RAILROADS FOR HOLY LAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3286, 3 August 1911, Page 7

RAILROADS FOR HOLY LAND.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE HISTORIC COUNTY. PARIS TO JERUSALEM BY AN ALLRAIL ROUTE. In the near future visitors to Europe will be able to journey from any of its principal centres, such as Paris, Berlin, or Vienna to Jerusalem, and to the principal cities and ruins of Arabia and Persia by means of the iron road. Jerusalem, the most sacred city in the world, as well as the Holy City of Mecca, null shortly be in direct railroad communication with Europe. Then when the Bagdad project lias progressed another stage or two railroad journeys to the Euphrates valley, the alleged site bf the Garden of Eden, and where stood ancient Nineveh, will be included in the tourists’ Eastern itinerary. . . The linking up of these ancient Biblical places with Europe will be accomplished by American dollars and American brains. Indeed, wliat the Americans are doing in Turkey and also in the Asiatic dominions of the Sultan in the way of railroad and transportation facilities is almost incredible. "When the Turkish Parliament met in November last there were, submitted to it plans for the construction of no fewer than 1500 miles of railroad with mineral and oil rights in Asiatic Turkey. The various schemes were provisionally accepted!. and have been referred to a Parliamentary committee for final adjustment.

All this is the work of a powerful American syndicate, at the head of which is Dr* Chester. At first Germany entered a- protest on the- ground, that the proposal involved mining rights. But the Turkish' authorities pointed out that the Americans asked for no kilometre guarantee and were entitled to them. The trouble with the German railroad builder in Turkey lias been ms demand- for so much per mile guarantee by the Government. The American, on the other hand, recognising that there is nothing tetter for developing a country than a railroad, is whiling to sink capital in the enterprise and recoup himself on the result. NEW LINE OUT OF MECCA.

The Government has determined to carry the lines of the Hedjaz Railroad with all speed across the 285 miles of desert between Medina and Mecca. Starting from Damascus, this line runs almost due south through wild and sterile country for more than 820 miles to Medina, the burial place of the Prophet Mohammed'. It is principally user! for carrying Mohammedan pilgrims. On many of its most important stations one can now send telegrams in almost any European language to all parts of the world. Until quite recently they had to be written in either Turkish or Arabic. Tourists visiting Palestine now make use of this line for reaching the rockhevn city of Petra, on the edge of the great Arabian desert. It means a saving of at least twelve days in the journey from Jerusalem. This is, of course, by. no means the only railroad in Palestine. The first to be opened was that which connects the seaport of Jaffa with Jerusalem, built by the French, and which will finally revert to Turkey. The locomotives used to-day were constructed by the French for work at Panama. The distance between Jaffa and Jerusalem by rail is fifty-five miles, and the journey occupies tfiree hours and forty minutes. The journey is a particularly interesting one, as the line passes through the scenes of many Old Testament events..

For many year’s this interesting line could claim the. distinction of being the only railroad in the Holy Land. Now there are three others, comorising those from Beirut to Damascus, from Haifa round the Sea of Galilee to Damascus, and the Hedjaz enterprise already referred to. Beirut, on the Mediterranean is by rail ninety-one miles from Damascus. The journey takes nine and a half hours. The railroad is a narrow gauge, and for climbing the mountain portion (about twenty miles) a cog-wheel and rack system is employed., Crossing as it does the Lebanon, the line passes through some really beautiful scenery. AROUND SEA OP GALILEE. A later railroad is that which runs from Haifa, on the coast, to Damascus, around the Sea of Galilee. Skirting’ along the foot of Mount Carmel, sacred to the Prophet Elijah, Die railroad runs to Afuleh, close to Nazareth. This is the first stopping place of any importance. Nazareth to-day is a flourishing town of 10,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom are native Christians. It was originally intended to carry the track around the western shores of the lake. If 1 this had been clone Tiberias, Magdala and Capernaum would have been connected with the Mediterranean by rail. The engineers, however, finally decided to run the iron road around the southern end of the lake. The track passes through Semakh, at the southern extremity of the Sea of Galilee, from which boats carry passengers aci’oss to Tiberias. From Semakh the line proceeds up the wild gorge of the Yarmuck, and thence to Daraa, where it joins the main line from Damascus. •

Of the lines yet to be built in Asiatic Turkey one will extend from Samson. on the Black Sea, in a- southeasterly direction to a point near the Persian border. This district is expected to become a great oil producing country and only capital is needed to develop it. Another will start from some point on the Mediterranean, not yet determined, and stretch in a northeasterly direction to Lake Van, crossing the other line. Both these enterprises have been proposed by Americans and they have met with the approval of the Turkish Government. Few realise wliat this means in me way of connecting the Asiatic dominions of the S'ultan and the kingdom of the Shah with Europe by direct railroad communications. Another 180 miles and the Bagdad line will reach Ivillis, already joined up. with the Hedjaz enterprise. If the Bosphorus has by that time been spanned by a bridge, which has already been suggested by the authorities in Constantinople, the Turkish capital will he in railroad communication lvith Damascus, Medina and also with the rest of Europe. It is also; proposed' to run a branch line from Jerusalem to Zizab, thus joining the Holy City with the Hedjaz .route This prospect has been put forward by an American syndicate which also proposes to run the track to the Dead Sea. It would be possible then to travel from Paris, Berlin, Vienna or any of the other centres of Europe to Jerusalem by rail, The moment the Bagdad line passed Killis it crosses and reorosses the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, believed. by many Biblical scholars to mark the site of the Garden of Eden. To-day this vast territory is nothing more than arid Avaste infested by swamps. Traces of ancient irrigation, canals however, may be detected, and it is somewhat interesting to learn that an English engineering firm has obtained a contract from the Turkish Government to build a dam here, so that in the near future the Garden of Eden may bloomi again.