TO GROSS AFRICA IN CAR

Evening Star, Issue 18817, 16 December 1924, Page 9

TO GROSS AFRICA IN CAR

IS FRENCHMAN’S AIM. PARIS, October 28. M. Edmond Traniii, a Paris journalist, left Paris yesterday for Kouakry, m French Guinea, whence ho will start on an attempt to travel across tho northern part oi Central Africa by motor car to Jibuti, in the Gulf of Aden. Two cars will make the journey of oyer 9,000 miles, largely across desert and wild country, and M. Tranin will be accompanied by M. Gustave Duvenio, an engineer, and Drs Boorko and Valloton Warner. 'Die experiment will l>e made of running the cars entirely without petrol, and instead palm oil, nut oil, and naphtha will lie employed, because supplies of these material.-, can be obtained along the route at very little cost. For this purpose the usual carburettor is replated by a catalysing apparatus which will produce combustible gas from heavy oils. The cars have 10 h.p. engines, and are fitted with two-scat-ed bodies. Behind tho seats is space for chests of provisions. Owing to tho bearing which tho experiment may have on the problem oi colonial transport in Africa, M. Daladier, the Minister for the Colonies, has given official recognition to M. Tran in’s mission and has arranged facilities for it. The expedition is expected to start from Kouakry on November 26 or 29. French Guinea will bo crossed to Kuroiissa, whence the course of (he Niger will be followed in a north-easterly direction for sumo distance. Tho parly will traverse, tlie Upper Volta district and will cross the. Niger at Niamey. Thence the route will be through Zincler and south to Kano in Nigeria, thonco on by Maidugari and Dikoa to Fort Laiuy, on the Shari, south of Lake Chad. A relatively easy stage of the journey across the North Cameroous to tho Übangi-Shari territory and northeastwards to Abgshcr, in Wadai, will Allow, The frontier of the Egyptian Sudan will bo crossed near Gary, and the party will then pass through Darfur by way of Kalikabin and F.l Fasher, to El Nahud and El Obeid, in Kordofnn. The White Nile will be crossed at El Dueim, and tho Blue Nile at Wad Mcdani. M. Tranin will stay for some time in the. Gozira region, whence he will inspect, the cotton plantations. Entering tho Italian territory of Eritrea, the party will continue by Saubarat ( eighteen miles east of Knrsala), Agordat, ’Keren, and Asmara .uto the mountainous region of North Abyssinia. Travelling smith-west, they v ill reach a point where (hey will strike a track conducting from Lake Tsana through Samara, Magdala, and ITadele Guma to French Somaliland and the port of Jibuti.