The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-08-21
Navigation on the Niger.

voyage still celebrated in French colo,
: NAL history reached the Gulf Of Guinea
In eleven months he had slICcr-sfu,,
!. brought hIs fleet Of three small boat.
, from kolikoro, at the head of naviga.
ton on the Niger. to the mouth Of thu.
great river, having successfully passco
the dangerous rapids which hal blocked
explorers for nearly century and
avoided the attacks Of the rIarrg and
the TouCouleurs alike What Mrs a
PARK and BARTH had attempted and in
part achieved. Lieutenant HOURST had
succeeded in doing completely, and for
the first time an accurate chart Of the
Niger was available.
OF the three great rivers OF Africa. for
the English and American readers alike.
the Nile and the Congo have commanded
the interest and attention To the almost
complete exclusion Of the Niger Yet IN
the French conception Of Africa. in the
French scheme 81 colonial empire. the
Niger plays n part at least as important
~ the Nile in the British plans for the
| future. II Is interesting to note there
fore in the decade and half that has
followed the expedition Of HoURsr that
an enormous part Of the French plan has
already been achieved
The French occupied Timbuktu finally
in 1891 For two centuries before they
had been established on the senegal
and after many delays they at last
crossed the narrow divide between the
Senegal and the Niger In 1895 FELIN
DUBOIS passed down the Niger from
bammaku To Tlmbuktu. and IN his book
-Timbuktu the Mysterious described
that portion of the Niger between the
head Of navigation and Tlmbuktu where
II touches the desert In ISe8 HoURSr
took up the work begun by DUBOIS and !
passed on from Timbuktu 20 the sea
In portion Of this voyage he travcr~..d |
districts which BARTH had already de-
scribed, and II is an interesting clrclm-
stance that by representing himself ~ .
tho nephew Of the great German tray !
eller he obtained much assistance from !
niareG natives who still recalled his
uncle
Ten years later VI CHUDP,r. sent
by the French Government 10 study I
the conditions in the southern sahara
between the Tldikelt and the Niger.
reached Gao, and in a volume reccntly /.
published he reviews the changes thai
This decade has wrought in the trade
routes Of the region. 4, Gao he found
4 French steamboat. the Mage which
made regular trips between Kohkoro
and AnsonGo. a distance Of .OiG miles ;
From kolikoro to Hayes on the Senegal {
l railroad IA miles long forms the CON !
leCting commercial link From Kayes I
% - Louis the Senegal IL navigabe. and Z
rom Raves to Dakar, the French West
African port. there IL another stretch If J
abroad 1874 miles long
From Paris to the rapids of the Niger =
u Ansongo, then. steam communication {
las been established. From Dallar 10 t
Insongo, nearly 200 miles, there IL a n
ocular service by rail and steamboat a
ct in 1890 Lieutenant HOURsr keenest a
oy m visiting Gao was that he was -
he first European Ia enter that town Z
'or does the progress stop here From n
railroad IL rapidly pushing =
orthward. II will soon reach say. ON
he Niger. Within "A comparatively few o
ears II will be extended hevnnd the n,
apids. and the navigation Of the Niger II
! French territory will Dee between tao a
lilroads leading To the occan 1"
In his study Of the Sahara VI CHI'uI,I. %
n Set forth the striking effect 81 the :.
hidden rearrangement Of ancient iri,d.. =.
Dutes To-day II ~ no longer o.lstcr
r cheaper to send exports from the "
Idan across the Sahara Ia Mnrucrn u,
Iinls or Tripoli For the whole basin ~
the Niger the new route brings Eurppc
, the very river banks. ~ far north a. "A
H. Tidikelt az far east n iir and Under p
,e banks "f the Niger ofI"r a market b,
ACE more accessible than that beyond f.
10 desert and the usefulness of the ar -,
van route IL ended The caravans a. \
audcni in the heart Of the desert north
Timbuktu which bring salt for this '
hole district are falling oT. for salt ~
ON Senegal ~ cheaper since th" cos, of "a
IL much lighter. M
\ whole new transportation system ~
" thus come into existence. and from ~
- Niger IN all directions radiate new vi
Ics followed by the caravans. which ~
ing their burdens tn the banks Of ia,
yer and there receive the Europ.an an
oduCts destined for Sudanese con ga
mptioH The present service upon the Ln
ger II far from satisfactory. Even 'c'
: the smallest steamers the Niger Is
{ Tavigabl" abov" Nansanding for uu
Ir months. and the Senegal ~ USELESS of
W ~ IN" RAINY SEASON But on both IN.
"rs French engineer are making nm
RAJ progress. Will" railroads arc r,It- h..
e IN" worst places m ~" river \,
'''hAI' thu most interesting phase an an