A LITTLE-KNOWN CENTRAL AFRICAN RAILWAY
Buried in the heart of Central Africa, with one border skirting the
most southern of the chain of Great African Lakes which nestle in the
huge depressions of the continent, is a small, little-known British
colony. This corner of the empire is Nyasaland, a tongue of promising
territory which thrusts itself southward into Portuguese East Africa.
Though the wealth of this little territory, measuring 550 miles in
length, and varying from 80 to 90 miles in width, is incalculable,
exploitation of the resources has been handicapped by the complete
absence of transportation facilities. The early pioneers and civilising
influences visiting the country were impressed with the outlook, and
sought to attract settlers. The more hardened and adventurous accepted
the invitation, and, finding the country in every way as described,
devoted their energies to the cultivation of coffee, which held out
most promising inducements. The physical configuration of the country,
providing a diversity of hill and dale and ample watering facilities,
served to bring about a certain movement towards settlement. Roads
were driven in all directions, and, indeed, the internal communication
to-day leaves little to be desired.
But the country suffered severely from being cut off from the world at
large. There is only one channel by which the country can be entered,
and that is from Chinde on the coast, via the Zambesi River until the
mouth of the Shiré River is gained, this latter waterway being followed
so far as Port Herald. The distance is about 210 miles, and the
stern-wheel, shallow-draught steamboats occupy from 4 to 6 days on the
journey according to the state of the rivers. For about three months
in the year the Shiré River can be navigated for a further 40 miles to
Chinde, and occasionally Chikwawa, 310 miles from the coast, can be
reached by water.
In the early days a hope was entertained that it would be possible to
travel by water from the coast to Lake Nyasa, but this is impossible,
as the Murchison Falls, which connect the Upper and Lower Shiré rivers,
are an insurmountable obstacle. Had this navigation been possible,
the country would have been provided with an excellent artery of
communication, and would have brought Blantyre, the capital, into
direct touch with the coast. As a matter of fact, however, the normal
head of navigation on the Shiré River is Villa Bocage, in Portuguese
territory, just above the point where the waterway joins the Zambesi.
In order to remedy this grave disability, which was hindering the
expansion of the country to an acute degree, the British Central Africa
Company decided to provide a main line of railway between Blantyre and
Port Herald. The opportunities were unique, as transport was difficult
and costly, while it was pointed out, also, that by means of the iron
road the slave-trade around Lake Nyasa could be broken up effectively.
Sir Bradford Leslie, K.C.I.E., M.INST.C.E., the eminent engineer whose
bridge-building and other works are scattered throughout the Indian
Empire, was approached to extend his valuable assistance and skill in
the prosecution of the undertaking. The scheme was not ambitious so far
as railways are concerned, but there were many peculiar difficulties
which had to be overcome. The line promoted was only 114 miles in
length, but in that distance a difference of 3,700 feet in levels had
to be overcome. The broken character of the country proved that some
heavy work would be necessary, for the deep, wide rifts in the mountain
sides, though dry in summer, are raging torrents when the wet season
breaks.
[Illustration: RAILWAY BUILDING IN NYASALAND, CENTRAL AFRICA
Natives erecting an embankment. The natives, both men and women,
transported the material in baskets carried on their heads.]
Sir Bradford Leslie, being interested in the extinction of the
slave-trade, gladly co-operated in the scheme, and although he did not
visit the country to inspect the outlook on the spot, he prepared
estimates from data of the physical conditions extended, upon the basis
of his Indian work.
[Illustration: A TYPICAL BRIDGE ON THE NYASALAND RAILWAY
Everything for construction had to be exported from England.]
[Illustration: THE NOVEL LIFT BRIDGE OVER THE SHIRÉ RIVER AT CHIROMO
The span is lifted by winches worked by natives.
THE RAILWAY INVASION OF CENTRAL AFRICA]
It was intended, in the first instance, that Chiromo should be the
base for constructional operations, the primary idea being to connect
Blantyre with the river at this point. This represented the building
of about 84 miles of line, and promised to remove the isolation and
inaccessibility of the capital. At this time a cart road was the sole
means of communication, and when this could not be used everything had
to be carried on the heads of native porters, while passengers had to
travel to and fro by “machilla,” a kind of hammock slung from a pole.
