The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-07-15

uLeS. Inc journey Is particularly III
teresting, as the line passes through
the scenes of many Old Testament
events, such as the birthplace of Sam.
son, the spot where the Ark rested,
and many other sacred and historic
places.
For many years this interesting line
could claim the distinction of being
the only railroad in the Holy Land.
Now there are three others, from Bel
rut to Damascus, from Haifa round
the Sea of Galilee to Damascus, and
the Hedjaz enterprise already referred
to.
A later railroad is that which runs
from Haifa, on the coast, to Damascus,
round the Sea of Galilee. Skirting
along the foot of Mount Carmel,
sacred to the Prophet Elijah, the rail
road runs to Afuleh, close to Nazareth.
This is the first stopping place Of any
importance. Nazareth today is a -four
ishing town of 10000 inhabitants, the
majority of whom are native Christ
ians The track passes through Sc
makh, at the southern extremity of the
Sea of Galilee, from which boats carry
passengers across to Tiberias. From
Semakh the line proceeds up the wild
gorge of the Yarmuck, and thence to
Daraa, where it joins the main line
from Damascus.
OF the lines yet to be built in Asiat-
ic Turkey one will extend from San
SCUM, on the Black Sea, in a southeast
erly direction to a point near the Per-
sian border. This district is expected
to become a great oil producing coun-
try, and only capital is needed to de-
velop it. Another will start from some
port on the Mediterranean, not yet de-
termined, and stretch in a northeast
erly direction to Lake Van, crossing
the other line. Both these enterprises
have been proposed by Americans and
/ they have met with the approval of
! the luThlSn government.
Few realize what this means in the
way of connecting the Asiatic domin.
ions of the Sultan and the kingdom of
the Shah with Europe by direct rail
road communications. Another $50
miles and the Bagdad line will reach
I Kills, already Joined up with the He'd
JAZZ enterprise. If the Bosphorus has
by that time been spanned by a
bridge, which has already been sug-
gested by the authorities in CONSTANT
nople, the Turkish capital will be in
railroad communication with Damas-
Gus, Medina, and also with the rest of
Europe.
1t is also proposed to run a branch
line from Jerusalem to Zizah, thus
joining the Holy City with the Hediaz
route. This project has been put for
ward by an American syndicate, which
also proposes to run the track to the
Dead Sea- 1t would be possible then
to travel from Paris, Berlin, Vienna or
any of the other centers of Europe di-
rect to Jerusalem by rail-
The moment the Bagdad line passes
Kills it crosses and recrosses the
Rivers Euphrates and Tigris, believed
by many Biblical scholars to mark the
site Of the Garden of Eden. Today
this vast territory is nothing more
than an arid waste infested by
swamps. Traces of ancient irrigation
canals, however may be detected, and
it is somewhat interesting to learn
that an English engineering firm has
obtained contract from the Turkish
government to build a dam there, so
that in the near future the Garden of
Eden may bloom again.
One of the stations on this remark
able line is Mosul, town which has
sprung up upon the ruins of ancient
Nineveh. An enterprising German
has already planned the erection of a
modern hotel here for tourists. After
leaving Bagdad the line will'run south
ward across the Euphrates to Med
JEFF, only a few miles from ancient
Babylon, where the members of the
Babylon expedition of the University
of Pennsylvania have carried out some
valuable excavations.