A Natural Wonder
The Zambezi River
The Victoria Falls
Formation of the Victoria Falls
People of the Victoria Falls
Enter the Ndebele
Discovery of the Victoria Falls
In Livingstone's Footsteps
Development of the Railway
To the Banks of the Zambezi
Development of the Falls
To The Congo
Development of Tourism
Development of Victoria Falls Town
Recent History
Further Information
Collectables

    
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To The Victoria Falls

To the Congo



The following text is adapted from 'To The Banks of the Zambezi and Beyond - Railway Construction from the Cape to the Congo (1893-1910)', researched and written by Peter Roberts and first published in 2021. Please visit the Zambezi Book Company website for more information.



On To The Congo

After the arrival of the line at Broken Hill, and the problems with the refinement of the metallic ores from the mine, further progress of the railway stalled for several years. Rich copper deposits had been identified to the north, including at Bwana M’kubwa (near Ndola), 120 miles (193 km) north of Broken Hill, and also in the Katanga Province of the Belgian Congo and plans were made for one more extension of the railway to tap the copper fields.

"After the rush came the reaction, when as I have mentioned, the goal we had been racing after at top speed failed to come up to expectations, and there was nothing like the traffic that had been promised. The necessity of obtaining additional traffic to make the long extension pay was naturally apparent, and it became imperative to carry the line still further north to tap the extensive mineral deposits of the Katanga." (Varian, 1953)

Mr (later sir) Robert Williams was the driving force behind this last extension.

"The Katanga copper mines were discovered by Robert Williams (later Sir Robert Williams), a Scottish born mining engineer who had met Cecil Rhodes in the early Kimberley days. During the 1890s, the province had slipped from Rhodes’ grasp, being subsumed within the Belgian Congo."

Williams originally sought to connect the Katanga copper mines via the west coast port of Lobito Bay (in modern day Angola), a plan which was started in 1903 but would not be completed until many years later.

"Although Robert Williams had already obtained a concession for the construction of a line through the Portuguese territory of Angola, from Lobito Bay in the west to the Katanga Mines, this entailed 1,200 miles [1,931 km] of new construction. A line from Broken Hill to Katanga would necessitate only 300 miles [483 km], of which 140 [225 km] would be in British territory. This latter route was obviously preferable, but there were powers in the south with whom the decision rested. Although it would have been in their interest to extend the existing line to the Congo Border, they made claims out of all proportion to the riches in the north for doing so, and so the scheme remained in abeyance. It was not until Robert Williams made financial arrangements himself, and after the formation of the Rhodesia-Katanga Junction Railways Company, that the construction of this final section over British ground was completed in November 1909, more than three years after the line to Broken Hill had been laid." (Varian, 1953)

The Rhodesia-Katanga Junction Railway and Mineral Company, Ltd, was incorporated in 1908 and issued debentures to raise the finances necessary for the construction.

"It was some time before Robert Williams, who was intimately connected with the development of the Katanga copper mines, was able to persuade financial backers that it was of primary importance to link Katanga with the Rhodesian railway system rather than wait for the line from Lobito Bay. The supply of coke and coal from the Wankie colliery had a strong influence on the decision and in 1908 the Rhodesia-Katanga Junction Railway and Minerals Company Ltd was formed by Williams and the British South Africa Company to construct a line from Broken Hill to the Congo border. Debentures for £800,000 were issued to pay for the line, the British South Africa Company having an option of purchase, which was exercised twenty years later." (Croxton, 1982)

At the end of June 1908 it was announced that an agreement had been reached between the British South Africa Company and Belgian authorities for the extension of the line from Broken Hill to the Star of the Congo mine at Elizabethville (now Lubumbashi), where a new township was being founded.

"London, June 29th - The Chartered Company announces that the terms of the contract between the company and the Belgian groups for the construction of a line from Broken Hill via Bwana M’Kubwa to the Star of Congo mine were finally settled on Saturday, and that only the details consequential to the final arrangements remain to be adjusted." (Bulawayo Chronicle, July 1908a)

Pauling and Company was again awarded the contract, whilst George Pauling himself had financed part of the project.

"Once more George Pauling was called to carry out the work of this, the last section of the main line north so far as the B.M.R. were concerned. Pauling also carried on with the line into Katanga to Elisabethville, 165 miles [265.5 km] from the Northern Rhodesia border, for the Chemin de Fer du Katanga, a Belgian company, and was later associated with further railway extensions in that territory." (Croxton, 1982)

At the end of February 1909 George Pauling, together with Mr Townsend, were on their way to Broken Hill to initiate arrangements for the new contract.

