Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-01
Copyright 1908. by Frank G. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence OF The Star
NAIROBA. British East Africa.
PAVE you ever heard of Nairobi?
1t is the metropolis of this
PARKWAY colony, and the place
IL which the English think is to
be one of the greatest cities of
Africa They are already speaking of 1T
as a Chicago in embryo. and are proph-
esying that IT will have a vast white
population. The town is not half
dozen years old. Three years ago 1t
had hardly house. Today streets have
been laid out over an area about ten
miles in circumference: hundreds of
buildings of tin, wood and stone have
been erected and the place has almost
$1,000 inhabitants.
Nairobi lies in the very heart Of Brit
ish East Africa. 1t is little more than
half way inland from the coast on the
road to Lake Victoria. and. as the crow
files. about 100 miles from Mount Kenia.
which kisses the clouds at an altitude
of $4,000 or 5000 feet off to the north
ward / can see Mount kenia from here
on a bright day. and some distance down
the railroad. when the sun is just right.
one can get glimpse of the two PEAKS
of Kilimanjaro. which lies 10 the south
east In the German possessions, dis
lance of $50 miles or more. Maroon u
self Is just about as high as Denver.
and, like II. is situated ut the western
end of great plains which rise to AN al
titude Of 5000 or more feet above the
sea They are so high that the equato-
rial sun is conquered by the aili'uue.
and white men can live and WORK upon
them the year round. The country IS,
in fact white mans country. ana WIN
care people OF our race can thrive upon
thousands of square miles OF II. ~
struck these plains after tWenI y.
thn N
railroad They make me think OF our
west as ii was fifty years ago. ana !
doubt not in time they VIII oe set.,eu
by ranchers and farmers just as IS the
western part of the United States today
Tbis country is an empire in it's unde-
yeloped possibilities. and the English 90
right in putting a high value upon II.
Put / shall write more of that III tue
future.
A City Built of Tin.
TY,;s letter is to be devoted to the TIN
town og Nairobi I should say galvan-
lied iron. for that is the chief nuilo-
inc material There are no saw mills
or planing mills here worthy of men
tionins the forests have not been
exnIotted and about the only lum-
her available is that which Is
brought from our country and Norway
and landed at Mombasa. The ocean
freight rates are heavy, and IN ADDITION
here by railroad AS a result the most
of the buildings are of galvanized IRON
which comes here in sheets from t-neiahu
and Belgium Almost all the ptllolnss
are of iron which is put up just as IL
comes from the factory. giving the whole
town a silver gray color. The post ONCE
is of iron. the depot has an iron TOOL
and the same is true of the goHerno
offices Many of the houses have iron
ceilings and iron walls. and the chief re-
tail business section is a collection OF one
story iron booths, open at the 'front.' IN
which Hindoos stand or sit surrounded
by their goods.
Nv hotel is half iron. The gov
eminent treasury nearby. consisting OF
shed not more than hfteen 1eet
square is of tin and has tin roof
could chop 1t to pieces with a butche
knife; and the only sign Of safety about
1t is the negro policeman who, gun in
hand. stands outside guarding the door.
The office of the land surveyor is OF tin.
and so are the police headquarters and
the house in which the supreme court
is held. The more fancy dwellings are
now being painted. and some stone and
brick buildings are rising
Largely Cow Pastures.
The Nairobi of today is largely COW
pastures 1t is city of magnificent dis
tances. Every place of Importance seems
several miles from any other place of the
same character, and the patches between
are often grazing ground. The houses
are of one and two stories. and they are
scattered along wide streets which run
for an indefinite distance out into the
prairie The chief ways of getting about
are on foot on horseback or in jinrikshas
the later being by ia the most popular
The jinrikshas are much like those used
in Japan save that they are larger and
wider am told they are made in Amer
lea They are pushed and pulled by black
Africans. two TO each vehicle. One man