Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-01-25

Copyright, 1905, by Frank g. Carpenter
- TAIRoBI, British East Africa
IN travelling by railway through
The wllds of central Africal
stcamiug for hundreds Of miles
among zebras, gnus, ostnenes and gil
raifesl
Rolling along through iungles which
the rhinocoros haunts and where the
lion and leopard wait for their prey!
These are some of my experiences
durmg trip 1 have just taken over
the Uganda railway from Mombasa to
Nairobii
Ten years ago 1t took month to
cover the distance between the two
points, and the whole way was on foot.
made It in less than "a hours, aud that
In comfortable car The railroad fare
was S32. and had fairly good meals on
the way. The distance is over 500 miles
and 1t is Just about half the length OF
the railroad. Leaving here | shall con
tinue my journey over 1t on To ba,c
Victoria, and shall land on that laI.c
not far from the source of the Mic.
THE UGANDA RAILWAY.
This gives you some idea Of the Ugan-
da railway which the British COM
pleted only about five years ago, The
road begins mt the indian ocean and
1t climbs over some of the toughest
parts of the African continent before 1t
ends at Victoria. the greatest fresh wa
ter lake OF the world, Leaving the
seaeoast the rise OF the road Is almost
continuous until II reaches the high
plains of British East Africa. Here at
Nairobi | ana more than a mile above
the sea, and about 10 miles further
ON at the station % kikuyu, the road
reaches IN altitude 100 feet above that
at Mount Washington. From there the
climb Is steady to point a mile and
half above the sea. and then there is a
great drop into a wide dltch-lilte valley
1900 feet deep. Crossing this valley
the road again rises until It is far
higher than any mountain in the Unit
ed states east OF the Rockies. IL at
tains an elevation of $500 feet. and then
falls down TO Lake Victoria, which is
just about as high as the highest of the
Alleghenics. The road was built by the
British government in less than five
years and has cost altogether over $685.
100000. 1t has a gage of 40 inches. rails
which weigh 90 pounds to the yard and
its tracks are well laid and well ballast
cd. Last year something like 10000
tons of goods and 10000 passengers
were carried over 1t, and it's earnings
We're about 100000 more than its OPP
Grating expenses. 1t does not yet pay
any interest on the capital invested,
Dut III is OF enormous value In the way
of opening up developing and protect
ing the country.
TWENTY SEVEN AMERICAN
BRIDGES
Among the most interesting features |
OF the road are its American bridges |
They cross all the great ravines be- |
tween here and Lake Victoria and /
every steel bar and every bolt and rivet |
in them were made by American work.
men in American factories and taken |
out here and put up under the superin-
tendenoe of American workmen The
way 1t happened was owing to John
Bulls desire to have the work done
quickly and cheaply and at the same
time substantially. While he had been
laying the tracks from here to the sea-
our bridge companies had surprised the
English by putting up the steel viaduct
across the Atbara river in the Egyp-
tian Sudan within much shorter time
and far more cheaply than the best
British builders could possibly do.
Therefore, when the British government
asked Tor bids for these Uganda bridges
they sent the plans and specifications
TO the British and to some of our
American firms as well The best Brit
ish bids provided that the shops should |
have two or three years to make the
steel work, and longer still to erect IL
in Africa. The American Bridge COM