Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-19

operati for a numDer of years Within
a short time a second gap on the river
has been renedied by building a line
just above Staneypool ninety miles long,
and third lire is projected of two nun
dred miles far above that. This line Is
near tire Helfs Gate cataract and between
Sendwe and Bull. Another railway is pro-
jected which will cross the lower kOneo
TO the copper mines. and others are TO
connect the kongo with the Mediter-
ranean through the French lines pro
posed for the Sahara desert. and with
the Sudan system by a railway from
the Uelle river 10 the Nile.
x ;:
Speaking OF the Uele region this is
i'm the northern part of the country APP
preaching the Nile watershed, and until
recently all transportation there has been
by porters. Within the past year or SO
the government has been making roads
and putting on motor cars and traction
engines There is to be one road from
the kongo to the Nile, which will be
six hundred miles long, and motor cars
built especially for II are now being con-
structed at Liege. In addition to them
very seryiceable traction engines carry
ing cars each holding several tons OF
goods have been made. and these VIII
be used for heavy freight. The BelSians
are also training the African elephants
as a beast of burden. They first tried
the Aslatic elephants thinking the
African beasts intractahe. The Aslatic
elephants died and about three years ago
the work of training the African elephant
was begun Iwenty-eisht elephants nave
already been domesticated. and they are
now carrying bricks and timber for rail-
way construction.
Going northward along The Gulf of
Guinea, a number of other important rail-
ways have been projected, and some are
already under construction In the Name
run the Victoria Lissoko road has been
extended as far as Soppo, distance or
twenty-five miles, and another railway Is
building. In Togoland. also belonging TO
the Germans. there is one railway
Lone to Little Popo. and in French
Guinea. a railway which Is TO run from
Konakry on the Niger has been opened as
far as Kinda. This is about ei2hty-thTee
miles inland. The road Will meet the
Niger at Kouroussa. and will have a big
traffic. The French have also built two
important railways in Dahomey, one of
which is 40 miles long. Another goes
tending both lines. They also propose TO
construct u track inland from the ivory
coast and they have important railways
in operation in Senegal.
Tie English have some railroads in
their colonies upon the Gulf of Guinea.
There is one l2i miles long. which goes
from Lagos. 10 Ibadan. This has just
been extended To Oshogbo, which is sixty
two miles farther and it will be built on
from there into northern Nigeria to con
meet with one Of the most important
roads in Africa. which is now being con-
structed. Northern Nigeria is almost as
large as Texas and it has more than
seven million people. y great part of it
is high and healthy, and ii promises TO
be one of the richest lands of west At
RIGA. Its inhabitants are more like the
Egyptians or Algerians than the gulf
negroes. They Mohammedans, and
are noted for their thrift and intelligence.
In the past these people have been sup
piled almost entirely by the caravans
which cross the Sahara. Their chief town
is kano, the terminus of the trade routes
from Tripoli and the Upper Niger. which
in olden times had caravan connection
witt, the ocean with the Mediterranean,
and with the Red sea.
This road which is ROW building will
make it possible TO take goods to kano
by steam. 1t is TO begin at the town of
Baro, the highest nayigable point on the