A WONDERFUL LAKE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 353, 2 April 1910, Page 9

A WONDERFUL LAKE

TWENTY MILES OF SODA,

EXPLORERS AND LIONS,

Renter's Agency has received further details of the journey just concluded by Mr. Fred. Shelford, the well-known engineer, in connection with the projected railway to be constructed from thu Uganda Railway to La kit Magadi. This wonderful lake, which is only reached after a long and difficult journey, over uninhabited and waterless country, is described as follows by Mr. Shelford:— "Lake Magadi is picturesquely situated amid weird surroundings at the bottom of a valley 3000 ft deep. On one side are mountains UOOOi't above sealevel, and on another a range having an altitude of 8000 ft. There is no sign of human life, but on and about the lakes are immense numbers of flamingoes. From the surrounding mountains the lake, which is. 10 miles long by two or thfte miles in breadth, looks like an ordinary sheet of water of somewhat reddish hue. On reaching the shores, •however, we found that the water was only, a few inches deep and covered a hard surface looking exactly like pink marble. This is an immense deposit of eoda, which was bored and found to extend to a considerable depth, thus indicating an area of at least 20 square miles of solid soda. The heat upon t)he soda kike was very great." The object of the expedition >was to visit the lake, Mr. Shelford's special business being to survey for the railway which is to be built in view of the fact that the Imperial Government has granted Messrs M. Samuel and Company a concession for 9» years to work the soda deposits. Mr. Shelford has •left four engineers to make a detailed survey of the route he has discovered for the new railway. This branch is to 'be constructed and worked by the Government, and will be of the same construction as the Uganda railway, of | 'which it will form a branch. It is ex-1 pected that work will commence shortly.) Mr. Shelford said:

"The expedition, which comprised eight Europeans, including mechanical and chemical experts and engineers, left the Uganda railway at the station of Kin, 265 miles in the interior and struck westward. The country to be traversed was entirely uninhabited, unknown and waterless. It proved to be extremely difficult, the route being continually crossed by escarpments eight to ten miles long and 300 ft to 400 ft high. Being part of the southern game reserve, it teemed with lions, giraffes, rhinos, and antelopes. The problem to be solved was how to conduct such a large party, with all their 'baggage, apparatus and stores, from the railway to the lake. The transport included four ox-wa«gons 20 oxen, 15 ponies, and about 60 carriers, gnn-bearm. etc. A lnr<r<> lm--e, camp having been formed at Kin, great difficult was experienced at the vcrv outset in finding the hesinnini of the road to the lake. Eventually a gorsrn in the escarpment was discovered, and a chain of ramps—finally reduced to fivewas formed. Several of the men omploved in cutting tracks were lost. LIONS ATTACK A CAMP.

"Each camp was supplied with tanks of water, brought all the way from Nairobi, and protected by thorn zarezas, a very necessary precaution against wild animals. Lions were constantly seen and heard, and as protection against them, in addition to the zarezas and fires, numbers of lanterns swinging on strings were placed round the camps. One night 15 lions, of which two were shot, came round the tents. Two of the Aska.ris were on another occasion set upon by four lions, while at one camp a rhino deliberately charged the water tank containing the only supply of water, but was fortunately shot by a Boer teamster before he did any damage. Even in the neighborhood' of the railway the lions have a very bad reputation, and are know* at Kiu station as <bad' lions. It is not an uncommon thing for the trains to be stopped because the Indian stationmaster, the only official at Kiu. cannot leave his house to set the signals until the lions have cleared off. The last section of the journey was extremely arduous, and the waggon transport, as well as horses, had to be abandoned. The precipitous cliffs were impossible for animals, and he decided that the only wav to get through was to make a bee-line on foot over the mountains. During this stage two of the Europeans got lost among the rocks and passed an anxious night, sleep being out of the question, with the lions threatening them all the time. At length, after a march of 14 hours, they were found by a search party from «amp.

"The last march to the Jake entailed 11 hours' continuous travelling, under a tropical sun, without food, water or lialt. The expedition eventually camped by the lake in the evening, and remained for two weeks."

During the expedition Mr. Shelfotd discovered and ascended a new mountain peak near Lake Magadi, which is unmarked on any map. It rose 2500 ft above the .plain, and was very difficult of ascent owing to the loose rocks From the top. where Mr. Shelford left records in a bottle, he obtained a magnificent view, extending right into German East Africa and the Rift Valley

A BTG STRATN.

Executor: Pray, sir, what do yon charge for a funeral sermon?

■Rev. Mr. Canter: I always charge, mv dear brother, in proportion to the property left .behind: a counle of guineas from a noor man. five guineas for ten thousand poumls, and so on. Executor: Well, my friend has left fifty thousand pounds, so that would be twenty-five guineas; but it seems a good deal.

Tlev. Mr. Canter: But. mv dear bro ther.-think of the strain on mv cop science!

A CATASTROPHE,

Rill: You remember voung Dunne. T think T saw you with him last year. Pat: Quite well. What has become of him? You seem qiute upset. Rill: Only think. This morning we took breakfast towethor. He appeared in good health and spirits, and ate a hearty meal: in fact. T never saw him look so well. T left him. and two hours afterwards T heard that he -was

Pat: Dead, eh? Rill: No, not quite; only married,