A WONDERFUL LAKE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2921, 9 March 1910, Page 80

A WONDERFUL LAKE.

LIONS EVERYWHERE. Reuter's Agency has receiveoMurther details of the journey by Mr Fred Shelford, in connection with the projected-railway to be constructed from the Uganda railway to Lake M.agadi. 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 having an altitude of 8000 ft. There is jio .sign of human life, but on and about the lake are immense numbers of flamingos. From the surrounding mountains the lake, which is 10 miles long by two or 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 deposit of soda, which was bored and found to extend to a considerable depth, thus indicating an area of .at 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 ha=s granted Messrs M. Samuel and Company a concession for 99 years to work the soda deposits. Mr She]ford 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 worked 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, which comprised eight Europeans, including mechanical and chemical experts and engineers, left the Uganda railway at the station of Kiu, 265 miles in the interior, and struck westward. The country to. be traversed was entirely 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 conduit such a large party, with all their Da gg a ge, 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. Even- 1 tually 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. Each camp was supplied with tanks of water, brought all the Avay from Nairobi, and protected by thorn zarebas, a veryi ! necessary precaution against wild animals. Lions were constantly seen and heard, j and, as protection against them, in addi- i tion to the zarebas and fires, numbers of lanterns swinging on strings were placed round the camps. One night 15 lions, of . which two were shot, came round the ' tents. Two of the x\skaris were on an- j other occasion set uponjby 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 station as "bad" lions. It I is not an uncommon thing for tne> trains ; to be stopped because the Indian station,- ,

master, the only official at Kiu, oannot 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 ail 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 sun, without food, water, or halt. The expedition eventually camped by the lake in the evening and remained for two weeks.