File 3047/1909 'Railways: Asiatic Turkey; railway construction in Asia Minor' [‎175r] (354/368)

It may be mentioned that, besides a great many sailing vessels,
Companies send their steamers to Tripoli:—
the following
Steamers calling at Tripoli.
1. The Khedive Line.
2. The Messageries Maritimes Company.
3. The Austrian Lloyd.
4. North German Lloyd.
5. Hamburg American Line.
6. The Italian Packet Company.
7. The Russian Black Sea Company.
All these steamers carry as a rule first, second, and third class passengers, besides
the usual cargo. D
Tourists to Balbeck,
It must also be pointed out that on completion of the Tripoli-Homs Railway, a
great many tourists will make use of this line to travel to Balbeck, where the famous
rums ot the temples are, as it is the direct route to Balbeck via Homs. Now, the
thousands of tourists who go to see Balbeck must go to Beirout across the Lebanon to
Kherack, and from there by a branch line to Balbeck, and then back again, which is a
great detour and very expensive.
Expected Traffic from the Hedjaz Railway.
•n 1 ^ ll . rt ^ erniore » when once the railroad from Damascus to Mecca is finished, which
will be in about five years, there is every reason for the greater part of the Mahommedan
pilgrims to Mecca, which start their pilgrimage from Damascus, to be expected to travel
over the ripoli-Homs line, as the facilities to put these pilgrims on the trains direct
from the steamers with which they arrive and transport them over the Tripoli-Homs
Railway, via Kherack, to Damascus are far greater and less costly than either at Beirout
oi Jaffa, to which ports the Mecca pilgrims must go at present in order to get to
Damascus. G
Difficulties for Landing Passengers at Jaffa.
I he difficulties for landing at Jaffa are at all times great on account of a dan s erous
bar before the entrance of the Jaffa harbour, but sometimes it is impossible to land
anybody for days and days.
Great Expectations in regard to Traffic to and from the Bagdad Railway.
A. g « a ^ futur ® is als .° t0 be ex P e cted for the Tripoli-Homs Railway when the
Bagdad Railway will be further advanced in its construction, for then the Tripoli-
Homs Railway will undoubtedly have to be prolonged to a convenient point on the
Euphrates, so as to form a connection between the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and the Mediter
ranean Sea, and Tripoli will be the most important point on the whole Syrian coast for
transport of goods and passengers from Egypt to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . No other port can
compete with i ripoli on account of its magnificent harbour and its geographical
position.
Importance of the Tripoli-Homs Railway, according to the British Consul at Tripoli.
It is for this reason that Dr. Abela, our British Consul at Tripoli, is so anxious and
hard at work to have this railway built from Tripoli to Homs, and in time continued on
to the Euphrates, by an English Company; and it is owing to Dr. Abela’s increasino-
efforts that the present Road Company at Tripoli is now quite willing to join in with
an English Company or Syndicate to carry out this promising undertaking, wffiich
completed, other very lucrative ones will follow in course of time.
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