Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

198 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD, CONTINENTAL TELEGRAPH AND OF OTHER SECTIONS TELEGRAPH SCHEME. OF THE CAPE TO CAIRO Khartum (Arman PORTUGUESE L. Nyasa lawcrio ENGLAHO ’TRANSVAAL CAPETOWN A.TTdtgraph hne Other . lines Proposed « Gtmdokoro to Nimule’ 90 Milts Appro* ^tk. Bunka to nearest' point on Tékqranh line ff A/yrox. Ujiji Bukoba 28Q Miles. A/yrox SHOWING THE CAPE TO CAIRO TELEGRAPH MAP OF THE AFRICAN TRANS- Note the small Map of England on same scale. VfcJy Haifa CFÖMjJokdrö' Albert.. Some Physical Obstacles. parts quite the reverse conditions have pre- vailed. In places, for instance, there have been miles upon miles of low- lying marshland that was un- healthy to a degree and caused much sickness among the con- struction staff; and in other parts dense jungles and forests, infested by wild animals and teeming with poisonous snakes, were found. Here and there, too, were moun- tain ranges, the previous existence of which had been almost unknown. These were intersected in places by deep ravines, in some instances from 200 to 300 feet deep and almost as wide across. These were at times quite impassable in the ordinary way for white men, and the expedient of lowering the workers down with ropes had to be resorted to. Very high altitudes were reached at times, espe- cially at the commencement of the line as it passed over the North-east Mashonaland pla- teau, the wire being at times as much, as 7,000 feet above the level of the sea. Some wide and deep rivers were met with as the line was pushed forward, and the utmost ingenuity had to be displayed in getting the wire over them. The widest of them was the Zambesi, which is crossed in the neigh- bourhood of Tete. The river is here something like half a Considerable traffic passes up and down it, so A Huge Span of Wire. mile across.