Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-21
Nature of African Country He
Will Pass Through.
AT MOMBASA ON APRIL Fl
By Train Thence to Machakos, Two
Hundred Miles Off.
VISIT TO SIR ARTHUR PEASE
Tsavo River, Where Man-Eating
Lions Fed on Railroad Builders
in Days Gone By.

British East Africa-that part of the
dark continent in which former President
Roosevelt with the Smithsonian African
expedition will hunt for wild animals in
the interest of science for the next six
months before pushing northward to the
Mediterranean tidewater-takes on its
greatest charm with the coming of spring
and will tender a rare tropical welcome
when the party disembarks in the latter
part of April.
The Roosevelt party will make It's way
through a country wonderful in it's moods
and phases, strange commingling of
widest Jungle and a strip Of modern civ
ilization-fhe Uganda railway. 1t is along
the line of this railroad which penetrates
the jungle, plains and mountains. that Mr..
Roosevelt and his party will seek the
game of the region for specimens for the
Smithsonian Institution.
His route has not been definitely deter
mined. for though game abounds plenti-
fully it shifts constantly, changing Its
locality because of drouth or scarcity OF
food. Enough has been learned of Mr..
Rooseve!ts itinerary in the African wilds
practically to trace today his course in
the six months hunt along the Uganda
railway.
Route Of Roosevelt.
April q, on the steamer Admiral of the
German East African Line. Mr.. Roose-
welt and party will reach Mombasa, a
squat island city, the largest seaport OF
British East Africa. basking in hot.
tropical sun, it's Moorish walls rejecting
the light and contrasting brilliantly with
the stately palms and the gold Hfohur
tree. with its rare red blossoms. Nesting
in this tropical luXuriance are the Euro
pean bungalows and native villages. Nom
hasa has two hotels, and in the public
gardens stands a statue of Sir William
MackinnOn, one of the greatest DeneIac-
tors of East Africa.
Leaving Mombasa. the Uganda railway
runs past kilindini and dips down to Sal
isbury bridge. a fine viaduct LOO feet
long, connecting the island of Mombasa
with the mainland. and then begins the
steep climb to the small station of Cham
gamwe. The first leg into the wilderness
will be made by the Roosevelt hunters by
train to Machakos. some two hundred
welt will visit for fortnight with Sir AL
fred Pease, who has hunted with him in
America. Sir Alfred lives twenty miles
from the railroad.
Country Around Mombasa.
Fruit vendors swarm about the train at
Changamwe selling the produce OF the
plantations with which the country is
thickly covered Here also is obtained q
magnificent view of the arms of the sea
that enfold Mombasa. Port Reitz, stretch
ing three miles inland from Kilindini,
looks like beautiful lake, with Its YER
dure clad banks and the Shimba hills In
the background.
The ascent is sharp and, though the
distance is still short from the coast,
the traveller can observe game from the
car windows. At Vol which is 500 feet
above sea level, the American party will
have an opportunity to see Mount Kill
Africa, rearing it's mighty crest 10000
feet into the clouds. This huge sugar
loaf mountain, clothed in eternal snow,
will not be visited by the Roosevelt party
unless the present plans are changed.
The jungle railway then passes through
undulating and fairly open country until
the train reaches Tsavo station, on the
banks of the pretty Tsavo river. A peace
full place it will be found, but its menu
cries are sinister and terrible to the en-
gineer who built the Uganda railway.
No less than 600 lives were lost In the
building of the Uganda road by man
eating lions. and thirty natives were
killed by two man-eaters at Tsavo. This
fearful pair of man-eaters held up the
building of the railway for nearly six
weeks.
On Higher Ground.
A run of some fifty miles farther,
through fairly open country, will find
the hunting party at Makindu. a little
over two hundred miles from Mombasa,
and over 5000 feet above the level Of the
sea. The expedition will now be out OF
the tropical level and the air is cooler
and fresher.
Nairobi. the capital of the British East
Africa PrOtectorate, 80 miles inland
from Mombasa, will be reached in May.
and here the expeditions headquarters
Will be established for the greater por-
ton Of the hunt. From Nairobi short
trips of from a week to three weeks will
be made in various directions in pursuit
of suitable specimens for the collection.
1t is from this point that most of the
hunting trips will be made.
October will find the party moving in
land to Port Florence, on Lake Vic
toria Nyanza, the end of the railway.
where n short stop will be made. the
cent to the pinnacles of the kihuyu es-
carpment, where it Is possible to look
down some 1000 feet into the Great Rift
valley. Swinging downward, the railroad
enters a country changing from hills and
forest 10 grass land. Sheep farms and
other evidences of civilization meet the
eye of the traveller in the run to Nakuro,
446 miles from Mombasa, which is in the
midst of a pastoral country.
After a Journey of another hundred
MI INoooCsCiS patty Will dIIlVS dl
Port Florence. A trip to Mount Elgon is
planned, which is seventy-five miles north
of the railway terminus. Two modern
steel steamers, of 800 tons burden. navi-
gate Victoria Nyanza. and on one of
these steamers the expedition will leave
some time early in December for Enteb-
be. $50 miles from Port Florence. En-
tebbe is the point of departure for trav-
clers to Lake Albert, down the Congo
to the west coast or down the Nile to
khartu,n and here the party will tOfn
small caravan which will head north
toward the Mediterranean.
LUNCH WITH COL. ROOSEVELT.