But access to Chiromo was found to be so unreliable, owing to the
shallow depth of water in the river and the numerous sandbanks upon
which the vessels became stranded, that it had to be abandoned as a
base. A further 30 miles of line had to be added to the project, to
enable it to be carried northwards from Port Herald. The contractors
found themselves hampered at every turn, and it is probable that no
railway was ever constructed under such peculiar and exasperating
difficulties. Railways, as a rule, have been carried from a base on the
coast, where supplies could be landed without very great difficulty,
but in this instance this was quite impossible. Then, again, the
work was being carried out at an extreme distance from home, and an
elaborate organisation was requisite to keep the forces in the field
supplied with every little necessity.
When the line was commenced the country was in a very primeval
condition. Skilled labour was quite non-existent, and unskilled
labour was very scarce. This problem was accentuated by the fact
that Nyasaland was being drained of its resources in this respect by
agents from the Transvaal, who had received permission to recruit
negro labour in this country. The railway authorities endeavoured to
meet this situation by importing coolies from India for the purpose of
construction, but this action was sternly forbidden by the Government
authorities.
The effort to provide the country with the very communication it
needed so sorely to bring about its settlement, furthermore, was
hampered in another direction. The Government authorities in London
insisted that the railway should be built according to the standard
of the Rhodesian railways, notwithstanding the fact that Rhodesia was
in a very much more advanced position economically, whereas Nyasaland
had not reached the moulding stage. This was a somewhat inexplicable
attitude to assume, and was of a nature that might have jeopardised
private enterprise in this field of endeavour. However, the engineers
and builders accepted the terms and the work proceeded.
Under this arrangement the 3 feet 6 inches gauge was adopted as on the
Rhodesian railways, so that in the dim future, when the two systems are
connected, through running will be possible. The rails weigh 41¼ pounds
per yard, and as timber is devoured by white ants and boring beetles,
it could not be used in any form. Consequently, steel sleepers, or
ties, had to be adopted.
Everything required in connection with the undertaking had to be
shipped from England; the country did not assist the builders one
little bit. Not an ounce of coal could be obtained locally, there was
no lime, and bricks could not be made to assist in the erection of the
piers. The country is even deficient in a good quality of stone suited
to building purposes, so masonry work was equally out of the question.
The only alternative was the utilisation of concrete. The Portland
cement for this purpose, by the time it gained Port Herald, cost
between five and six times the price for which it could be bought in
England--in other words, the expense of carriage was from four to five
times the value of the article. This applied to other material beyond
cement. In fact, the transportation to such a remote district was a
heavy item. The articles were dispatched to Beira, where they were
transhipped into coasting steamers, and five hours later were landed at
Chinde, where they were loaded upon the shallow-draught river boats and
conveyed to Port Herald.
[Illustration: THE IRON HORSE IN CENTRAL AFRICA
Arrival of the passenger train at Port Herald on the Nyasaland Railway.
Beira on the coast is reached from this point by steamer via the Shiré
and Zambesi rivers.]
The line follows a northerly course after leaving the southern
terminus, and roughly clings to the bank of the river so far as
Chiromo. Here it swings across the waterway over a bridge about 420
feet in length, to gain the valley of the Ruo River. This bridge is
the outstanding feature of the railway, on account of its interesting
lifting span, which is of novel and unusual design. When the railway
was plotted the Government stipulated that there should be no
interference with navigation on the river, although the waterway, as
a highway of traffic, has fallen practically into desuetude since the
railway was constructed. However, official requirements had to be met,
and these demanded an opening 100 feet wide, and giving a clearance of
30 feet in height at high water. The ordinary type of draw or swing
bridge, to satisfy this requisition, was quite out of the question,
because the need to open the bridge is very rarely experienced, and
when the demand does arise, the time occupied in the operation is of
minor importance. Heavy expenditure under this heading, therefore, was
not justifiable.
[Illustration: THE BASCULES BEING LOWERED BY CABLES AND WINCHES FROM
EITHER CLIFF-FACE]
[Illustration:
[_See page 302_
THE BASCULES LOWERED, SHOWING THE FRENCH ENGINEERS AT CENTRE MAKING THE
CONNECTION
ERECTING THE BASCULES FOR THE FAUX-NAMITI BRIDGE ON THE YUNNAN RAILWAY]
Moreover, as native labour was to superintend the work of opening and
closing the bridge, the simplest arrangement possible was essential,
and, furthermore, had to be capable of hand manipulation. The designing
engineers, Sir Douglas Fox & Partners, and Sir Charles Metcalfe,
Bart., evolved an ingenious solution. On the top of two adjacent piers
carrying the span in its normal position, a tower was erected on either
side of the opening, with two simple, single, vertical racks on either
tower. At the top of each tower a platform extending the width of the
bridge was provided, together with a large sprocket wheel at either
end. A chain passed over each sprocket wheel, one end being attached to
a corner of the bridge, and the other to a heavy counterweight.
