A WONDERFUL LAKE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9188, 13 April 1910, Page 7

A WONDERFUL LAKE.

TWENTY MILES OF SODA

EXPLORERS AND LIONS

; Reuter's Agency has received further details of the journey just concluded by Mr Fred. Shelford, the wellknown engineer, in connection with the projected railway t.o be constructed from the Uganda Railway to Lake Magadi. This wonderful lake, which is only reached after a long and difficult journey over uninhabited and waterless country, is described as follows by Mr Shelford :— "Lake Magadi is picturesquely situated amid weird surroundings at the bottom of a valley 3000 ft deep. On one side are mountains 6000 ft above sea-level, and on another a range hav- ! ing ail altitude of 8000 ft. There is no sign of human life, but on and aboutthe lakes are immense numbers of i flamingos. From the surrounding mountains the lake, which is 10 miles long by two to three miles in breadth, looks like an ordinary sheet of water of somewhat reddish hue. On reaching the shores, however, ,we found that the water was only a few inches deep, and covered a hard surface looking exactly like pink marble. This is an immense of soda, which was bored and found to extend to a considerable depth, thus indicating an area of a# least 20 square miles ,of solid soda. The heat upon the soda lake was very great." The object of the expedition was to visit the lake, Mr Shelford's special business being to survey for the railway which is to be built in view of the fact that the Imperial Government has granted Messrs M. Samuel and Company a concession for 99 years to work the soda deposits. Mr Shelford has. left four engineers to make a detailed survey of the route he has discovered for the new railway. This branch is to be constructed and work-

Ed by the Government, and will be of the same construction as the Uganda Railway, of which it will form a branch. It is.expected that work will commence shortly. Mr Shelford said:

' _ "The expedition, vvhieli comprised • eight Europeans, including mechani--1 cal and chemical experts and engineers, left the Uganda Railway at the 1 station of Kiu, 265 miles in the in--1 terior, and struck west-ward. The country to be traversed was entirely 1 uninhabited, unknown, and waterless. It proved to be extremely difficult, the route being continually crossed by escarpments eight to ten miles long and 300 ft to 400 ft high. Being part of the southern game .reserve, it teemed with lions, giraffes, rhinos, and antelopes. The problem to be solved was how to conduct such a large party, with all their baggage, apparatus, and stores, from the railway to the lake. The transport included four ox-waggons, 20 oxen, 15 ponies, and about 60 carriers, gun-bearers, etc. A large base camp having been formed at Kiu, great difficulty was experienced at the very outset in finding the beginning of a road to the lake. Eventually a gorge in the escarpment was discovered, and a chain of camps—finally reduced to five— was formed. Several of the men employed in cutting tracks were lost. LIONS ATTACK A CAMP. Each camp was supplied with tanks ol water, brought all the way from Nairobi, and protected by thorn zarebas, a very necessary precaution against wild animals. Lions were constantly seen and heard, and as protection against them, in addition to the zarebas and fires, numbers of lanterns swinging on strings were placed round the camps. One night 15Jions, of which two were shot, came round the tents. Two of the Askaris were on another occasion-set upon by five lions, while at one camp a rhino deliberately charged the tank containing the only supply of water, but was fortunately shot by a Boer teamster before he did any damage. Even in the neighbourhood of the railway the lions have a very bad reputation, and are known at Kiu stations as "bad" lions. It is not an uncommon thing ■for the trains to be stopped because the Indian stationmaster, the only official at Kiu, cannot leave his house to set'-the signals until the lions have cleared off. The last section of the journey was extremely arduous, and the waggon transport, as well as horses, had to be abandoned. The precipitous cliffs were impossible for animals, and we decided that the only way to get through was to make a bee-line on foot over the mountains. During this stage two of the Europeans got lost among the rocks, and passed an anxious night, sleep being out of the question, with the lions threatening them all the time. At length, after a march of 14 hours, they were found by a search party from camp. ' "The last march to the lake entailed 11 hours' continuous travelling, under a tropical suri, without food, water, or halt. The expedition even-, tually camped by the lake in the evening, and remained for two weeks." During the expedition Mr Shelford discovered and ascended a new mountain peak near Lake Magadi, which is unmarked on any map. It rose 2500 feet above the plain, and was very difficult of ascent owing to the loose rocks. From the top, where Mr Shelford left records in a bottle, he obtained a magnificent view, extending right into German East Africa and the Rift Valley.