Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-05
THE PAPER REEDS.
A Remarkable Romance of Industry IN
Africa and Its Memorable lesson.


When the centurions Of Nero turn
ed back. Eeaten from their exploring
expedition Tor the sources OF the Nile.
il was q very slight. imperious thing
which barred their passage. Not
triple-ranked mountain Businesses. like
those ef Central Asia. nor such mighty
walls Of ice rs guard the Antartie.
but only ".he paper reed by The xiv
or" Fer Thousands of years that pa
per reed has blocked the way of civil
lization. aud the path Of explorers OF
the uppr. Nile. An immense mass Of
papSrus and lesser water CROWNS
blocks the river for 90 miles, covering
many thousand square miles with i
mcrass like u vast sponge. jangt"
of papErus fifteen to twenty feet hlgh.
with tire terrible sWordgrass. ant
other water plants four or five teet
tail. growing so close and their roots
forming such mat tHat the native
craft OF woven rushes holding hut one
man can hardly pierce the threadhke
channels The Peake expedition sent
up thu Nile after the fall OF khartoum
reported the watergroWth so dense
elephants could walk on it, Sir
Samuel Baker said it was an absolute
bar To the civilization of Central At
RIGA.
The channel is now kept open by
dredgers. at great expense. for the
weeds cut away renew their growth
IN two months and block the stream
for all craft. The sudd its ancient
and iil-omened name, has always
been 4 danger To those navigating the
upner reaches Of the Nile. absorbing
and holding back the waters needed
beiox. or tearing loose in drifting is
lands. weaving barriers which even
the jungle animals avoid. Beside in
calculable quantities OF wood, the
Soudan Government uses nearly 70
GOO tons of coal 4 year Tor the steam
ers Of its dredging fleet. barges loaded
with fuel being towed behind the
the steamers. This coal at over $50 4
ton, with wood supply exhausted. and
landings impossible FOR the immense
Jungle. has vexed the resources of the
Soudanese sorely. To defy the men
ace of centuries. to turn these thou
sands of miles of bog to use. and give
means of development to the richest
part of Africa is an achievement, an
industrial triumph to be ranked among
the i43I1tS1 IpUpiS III tftE biitiAiir 49,
fury.
A German scientist, DIR. Hoering, the
English Captain Bennett-D ampier,
and n German diplomatist have been
experimenting for five years over eie
project of converting the sudd into
fuel of quality. 4 machine 10 COM
press the sudd, plants, roots and peaty
soil, ard a small factory We're built,
and trials made before representatives.
of the Soudan Government, the Brit
ish and the German admiralties, WITH
the result that more extensive trials
were found desirable at Kharteun.
Briuuettes OF suddite, the new tuet
now used on the Nile steamers of the
Soudan. are reported more efficient
than the best German brown coa,.
with density greater than the best
Welsh coal. In fit sequel to THIS ro-
nance OF modern commercial enter
prise. condensed from the London
Standard, the Soudan Government
grants a concession To an Anglo
German syndicate to clt and manufac-
ture sudd. the public authorities to
be supplied first OF all customers at
ten per cent. discount. A factory on
the White Nile is to manufacture hftY
thousand tons of fuel a year. having
three per cent. moisture. seven per
cent ash and ninety per cent. com
bustible, at twenty-five English shiii-
ings II ton. The average crop 81 papy-
rus is $50 tons to the acre, and man
cuts five tons a day.
Beside fuel. which is the great want
Of the Nile country, rs far as manu-
features are concerned, the papNfus
affords excellent paper pulp. material
for cordage and building blocks me
magnificent country OF the upper
Nile. NE are told, only wants fuel 10
take it's place among the great colonies
of the world. and $4,000 square mics
OF mosquito ridden, fcver-haunted bog
which even the hippopotami forsake,
becomes A source of beneflcence ana
wealth.
The Anglo-German syndicate cor
tainly deserves the handsome profit
it gains from it's concession. and the
Soudan Government deserves all the
gain coming to it for its ability to
recognize a good thing when shown it.
An Anglo German syndicate might 90
missionary commercial work in TINS
country by working up some of ITS
despised material which nobody mere
thinks worth using AS for paper
making. the sedge beds of the Con-
neoticut furnish n better material than
papyrus. and Neponset valley Dogs
would furnish the best household tuef
for all eastern Massachusetts by the
aid of some stout Lombard itaiiahs
and Kerry irish who understand the
stuff. It is perfectly safe saying this.
for nobody is likely tc take the hint,
for another generation. Florida is
not eoudanese by any means. yet a
company is making gas out of a bog
and piping 1t to Jacksonville
Power.