Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1909-06-03
NEW SUDAN
Good Work Done BY Eng
lard in Restoring Prospe r.
fty 10 Devastated
Country.

Ten years ago the Sudan was the
prey OF famine and war To-day it
may be described, in the words of a
traveller Of the wide experience of
douglas Sladen, as tropical Utopia.
( Grtum is growing into a noble city,
winch as you approach 1t by the SUI
dal Government railway, the desert
railway which Kitchener built, Is seen
II beautiful setting of palm trees.
among which rises the splendid white
palace of the governor general. 1t has
public gardens, church, hotel and
on the river fine steamer is at the
service Of tourists who wish to make
excursions The territory of which 1t
is the capital is under a system of
government which has produced won
derful results. The revenue of the
Sudan in 1898, when the English took
it over, was estimated at $4,000,
though it proved to be G35,O0O Eight
years later it was estimated at over
100000. This year it exceeds
million. There was in 1907 an in
crease of more than 40 per cent. over
the preceding year in the area under
cultivation
Ten years ago the khalifa, the head
of the Mahdisr movement, was still
alive, for it was not until November
"a, 1899, that Colonel (now Lieut.
Gen. Sir Francis) Wingate struck the
last blow at the remnant of the Mahd-
list forces at Omedebrekat When the
governor general of the Sudan took
up his high post the country was in a
deplorable condition. Before the rise
of the mahdi it supported eight and
half million people. OF these three and
half million had died of famine and
disease, and nearly as many more in
| fighting against the mahdi, the British
and one another. Fewer than two mill
ions survived this period of war and
| want Nearly every town and village
was in ruins. Flocks and herds had
disappeared. Even the precious date
trees had been hewn down in large
numbers by the mahdi's followers.
With the exception of that portion
of the route between Shellal and Wady
Halfa, the Sudan can now be reached
from Cairo by rail, but the pleasure
traveller of course goes by the river
as far as Halfa, where he disembarks
and completes the journey to Khar-
tum by the railway which was con-
structed as part Of the campaign
against the mahdi. Between Wady
Halfa and Khartum there are five
cataracts, and the difficulty of carry
ing a large army over this part of the
river would have been so great that
Kitchener determined to fling rail
way across the desert. This railway,
extended to Khartum, which is the SUI
dan Government railway of to-day, Is
about 600 miles in length and in 1907
carried 342,126 passengers.
The Journey across the desert liz
more interesting than might be imag-
ined The effect OF sunset on the vast
stretch of sand, which at such a time
Is transformed into lake Of gold, is
something which can only be seen in
the Sudan, and you may be fortunate
enough to witness a mirage rivaling
the palm studded inundation of the
Nile at Sakkara Twenty-three miles
beyond Berber the Atbara river is
reached, over which the railway is car
ried by means of an iron bridge. The
battle was fought at Nakhila, 81 miles
away. Between the Atbara and Shendi
are the pyramids of Meroe, tombs of
the rulers of the island Meroe, al
luded to by strabo. Fifty miles be-
yond Shendi begins the sixth cataract,
where the Nile at the entrance to the
gorge narrows down to width of
only 900 yards. From this point the
line runs to Khartum north, whence
the traveller is conveyed to the town
across the river by a steamer in about
Is minutes.