Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume VIII, No. 5 [‎44r] (90/154)

RAILWAYS IN AFRICA.
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of a huge plateau, and the rivers flowing off this plateau are obstructed by
cataracts in exactly the places where we most want to use them—that is, when
approaching the coasts. The second stage in the commercial evolution will there
fore be the construction of railways with the view of supplementing this river
traffic. Finally, no doubt, a further stage will be reached, when railways will cut
out the rivers altogether ; for few of the navigable rivers are really well suited to
serve as lines of communication. This last stage is, however, so far off that we may
neglect it for the present; though it must he noted that there are some parts of
Africa where there are no navigable rivers, and where, if anything is to be done, it
must be entirely by means of railways.
Thus, as far as the immediate future is concerned, the points to which our
attention should be mainly directed are ( 1 ) the courses of the navigable parts of
the rivers, and ( 2 ) the routes most suitable for the construction of railways in
order to connect the navigable rivers and lakes with the coast. As to the navigable
rivers, little more remains to be discovered with regard to them, and we can indicate
the state of our geographical knowledge on this point with sufficient accuracy for
our purposes by means of a map. Of course the commercial value of a waterway
depends greatly on the kind of boats which can be used, and that point cannot
well be indicated cartographically.
As to the railways, we must study the physical features of the country through
which the proposed lines of communication would pass. All the obstacles on rival
routes should be most carefully surveyed when considering the construction of
railways in an economical manner. Great mountain chains are seldom met with
in Africa, and from that point of view the continent is as a whole remarkably free
from difficulties. But drifting sand is often a serious trouble, and that is met with
commonly enough in many parts. Wide tracts of rocky country also form serious
impediments, both because of the cost of construction, and also because the supply
of water for the engines becomes a problem not to be neglected. Such arid and
sandy districts are, of course, thinly inhabited, and we may, therefore, generally
conclude that where the population is scanty, there railway engineers will have
special difficulties to face. On the other hand, dense forests are also very un
suitable. We have not much experience to guide us, but it would appear probable
that the initial expense of clearing the forest, and the cost of maintenance, in per
petually battling against the tropical vegetable growth, will be very heavy; for it
will not do to allow the line to be in constant danger of being blocked. The damp
ness of the forest, which will cause all woodwork and wooden sleepers to rot, will
be no small source of trouble, and the virulent malarial fevers, always met with
where the vegetation is very rank, will add immensely to the difficulty, both of
construction and of maintenance. The health of the European employes will be a
most serious question in considering the construction of railways in all parts of
tropical Africa, for the turning up of the soil is the most certain of all methods
of causing an outbreak of malarial fever; and the evil results would be most
severely felt in constructing ordinary railways in dense forests. In making the
short Senegal railway, where the climate is healthier than in many of the districts
further south, the mortality was very great. Perhaps we shall have to modify our
usual methods of construction so as to mitigate this danger, and, in connection
with this subject, I may perhaps mention that the Lartigue system seems to be
specially worthy of consideration—a system by which the train is carried on
a single elevated rail. This is perhaps travelling rather wide of the mark of
ordinary geographical studies, but it illustrates the necessity of a thorough exami
nation of the environment before we try to transplant our own methods to ot er
climes.
No. Y.— November, 1896.] ^ L