Bridging the World's Greatest Falls.

Southland Times, Issue 19381, 3 September 1904, Page 1 (Supplement)

Bridging the World's Greatest Falls.

The late Cecil Rhodes "dreamed "of a Cape to Cairo Railway. The dream is al- : ready within reasonable distance of being realised. In a very little time the line will bo opened as far north as the famous Victoria Falls, which are to be bridged by English engineers. In order to gain an idea of the magnitude of the task, lot a comparison be made between the Victoria Falls and those of Niagara, which are familiar to most, if not from actual sight, at least from photographs. Figures, wo are told, can be made to show anything, but they are powerless to convey any adequate impression of the immensity of the Victoria Falls. Their height for instance, is nearly two and a half times ' as great as the falls at Niagara, yet this statement fails, somehow, to give any real idea of their magnitude. Perhaps when it is

The Victoria Falls Bailway Bridge will be so high that the centre will exceed the height of St. Paul's. said that tbey are higher even tban the top of St. Paul's, readers will obtain a more lively conception of their size. Again the width of the river nt the moment itplunges over the brink to a level 400 feet below is enormous, while the volume and velocity is such that a mist is created from the tumbling water which is visible for miles. The falls were discovered in November, lux"), by Dr. Livingstone, who named tbem after the late Queen. In such awe were they held by the natives that they never viewed them save from a distance. The spray they regarded as smoke, and the doctor was asked whether "smoke that sounds " wns one of the strange sights to be seen in his country. " Smoke that sounds," by the way, is the meaning of " Mosi-oa-tunya." the native name of tho Falls. The bridge over the Zambesi, which will enable travellers to penetrate still further into Central Africa, is now being built to the order of the Rhodcsiun Railway

From Cairo southwards about 1200 miles of railway has been r^iened. The total mileage from Cairo to the. Cape is about 0,000. Trubt. It will be able to claim the distinction of being tho loftiest bridge in the world, crossing the greatest of cataracts, aud for this reason, if for no other, should be an immense attraction to tourists, and a source of profit to those who cater for their ner-.N. Another project in which the British Sou lb Africa Company is keenly interested \. the utilisation of a portion of thc immense writer power to be obtained from the Victoria Fulls. Tbe enormous volume of water passing over the lip — estimated, when tlio river is in ilond, at about ..5,000,000-h.p.— is to be used for the development of mines, for electric lighting, and possibly also for working tbe railway for some distance on cither side of the Zambesi. Thus is the great dream of tho empire-builder being daily realised.