MAKING THE WORLD SMALLER.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 11 July 1901, Page 4

MAKING THE WORLD SMALLER.

The plan of building a railrod across the Sahara Desert is being pushed by severa 1 of the leading engineers of France. Several routes are under discussion. M. Foureau, of the Paris Geographical Society who has recently returned from an African expedition, has gone so far as to explore and survey one lioe of the proposed road. The enterprise embraces over 3000 miles of tracklaying. It will be necessarp to protect the roadbed against sandstorms and moving dunes. The route parses through the territory of many savage tribes, bitter foes of every white enterprise. The proposed routes are all planned to one or more of the oases. Such a road would be of great importance in developing Central Africa. It is not generally realised that Mr Cecil Ehodes's railroad, which is to connect Capetown with Cairo, is already complete for one-third of the distance. His telegraph has reached Central Africa.

The twentieth century will possibly witness the completion of age n innous railway line through the United States, Central and South America. A number o; roads are at present in operation which will be connected and extended. The plan of connecting Cape Horn with tho United. States in this way is practical, and merely awaits greater commercial interests to set it in motion.

There are several projected railways much nearer realisation, for connecting the United States in this way with Alaska, which would thus place the entire western coast line of the two continents in close communication. It is within the range of engineering possibilities that, with the exception of a ferry at Behring Strait, it may some day be passible to travel by rail from Cape Horn to Capetown, The twentieth century may witness the construction of the long-talked-of bridge or tunnel connecting England with the Continent of Europe. Both plans havo been pronounced entirely practicable by expert engineers, but have been held up for fear of political complications- The 03ean telephone mea while is assured We may expect to talk with America within five years, The canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific in Nicaragua will doubtless be realised early in the twentieth century. The great Siberian railroad is even now a reality. Within a few years the road will doubtless be extended to Port Arthur and probably into China. The privileges which will probably soon bo given by China for railroad cons'ruction will make it possible within a few years to travel by rail continuously from Paris to the Chinese coast.