The Washington herald., 1922-11-15

NEW YORK, Nov, lf.0Cecii
Rhodes, the empire builder. once
placed his finger on "a map OF
Africa, pushed It across the conti-
nent and said: Some day there
will be a railway connecting Cape
town with Cairo and the route will
be all red"
This prophecy Is today SO near an
accomplished fact that. for the nrst
time in history one may cross the
continent from the Cape of Good
Hone to the Suez Canal without
leaving British soil, says f. M. New
man, the travel lecturer. In the No
yember Mentor Magazine. MI.
Newman recently made the trip.
At the time of Rhodes death u
would have taken months for the
tourney, which may now be accom-
plished in hfty-three days When
the last gap 10 closed II will be
possible to cross Africa In four
weeks. The ALFRED Route Is a
reality. It may be some time be-
fore the entire trip can be made by
rail but the combination Of travel
by railroad and steamer is now an
assured fact.
Make. Impre sive start.
The railroad that Rhodes dreamed
of makes an impressive start at
Capetown. The first stop OF impor-
tance is Kimberley, where four
mines. in less than 200 acres, have
produced in the past fifty years
diamonds worth more than $1,000
o0o, 900.
Johannesburg, the next stop. Is.
second to Cairo. the largest city In
Africa. From a mining camp of the
SOS II has become a city OF 3oo.Voo
inha bftants. thanks to the Rand,
forty-mile long reef" that in some
years produces half of the worlds
gold supply,
Thirty-six miles farther Ia IRE
toria. the former capital Of the Boer
republic. Here one visits President
Dom Paul Kruser's house. from the
stoop OF which he dispensed daily
advice and coffee during the days
of the republic. Eight million dol
lars have been spent on govern
ment buildings that now dominate
the city. Twenty miles of is the
Premier diamond mine which pro-
duced the Culiinan diamond, the
largest ever discovered.
In the Reclaimed Country.
Mafeking, in Bechuanaland.w where
Col. Baden-Powell made his gallant
2l7-day defense during the Boer
war, is the next town of impor-
tance. 1t is the headquarters OF the
Baralong tribe of negroes. as Bula-
wayo. the next notable stop. was
once the capital of the Matabele.
Here the chief, Lobengula. ruled
with an iron hand from under his
"indaba tree" The tree Is still
there but the pyramid OF human
skulls that marked 1T Is gone. Bull
awayo was laid out by Cecil Rhodes
along the lines of Western Amer
lean mining camp.
Rhodesia. the next district. Is
larger than the British Islands
France, Germany and Italy COM
bined, yet its total population Is
only $4,000. One-half the worlds
supply of chrome and asbe stos
comes from the mines of this coun-
try. Victoria Falls. where the
Zambesi River plunges from a 400
foot precipice into a narrow canyon
| is. of course. the Rhodesian mag
net. In planning the trans African
railroad Rhodes insisted that II
should pass so close to the Falls
that the car windows would be wet
with their spray!
The road now enters the Belgian
Congo. swinging to the west OF
Lake Tanganyika. where there Is a
rich copper district controlled by a
iRelgian syndicate, hut operated,
largely. by American engineers. In
ten years the town OF Elizabeth
willie has sprung ups After endless
miles of naked savages and .primi-
tive forest, Elizabethville. with
electric lights. acknowledgement
women and smart shops. is great
and welcome surprise. So rich Is
the ore in this district. all that
runs under per cent Is not worked.
Mining companies in the United
States have grown rich on ore con-
tanning from y to per cent of
COPPER.
Through the Bush.
From Bukama. the present termi-
nus Of the railway. one travels by
steamer. then by rail to Lake Tan
ganyika and across that lake to