Evening star., 1928-03-27
SEEFRENCH AREA
TO EQUAL CANADA
Prospect Portrayed to Induce
Development of Its Atri-
can Dominion.

A French dominion almost as large
As Canada. and A unified domain with
0 population double that Of the mother
country. That is the prospect daneled
before The French Chamber Of Depu-
tjeS 10 obtain an appropriation.
The Chamber voted the equivalent Of
hs1f 3 million dollars for a preliminary
survey .of railroad from Tuggurt
AcraSS the Sahara 10 WagaduGu, which
rafroad would link European France
and her African colonies.
THE Tgcctlrt -WaCadueU and Sahara
Railroad Is an enterprise comparable
60 The completion Of the first trans.
continental railroad IN the Uniteo
States" saws q bulletin from the head
quarters Of The National Geographic
Society.
Iikcncd TO L. s. Pioneering.
Frances problem is similar, in some
rrsnectS. 10 that Of the United States
IN ioining the settled East with the
pioneer West. The distance from Tue-
rslrt 70 WaSadugu is the same as from
81 Joseph. Nc. 10 San Francisco
Whitening OK and buffalo bones marked
Yhe route veSt-whitenlng camel bones
mark the caravan and future railroad
route south through the Sahara Ihe
r0s1 Of the American railroad was gold
fhe goal az the French project cotton.
The water holes on our western
trails find q counterpart in the Sahara
Gases and wells. The frontier fort pro-
feete6 against the Apache as the Sa-
haran white-walled 'bordj guards
against raids Of desert marauders,
France. studying Americas Indian
pr0blem. already debates methods OF
preserving from civilizations advance
the TUareES, that picturesque and
fierce Berber tribe whose men wear
veilS vet carry spears and leather
shields Crussder-style.
The Sahara's Death Valley"
~The United States transcontinental
Tines had 70 cross the Rockies and the
Sierra NeyaGa-France must drive her
railroad across the HeggarS whose peaks
rise 5000 feet in the mid-Sahara. And
aS Americans braved Death Valley. the
French must brave the Tanezruft.
which swallows up whole caravans.
The objection 10 this comparison
waich naturally arises IS that North
Americas arid regions are not nearly
SO dry as the Sahara'S. That Is true.
with reservations. The Sahara must
not be thought Of as a sea Of sand.
Dunes dominate but One-tenth OF the
entire area Of the Sahara Desert.
Rather the Sahara is sesshore offer
Ing all the variety between smooth
'Caytona Beach and rock-bound New
England coast.
Long Waits for Rainfall.
"In some regions rain comes but
cnce In or II years. The plants
adapt themselves 70 long waits between
drinks. Rain promptly sinks 10 un-
dergvcund rivers. In-Salah. which will
be sort of Salt Lake City on the
French railroad supports thousands Of
cate palms with water from such an
underground river
What viii New France be when 2
tra1sSaharan railroad with extensions
c0nsolidates the mother country and
colonies?
First there IS France proper. about
the size Of New England and our Middle
Atlantic States. Twenty four hours
south of Marse.lie lies AlgieTs. the chief
port Of French North Africa which is
p domain as large as the American
Middle WcsF and South. French North
Africa borders on French West Africa. a
raw pioneer country OF uniapped re-
sources divided into the colonies OF
Senegal French Sudan. Upper Volta,
French Guinea. Ivory Coast, Dahomey.
&auretania and Niger. Still farther