , r..
telegraph lines running from the Medi-
terraneap southward almost to Ugan-
| tIa, and within Il short time there Wilt
| be iron wires reaching from one end OF
| the continent to the other.
NORTHERN RHoDEsIA.
During the past few weeks have
| hecn travelling through Barotseland In
! northern Rhodesia ] am surprised ut
| the extent of the country and its pos
!! %ihie resources. Our general idea Of
| Central Africa is that it is low jun
/ gle infested With foyer, The truth IS
| that vast part of the continent IS
| high and healthy. Algeria and Moroc-
| co at the north have as good climate
| as Italy. Abyssinia is as heathfu
rs almost any part of Europe. A large
| part of British East Africa consists
of plains which are more than a mile
above the sea, and the same is true
OF parts of German East Africa. The
| most of southern RhodcsIa is high, ana
so is a great part of the region from
| there down TO the Cane Of Good Hope.
4 The land between the Zambesi and
the kongo watershed is composed of
high plains with tho kafue GALLEY
running through them. / rode for
800 miles anf.more over open grassy
plateaus spotted here and there with
low trees and brushwood Nearly
everywhere the land seems fitted for
cattle, and | am told that there are
| parts OF it where the natives keep them
i'll large number. One of the dangers
Is the tsetse fly. which kills the stock.
but It may be that this can be wiped
out by quarantine and other ways.
In southern Rhodesa and in parts of
northern Rhodesia there is a spear
headed plant known as asseeal grass
which kills the sheep. This grass has
a sharp point, with barbs extending
down toward the ground. When it
gets into the sfeep's wool 1t works its
way through the skin, and finally goes
j through the sheep. just as Il needle
is said to travel through the human
body If it is once inside It This grass
kills the sheep. but it is not Injurious
to cattle.
i So far the chief towns in northwest
ern Rhodesia are. Broken HILL Kali
oma and Livingstone Broken Hill is
I mining settlement, Kaloma has been,
! until recently the seat Of government,
and it consists of the administrative Of
fees. few tin shanties and the seat of
branch of the Standard Bank of
South Africa. Livingstone is a small set
| Element near Victoria Falls. 1t contains
some offices half ii dozen stores and
! hotel which is Datronized by few of
| the White settlers of southern Rhodesia
during the hotter months of the year
| Northwestern RhodeSia has all told less
| than 1000 white settlers
! FRANK G.. CARPENTER,