Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

340 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. MAP SHOWING THE HEDJAZ RAILWAY. Dotted lines indicate sections under construction or projected. Jeddah exposed to Attack. The Moslem of the more rigidly orthodox type regards these trials as a worthy part of the pilgrimage — on the principle that the greater the suffering the greater is the merit. But to many of his creed, and for various reasons, a less painful access to the tomb and birth- place of Mohammed was devoutly to be desired. Moreover, the fact that Jeddah could be closed to pilgrims by a hostile fleet contained an element of religious and political danger. To reach Jeddah by sea the Moslem must thread the easily blockaded Suez Canal, which, also exposed the port to easy attack by European Powers. The existence of this danger on the flank had a bad effect upon Asiatic subjects of the Sultan, who, to combat this disquieting state of affairs, conceived, in the year 1900, the idea of pushing a line from Damascus, already connected by rail with Mediterranean ports, through his own domin- The Sultan’s Proposal. An Enthusi» astic Reception. ions to the holy cities of the Hedjaz, and so nullify a siege of Jeddah. In the future, when the line should have been linked up with the Bagdad Railway vid Aleppo and Tel Habesh, an all-rail journey from the very shores of the Bosphorus would be secured. The time was ripe for the idea. The faithful throughout the world, so far from pouring ridicule on the Sultan’s proposal, hailed it with enthusiasm. Nor were they content with words, as they poured in their sub- scriptions in generous measure to hasten the realization of this notable project. The Government, in- fected with a like spirit, handed over to the Commission appointed to carry the matter through seventeen million unused postage stamps to be sold by public auction for the good of the cause. The rapidity with which things now moved was a revelation to those who regarded the Turk as a constitutional sluggard. The word “ to-morrow ” was for- gotten. A wave of energy swept over the nation. The Sultan secured forthwith the services of an extremely able German engineer, Meissner Pasha, as com- mander-in-chief of a large working force, and selected for his lieutenants Marshal Kiazim Pasha and Haiji Mukhtar Bey; these last controlling in turn engineers of various nation- alities in charge of sections—all imbued with the same enthusiastic desire to fulfil with the utmost speed the royal command. The initial survey of the first section south from Damascus was put in hand at once. Simultaneously all preliminary arrangements were made with regard to gauge, rails, type of track to be laid down, and building equip- ment. The greater part of the rails and other material was purchased in Belgium, Russia, and the United States. We may mention in passing that the gauge selected