The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-05
NEW RAILWAY IN AFRICA.
Systems Now Reach Far Back Into the
 Interior--InterestinE Trips. Washington Letter to The Chicago Re-

| Systems Now Reach Far Back Into the Interior--InterestinE Trips.
 | Washington Letter to The Chicago Re- | cord Herald.
 1 There are now more than 5000 miles of railway in South Africa, running
 northward from Cape Town through
 the Transvaal into Rhodesia, as the
 British possessions in Central Africa have been called. The northern termi-
 nj at present are Salisburg, the capital l of Rhodesia. and Kalamo, the capital | of Northwest Rhodesia. It is now pos | sible to go from London to either of l those places in twenty-one to twenty
 two days. An express train meets the l steamer at Cape Town and carries pas
 sengers to Kimberley (s47 miles), in i thirty-one hours Johannesburg (957 | miles) in forty-seven hours, Pretoria | q ,002 miles) in fifty hours, Bulawayo | u,302 miles) in seventy hours, Victoria 1 Falls u,642 miles) in ninety-tw hours,
 Salisburg u.s63 miles) In ninety three hours and Kalamo G,74S miles) in 100 hours. The distance from London to Cape Town by sea Is 5000 miles. Cape Colony, Orange River Colony and the Transvaal are pretty well grid | ironed with branches from this grand | trunk line, and South Africa is quite as well supplied with railways as any | country outside of Europe and the Uni | ted States. The government owns and | has constructed nearly the entire sys- | tenn. which had its beginning in two short private lines at the south western extermity of Cape Colony and the con-
 tinent. built in 1859, to Wellington. fif- | ty-eight miles, and to Wynberg, six miles. In 1873 these two germs be- | came Government property. and a wig | orous policy of internal improvements | was then adopted and has been con- tinued until now the tracks reach the Zambesi river and are being gradually
 pushed northward toward the pyramids
 of Egypt.
 A route has been surveyed from l Salisbury, the northern termius of the | system. north ward about 150 miles to | Lake Nyassa. That Is a very large | body of water, about 300 miles long
 and from forty to 100 miles wide. It
 has already several steamboats fur | nishing transportation facilities for the towns on its shores. and they will be | made to connect with the railway. At | the upper end of the lake Is a gap | of about 200 miles to Lake Tanganyika. | which is also to be built as a part of | the system. and passengers will be car ried on boats to UjiJt There the rail- | road will begin again and connect with | the line that the Germans are build l ing from the ports of Darres Salaam | and Bagamovo on the Indian Ocean. or | to Ujiji by way of Tabora, the capital
 and chief city of German East Africa | From Tabora the lire will run north ward to Lake Victoria Nyanza, which | lies partly in German East Africa and English East Africa, and the Uganda | protectorate. That Is as far as the | survey has been carried northward, but
 a reconnaissance has been continued up the valley of the Nile through Uganda Into the Sudan to meet the Egyptian | railway at Khartoum.
 A~fA dO n
 this distance and messages can be sent
 direct from Cape Town to Cairo. There | is also a railroad from Mombasa into | the interior of British East Africa as | far as East Florence. new town on l Lake Victoria Nyanza, covering dis | tance of 584 miles. and the journey is | made in about thirty-six hours, with sleeping and dining cars said to be quite comfortable. Lake Victoria Ny anza is the greatest body of water in Africa, and is about the size of Lake
 Huron. It Is the source of the Nile,
 just as Lake Tanganyika is the source
 of the Congo.
 Mombassa is becoming quite an im-
 portant commercial city and 1t is visit
 ed by four lines of steamers-British
 German, Australian and French-from
 Bombay and Rangoon. and through
 steamers come from Marseilles and
 Triest. It is said to be very comfort able passage uOWn lnG east COhHl Ol
 Africa with much of interest for tour
 fists, and the East African Company
 has provided a hotel at Lake Victoria
 Nyanza that is quite attractive. There
 is also a club there for the benefit of
 Englishmen and others who go in to shoot big game. The province of
 Uganda Is now recognized as an inde-
 pendent kingdom under British pro tectorate with a native ruler called
 a "kabaka" The present Kabaka, His Highness, Daudi Chua, being minor Is represented by a regency of three native chiefs and European adviser There Is native assembly which passes laws, raises revenue and votes
 a budget, and native courts having ju-
 risdiction over the people. There is also a court of appeals which is partly
 native and partly British. A good many foreigners are going to develop the wonderful natural resources of the country. Gold. copper and Iron are found in large quantities and the rub
 Der trade Is developing very rapidly.
 The missionaries, both Catholic and
 Protestant, have been remarkably sue
 cessful, and in the Uganda protectorate at present in a native population of
 40O0, 900 there are more than 1000 churches and about 25O,O00 converts.
 The tourney from Mombasa to Lake Victoria Nyanza shows some very at
 tractive scenery following the base of a high range Of mountains and offer
 ing a view of several high peaks. in
 cluding Mount Kenio, which is 13,7O0 feet: Mount Aberdam, 19,000 and Mount
 Elgon, 14 ,030 feet.
 Adventuresome people who do not | mind roughing 1t can follow a trail
 northward about 200 miles to Condo coro, the head of navigation on the Nile, and there take a steamer for Kha rum. which Is said to be de- lightful journey. The forests are filled with wild beasts and sometimes pas sengers may see lions and tigers from the car windows. A party of friends l who made the trip last fall saw three | lions standing calmly on a hillock watching the train with evident curl l osity as it passed by.
 It is also possible to take through
 train at the East African seaport of l Beira on the Indian Ocean. three times
 a week and go direct to Cape Town, a distance of 20S7 miles, with sleepers I and dining cars Beira is a Portuguese | town in the State of Lourenzo Marquee | south of the mouths of Zamhesi River. | The railroad Is owned partly by the Portuguese and partly by the English. | The dining and sleeping ears are man aged by the Colonial government, and