Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1921-01-06
WRITER TELLS
OF JUNGLE LIFE
Marcosson Spends Eight Months
in Central Africa.
PASSES week WITH SHUTS
General Who Once Fought Against
Britain. Now Holding South Africa
to the Mother Country by His Great
AbiIity-Marcosson Escapes African
Germs Only to Contract Cold in
New York-BeIsium Has Done Great
Work in Development Of the Congo.


New York-Besium Has Done Great
Work in Development Of the Congo.
Isaac F. MarcOsSon, the American
writer on economic subjects, who re-
turned recently to New York from an
eight months trip through Central
Africa. said that he had Travelled
% 900 miles, visited the least known
parts Of the jungle, and lived with
cannibals and pygmies without having
a days Illness.
II SAW men die of sleeping sick
ness, black fever, plague and cholera
and escaped all these perils," he said,
land never had n days illness until
reached New York and caught cold.
This demonstrates once more that the
germs OF the civilized areas are more
deadly than those encountered IN the
Jungle.
81 was aided in my trip. the most
hazardous one | have ever made, by
letters from King Albert Of Belgium
and Lloyd George, the British pre-
mier. When ! arrived at Cape Town.
Gen. Jan c. SHUTS, the premier.
whom the Beers call Slim JAM and
1t was a most interesting experience.
He Is fighting the battle of his life
now in ruling the country at the head
of the minority in the government.
One of the strangest things is that
Gen. SHUTS fought against the Brit
ish In the Boer war and is now 10y
ally defending them and holding
South Africa to the mother country
by his great ability.
Through Rhodesia.
After leaving Cape Town." Mr..
Marcosson continued, 81 travelled
through Rhodesia, a magnificent
country for white men, by train $500
miles to the railhead at Bukama on
the route from the Cape to Cairo.
"This will be completed in three
years, but will never be accomplished
as Cecil Rhodes, the great African
pioneer and empire builder, designed
II to be-
From that point q steamboat Is
taken On the Lualaba river 10 Con-
ley Falls, from which point it is a
Journey of 700 miles by river to Sen,
har on the White Nile, which is the
present southern emf of the Egyptian
railways from Cairo via Khartum.
The British South African and Cen
trail African railways will build lines
another 300 miles to Mahagi, and the
Egyptian railways will meet them
there from Senhar, distance of 400
miles, so that passengers will be able
to make the entire journey from the
Cape to Cairo by train and steam:
boats very comfortably. In addition,
the Belgian government is construct
ing a railroad which will run through
from Bukama to the west coast of,
Africa at Dakkar
'"The steamboats, are about fifty
tons register and stop at night be-
cause the river is full of hipnos and
crocodiles which make 1t unhealthy
for the natives to wade in the water
and load up the wood for the stoke
hole i'm the dark. The trains also
stop Mt night and travellers sleep iii
the native huts with their own bed
ding which they take along and also
their own servants and food. I also
made a trip of 600 miles on the Kas-
sal river, which is one of the chief
tributaries Of the Congo.
Heat Was Intense. !
although the heat was intense &c
the middle of the day I suffered from
the cold at night right on the equator
in the midst Of the jungle of Central
Africa. For land travelling through
the forests I was carried In a teapOy
by forty negroes and had 100 natives
altogether in my train, from Bulk
anna to Stanley Falls and my side
trips, including one from KinchasSa
TO Matardi. Here Stanley blasted
his way through the rocks on the
mountain trail and it is known by ma
tives there In their legends as Buda
Matardi,' the rock breaker. !
''The Belgian government has done.
great work In the development of
the Congo country, which Is the re-
suit of the far-seeing vision of their
late King Leopold. 1t is the last big
country left for empire building.
81 saw several cases in Central At
RIGA of white men down with sleeping
sickness and their suffering WAS terri
BILE. Vast sums are being spent now
In efforts to check the spread of this
devastating disease by the British and
Belgian governments and the Rookie
Teller institute."'
On his return from Africa Mr.. Mar
cosson passed through France, Bel
GUM and England on his way to Liv-
erpool to join the Celtic. He said
that France was progressing very
slowly because the people were wait
ing In the hope of getting big in
demnity from Germany instead of set
thing down to work. Belgium was go
ing ahead faster than any of the
other nations in Europe that had suf-
fered by the war;
England had been improving stead
lily, financially and industrially, until
the coal strike. which he said. World
set the country back at least foaE