To open the bridge, all that the natives have to do is to wind a winch
which rotates the sprocket wheel, and as the counterweight descends
the whole span rises vertically and horizontally, being guided in its
movement by the rack on each tower. The counterweight is the full width
of the bridge, and when the span has been lifted to its fullest extent
the counterbalance weight lies across the track, to form a high barrier
to any one attempting to cross the bridge when the span is open.
It will be seen that the bridge acts on the principle of a sash
window, where the sash weight counterbalances the weight of the moving
portion, and in lifting only the friction of the moving parts has to
be overcome. To guard against disaster from tampering or misuse, the
bridge, when either raised or lowered, is locked. To lower the bridge
it is only necessary to reverse the winding direction of the winch.
The span of steel moved in this manner weighs 55 tons, and the whole
operation of opening and closing occupies about half-an-hour, eight
men under a native superintendent sufficing for the movement of the
winches. It is an unusual type of lifting bridge, but it is doubtful
whether a simpler and cheaper means of meeting the situation could have
been devised, while the maintenance expenses--a vital consideration in
such a remote country--are reduced to insignificance.
About 12 miles out of Chiromo the railway commences a heavy climb,
as it has to gain a summit level of 4000 feet to reach the plateau.
The ascent is through very tumbled country. The ruling grade is 1 in
44, and the minimum curve is of 363 feet radius. As the valley winds
amazingly, the line is a continuation of curves winding round crags and
bluffs. Here and there the mountain sides are torn by wide clefts that
have had to be spanned by bridges, which are supported on steel towers,
carried on pedestals or plinths built of concrete. One of the largest
bridges of this class is that across the M’Swadzi River, which is 290
feet long.
The Ruo valley is left after the 64th mile is passed, and the line
makes a difficult and tortuous ascent along the Tuchili River for
nearly 10 miles, when it swings over to the Luchenza River, which
is followed until the summit level is gained, 109 miles out of Port
Herald. In the next 5 miles a descent of 500 feet has to be made to
gain Blantyre. This is the present terminus of the railway, though an
extension has been projected northwards to Fort Johnston at the head of
Lake Nyasa, and another limb southwards from Port Herald for 60 miles
to the Portuguese town, Villa Bocage, the head of navigation on the
Shiré River.
In the course of the 114 miles there is at present only one
intermediate station with an existing township, at Chiromo. Three
other stations have been provided, however, in the anticipation that
settlements will spring up and blossom into towns as the country opens
up.
Construction was sadly delayed by the difficulties in regard to
labour. The native proved an indifferent workman, the maxim being to
accomplish as little work in a day as possible. Then, when the rainy
season--lasting about three months--set in, the whole of the working
force migrated from the grade in a body to cultivate patches of land,
and were not seen again until the weather changed. The climate played
sad havoc with the Europeans who ventured to the scene of operations
to superintend native effort, and the mortality from tropical diseases
among the whites was very heavy. In order to protect what European
labour is required in the repair shops and the administration offices,
the headquarters have been established at Limbi, five miles from
Blantyre, where the full benefit of the elevation is gained, this point
being at an altitude of 4000 feet above the sea, and one of the most
healthy parts of the country.
An amusing story is related by Sir Bradford Leslie in connection with
the construction of the railway. Prior to the commencement of this
undertaking labour in the country was rewarded in cloth--there was no
money currency, and in fact the natives knew nothing about coinage
or its value. However, when the line was commenced, the Government
insisted that the natives should not be remunerated in kind, but in
cash. Wages were paid once a month, and the natives immediately were
urged by Hindoo traders to transfer the money for cloth. The latter
played upon the native’s ignorance of money to distinct personal
advantage, but the natives had to pay dearly for their goods. Moreover,
they came to the conclusion that the textiles they received in exchange
for their cash were inferior in quality to that given to them in direct
settlement of work done. Consequently, they assailed the engineer and
complained that his money was bad, in support of which contention they
displayed the small quantity of indifferent material they received in
exchange for their wages. They certainly did not evince a very marked
appreciation for the railway company’s system of paying for labour in
sterling.
Although the undertaking cost more than had been estimated, the
results justified fully the expenditure, for the railway, in point of
construction, compares very favourably with other lines of a similar
character on the continent. The engineer in charge of the work, Mr. A.
G. Pears, overcame his unique difficulties in a highly satisfactory
manner, and its completion in about seven years is a striking tribute
to his organisation and methods, while the unceasing expansion of the
country supports the initiative of those who fathered the enterprise.