Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 209, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 September 1913 — WOULD NOT STAY ‘PUT' [ARTICLE]

WOULD NOT STAY ‘PUT'

EGYPTIAN RAILROAD LINE THAT WAB CONSTANTLY SHRINKING. Aetonlehing Story, but an Investigating Committee Found That There Really Was Nothing Very Mysterious About IL • » About every camper has had experiences on portages, but the big banner portage, I think, was the one; we had on the Nile when we were taking the troops up in 800 whaleboats to the relief of Gordon at Khartum, writes U. J. W. Norris in the New York Sun. There were many short portages, but the big one was from Wady Haifa to Sarras, 50 miles beyond the Second Cataract. The boats were going over light and the provisions were carried on camels. This was a long, slow job, so the government decided to build a railroad and sent out 50 miles of rails, the necessary ties, etc., and instructed the engineer'corps to build the road. These men had not bad practical experience and there were no steam shovels in those days. The result was that when they came to a sand hill or rocks they went around. The only time they ever leveled a hill was when they buried a bottle of Scotch in one and let the Forty-second Highlanders know it was there. Of course the -road had a lot of curves and when it was all done it failed to reach Sarras by about two miles. But orders are to be obeyed, and to fill the order, at the suggestion of one of the Canadians, they moved Sarras down to the end of the track, and there they were. __ The end of the track went about a hundred yards beyond the tent depot, but after the trains had been running a week it was down opposite the de- ’ pot. A week later it had shrunk another 200 yards toward Wady Haifa and the depot had to be moved again. As time went on and frequent moves were made it began to appear that if the shrinkage kept up there would be no need of a railroad, for the Sarras depot would be at Wady Haifa. A committee of officers set out to find the cause. It started from Wady Haifa and two miles out the engine forgot to turn a curve and landed a hundred yards from the track. This disgusted the officers, but the conductor assured them that it was a common occurrence and that they would soon be on their way. The train crew got out jack-screws, jacked the train up a couple of feet from the desert, then went over and dragged the track to the train and shoved it under, let the train down and steamed away. It did not take the committee long to decide that if this was done often it must increase the number of curves, and as the track was spiked down at the Wady Haifa end it would have to pull away from Sarras, hence the shrinkage. I have told this Btory so often that I am beginning to believe it is all true.