THE CAPE-TO-CAIRO LINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15900, 24 April 1915, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE CAPE-TO-CAIRO LINE.

WHAT A "PRIZE" FOR GERMANY! Some time in the year 1915 the last spike will be driven in the 2600-mile railway stretching from the Gape of Good Hope to the southern end of Lake Tanganyika, lit the heart of Africa, and with that act will be completed the longest link in the great Cape-to-Cairo Railway of which Cecil Rhodes dreamed and "to tho promotion of which ho devoted the later years of his life.

Out of a total of a little more than 6000 miles required for connecting Capetown with Cairo practically 4000 miles will have been built with the completion of the railway construction now in progress south of Lake Tanganyika. Of the remaining links, five are navigable waterways on which lake or river steamers can be used. Three will require the construction of railways aggregating only 410 miles in length, and with the completion of these there will be cslislied an all-steam route consisting of a succession of railways and steamboat lines connecting Capetown with Cairo. The construction of these lines can only be a matter of a year or two, while the full completion of the all-rail route will doubtless come in it .short time, as timo is measured in projects of such maguitude. When Cecil Rhodes died he left the most difficult parts of the line not only planned, but financed.

Particular interest is given to this great undertaking at the present time by the European war. If the German arms are victorious the tapeto-O.iro Railway, with the territory it serves, will be one' of the richest prizes to fair to the victor. It Germany is defeated that country will doubtless lose its African possessions, which include German East Africa, with the result that tho construction of that portion of the all-rail route extending fiom the southern end of Lake Tanganyika to Uganda will be greatly simplified. The best location for the railway lies to tiio cast of; tibia ifl German terrify..