Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03
Copyright 1905 by Frank G. CarpeDter.J
al II

Special Correspondence of The Star
JINGA. BUSOGA
- TAND with me here on the cliffA
at Jinga. in the land of Busoga.
and take look at the source of
~ the Nile. We are within a few
miles of the equator. at the head
of Napoleon gulf on the northern end of
Lake Victoria In a straight line we are
farther from the Mediterranean than Salt
Lake City is distant from New York,
and that swift current moving below us
will wind its way for about 1000 miles
before 1t washes the cities of Cairo and
Alexandria. 1t will pass through this
protectorate will cross Albert Nyanza.
and then breaking its way through the
swamps of the Sudd will go on through
the half-desert Sudan and water the dry
lands of Egypt.
Ripon Falls.
Notice how fast the current is here at
the start. 1t was perceptfble as we came
i'm by boat from Entebbe. and the sur
veyors claim that it can be traced clear
across Victor la Nyanza to the mouth of
the Kagera river in German east Africa.
Indeed. some say that that river Is the
source of the Nile, but it is no more SO
than are the other rivers which flow into
Victoria Nyanza. This mighty lake is the
only real source. 1t gathers its waters
from many rivers and the Nile forms It's
only outlet Together with the river, 1t
has a basin from one-third to One-half the
size of the whole United States and the
waters from that vast territory will all be
gathered between the banks Of the Nile
before It reaches the sea.
Looking down now from the wooded
cliffs where we stand, we can see the be-
ginning of the rapids and can hear the
thunder of Ripon Falls. over which the
flood pours short distance away. We
can walk there. and we pick our way In
and out through the woods along the
cliffs. and finally stand at the edge of the
falls. There are little islands in the chan
mel. and the current pours over In three
separate rivers. reminding one little Of
our own Niagara, where the waters are
parted by Goat Island.
AS at our American falls. the current is
comparatively quiet above. but when it
leaves these islands it drops down in a
boiling. bubbling, seething mass. The
spray rises high into the air and falls
back like rain on this tropical forest. 1t
goes up IN mist and the dazzling sun OF
the equator paints rainbows in it. There
~ are many fish in the lake and they often
swim down the falls. We can See them
jump high out Of the current turning
somersaults, as 1t were. as they go over
the rocks. The woods are full of strange
birds. There are cormOrants and hawks,
and one may sometimes see g. whale
headed stork.
"A Mighty Electric Force.
Where the Nile flows over the falls the
channel is only about 1000 feet wide and
1 understand that the rocky foundation
is such that the lake can be easily
damned The stream is deep and narrow. |
and It passes on over a series of cataracts
which continue almost forty miles. Dur
ing this distance 1t Is SO swift that boats
cannot live in 1t. These waters of VIC
toria Nyanza rush onward with a terrible
force, and this continues until within
about thirty miles of Lake ChOga. Here
the land Is almost level and the lake Is
shallow and quiet. 1t has swamps filled
with crOcodiles and hippopotami, and the
Nile flows peacefully through. 1t then
goes onward, traversing this protect
way to Albert Nyanza. The first of these
is at the Koruna Falls and the other at
MuTchison Falls. which Is about two hun
dred miles north Of here. After that the
current Is comparatively smooth to Lake
Albert.
This description gives you but a faint
idea OF the electrical possibilities of the
Nile away up here at its source The Brit
ssh are surveying 1t and are estimating
Its value as to the industrial development
OF the country. An English syndicate has
a concession for the little island just I'M
der the falls. ard 1t expects to invest
half millions dollars in establishing a
cotton factory here. There are big lum-
bermen who are exploiting the forests on
and 1 am told that other parties are after
concessions. The government is averse
TO leasing power stations at the falls
proper. as it may be necessary to
biuld dam here to regulate the outflow
OF the Nile They do not object, how
ever. to works bordering the rapids below
the falls. and series of power stations
might be made thirty or forty miles long
which could do ali the manufacturing
for this part of Africa. AS 1t Is now the
government has reserved strip Of land.
mile wide. on each side of this part of
the Upper Nile. but concessions might
possibly be had for turbines along the
rapids, and the power could easily be con-
veyed across this strip by wire.
Indeed. the electrical possibilities Of the
Nile in connection with Uganda are enor-
nous. and the manufacturing possibilities
arc equally great. The country has plenty
Of iron ore, and It may some time be the
cials say that it can raise a good cot
ton as that grown in our southern states.
and they predict that there will eventually
be cotton plantations all the way from
Lake Victoria TO Lake Albert, with gin
ming plants and cotton mills at Murchison
Falls and along the Upper Nile.
Lake Victoria as Nile Reservoir.
ne whole of Lake Victoria. which is
larger than Lake Superior is tributary to
this region. and the vast population which |
surrounds it could be supplied with cot
ton woven at these factories At present
one of the great troubles in getting the |
natives to raise cotton Is that of trans
pOrtation. 1t Is now carried into Kam-
pala on the heads of porters and the long |
march eats up the profits. BY estab- |
fishing ginning plants along the Nile
much of the cotton will go to them in
boats. and more will be carried across
country on the excellent roads which the
British are inducing the natives to build |
There are already hundreds of miles
Of road In Uganda, which could be used
by an automobile, and one can travel
thousands of miles on a bicycle.
One of the interesting problems of this
Fart of the world is as to whether the flow
Of the Nile cannot be regulated from Lake
Victoria ] have told you about the As
souan dam. which has added millions to
the wealth Of Egypt, Some of the best of