THE BRITISH WAY IN AFRICA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2894, 5 October 1916, Page 5

THE BRITISH WAY IN AFRICA

GUNBOATS ON,TANGANYIKA. Some time ago, says _ "Popula* Mechanics," the cables carried an account of the destruction of one German, gunboat, the Von Weissmann, and the' capture of another, the. Kangani, in Lake Tanganyika, Central Africa, by. two 6mall motor gunboats, flying the British flag. The story of the battle " in which the mosquito craft outfought the big enemy vessels forms a noteworthy picture of the usefulness these, little boats,have shown during the European conflict.. But more uncommon is the tale of how- they were launched in that faraway lake. ■■ After being built for the Greek _ Government, the vessels were requisitioned by the British Admiralty, altered to accommodate.light armament, and a complement of 27 offioers ana men, shipped from Tilbury to Cape Town, whence they were taken by rail for a. distance of 2488 miles to JFungurumee. 1 Ammunition and : . supplies -were 6ont' ahead by ox-cart and atrail that had previously been blazed, through the wild country by hundreds of- natives. Roads had been cut through dense forests, rocks blasted away, deep gorges filled with timber to form causeways, and existing bridges and fords strengthened. The two motor gunboats were placed in .large mobile cradles, that had been made especially for the, overland trek, and drawn by heavy tractors. That the 1 •; rainy season might be avoided, the px? pedition was rushed, and the 146-mile cross-country journey to Sankosia com- : raenced in the blistering heat of the tropical sun: The roads were soft and hilly and there were frequent breakdowns: Some days it was impossible: to press ahead more than a single When steep hills were encountered \rb was necessary to drag the • boat-car-riages up with cables, and • -at other places 40 or more oxen were used* When Sankosia was reached after nearly six weeks of hard work, the boats were taken by rail to Rukama. «n the Lualaba River, to make the 350-nuj9 trip to Kaballo by water. .From the latter place they were shipped by rait to Yukuga, which is only a few mites from Lake Tanganyika, completing the 3175-mile trek from Cape Town, Mdm,. all ending a journey of some IU.UW ' miles and four and a half months. Be- - cause of the severe storms that visit the lake, it was necessary construct, a harhonr, and this delayed the launching of the vessels until a few davs before Christmas. Three' days after one, of the boats took to the water, the German Gunboat KmM'l'»"» and several weeks later the Von 'Weiss. maun was sunk. : .-