TO CROSS AFRICA IN CAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17410, 12 December 1924, Page 12

TO CROSS AFRICA IN CAR.

IS FRENCHMAN’S AIM. PARIS, October 28. M. Edmond Trunin, a. Paris journalist. left Paris yesterday for Kouakry, in French Guinea, whence be. will .start on an attempt to travel across the northern part of Central Africa by motor-car to Jibuti, in the Gulf of A den Two cars will make the journey of over 9000 miles, largely across desert and wild country, and M. Trunin will be accompanied, by AT. Gustave l)u----verue, an engineer,* and Drs lloorke and Yalloton AYarney. The experiment will be made of running the cars entirely without petrol, and instead palm oil, nut oil. and naphtha, will be employed, because supplies of these materials can be obtained along the route ot very little cost. For this purpose the usual carburetter is replaced bv a catalysing apparatus which will produce combustible gas from heavy oils. Iho cars have 10 h.p. engines and are fitted with two-seated bodies. Behind the seats is space for chests of provisions. Owing to the. bearing which the experiment may have on the problem of colonial transport in Africa. AL Daladier. the .Minister for the Colonies, lias given official recognition to M. Tran in’s mission and has arranged facilities for lr. The expedition is expected to start from Konakry on November 28 or 29. French Guinea will be crossed to Kuroussa. whence the course of the Niger will he followed in a northeasterly direction for some distance. The party will traverse the l pper Volta district and will cross the Niger at Niamey. Thence the route will be through Zinder and south to Kano in Nigeria, thence on bv Alaidugari and Dikoa to Fort La my, on the Shari, south of Lake (bad. A relatively easy stage of the journey across the North Cameioons to the Übangi-Shari territory and north-eastwards to Abeslier in Wadai will follow. The frontier of the Egyptian Sudan will be crossed near Odry and the party will then pass through Darfur bv way of Kabkabia and El Easher. to El Nahml and El Ohoid, in Kordofan. The

| White Nile will he crossed at El j Duciin and the Blue Nile at, Wad Medani. Al. Tranin will stay for some time in the Gezira region, whence he /ill inspect the cotton plantations. Entering ilie Italian territory of Eritrea the party will continue bv Sadbarat (eighteen miles east of Kassala), Agordat. Keren, and Asmara into the mountainous region of North Abyssinia Travelling south-west they will reach a point where they will strike a track conducting from Lake Tsana through Samara, Alagdala. and Hadele Guma to French Somaliland and the port of Jibuti.