"Mr George Pauling and Mr S M Townsend left by special train on Wednesday for Broken Hill in connection with the construction of the Northern Extension. Mr A L Lawley, who is now living at Beira where he represents Messrs Pauling & Co, returned thence on Sunday last. We understand that Mr Lawley will not be connected with the present railway extension." (Bulawayo Chronicle, March 1909)

Mr H C Carter replaced Mr A L Lawley as Pauling’s Chief Engineer in charge of the construction to the border and beyond to Elizabethville. A correspondent for the Bulawayo Chronicle reported in late March:

"Mr George Pauling and Mr S F Townsend (Resident Engineer of the Rhodesia Railways) have been up here for the past fortnight. They both had their private coach attached to today’s south train. Mr F O Stephens accompanies Mr Pauling as far as Beira. During Mr Stephen’s absence Mr H C Carter, Chief Engineer in charge of the construction, will act as Messrs Pauling & Co’s agent... I understand that the railway depot is to be at Broken Hill. This is advantageous, as a camp and a township are already established there. The water needed will be drawn from the shaft in No.1 Kopje of the Broken Hill mine. It has been analysed and found not to be injurious to either human beings or engines." (Bulawayo Chronicle, April 1909a)

At the beginning of April there were finally signs of activity at the railhead, and yet more warnings to unemployed labourers against making the journey.

"Broken Hill, April 1st - Active work is proceeding in the construction of a depot, a site for which has now finally been fixed upon at Broken Hill. Some 20 Europeans are engaged creating stores, and tanks for water storage.

"Paulings have thoroughly realised the difficulty of transport in a fly country, the fly belt of which continues along the entire length of the railway route, commencing some 16 miles [25.7 km] North of Broken Hill. A motor car road has, therefore, been begun which will run along the side of the formation throughout its length, and motor lorries are expected shortly to arrive here.

"Numbers of Europeans continue arriving here is spite of repeated warnings. Last week, to my own knowledge, six men arrived on foot from the south, and 17 from Nyasaland and North-Eastern Rhodesia." (Bulawayo Chronicle, April 1909b)

A week later it was reported that railway materials for the construction would be arriving at Beira and transported by rail via Bulawayo to Broken Hill.

"It is stated that the railway material for the extension of the line North from Broken Hill to a point on the frontier of the Congo State will be conveyed from Beira by the Railway Company at the rate of 8,000 tons per month. Additional rolling stock has been ordered to cope with the work and three or four trains will be running daily. The time take for each train from Beira to Broken Hill and back is estimated at 18 days. Report has it that some £4,000 is to be spent immediately on plans at Beira to facilitate landing, and that the great dock scheme for that port is to be proceeded with." (Bulawayo Chronicle, April 1909d)

By mid-April preparations were well advanced, with the contractors confident of reaching the border by the end of the year, and Elizabethville before the end of 1910.

"The depot is finally fixed for Broken Hill and active work is going on in its construction. Six sections of the formation have been let out on sub-contract and are well in hand. The material is on its way from England and is expected at Broken Hill in three weeks time. In a month or six weeks, Pauling & Co. will have got into their mile a day swing. Railhead should be on the Congo border before November next, and Christmas 1910 should see the railway completed to the Star." (Bulawayo Chronicle, 16th April 1909d)

Soon after it was reported that the railway construction materials had started arriving at Beira, ready to commence the long journey to Broken Hill.

"I understand that the material for the Congo railway extension has arrived at Beira. Before a month is up the new train service will have been inaugurated. There will be two construction trains a day, and I understand that there will be dining cars on the passenger trains which will no longer be stabled twice on the road... I again allude to the excessive number of Europeans at Broken Hill without work. The number is over 180. Very few of these men can expect to be absorbed by the railway, as several old hands from the south have to be considered. Having regard to the numbers who come in continually from the East and west on foot, as well as from the south by train, and counting the men already there at this very early stage the situation is becoming acute." (Bulawayo Chronicle, April 1909f)

Railway construction eventually began in earnest in May on the 132 miles (212.4 km) to the Congo border and beyond to Elizabethville, nearly 300 miles (483 km) from Broken Hill.

"Platelaying was begun from Broken Hill in May 1909 and no undue difficulty was experienced with construction through the 132 miles [212.4 km] of forest country interspersed with the occasional river or stream. The Mulungushi needed a bridge with a 150 ft. [45.7 m] span and the vlei at the Itawa on the approach to Ndola required a girder bridge of 100 ft. [30.5 m], but no serious obstacle affected the easily graded line, a feature of which is the sweeping curves dipping to streams in marshy vleis." (Croxton, 1982)

By mid-June the construction gangs were finding their stride.

"The extension of the railway Northwards from Broken Hill is forging ahead, the rails now being about 16 miles [25.7 km] out from Broken Hill, i.e., about three miles [4.8 km] beyond the Mulongosi River, over which a temporary bridge has been thrown. There is a turmoil of traffic at Broken Hill now, material trains hooting and whistling all night. The men working these trains seem to be having a pretty strenuous time. There are lots of new faces about, principally of Messrs Pauling & Co’s men, and after the long stagnation one has to pinch oneself to realise that this is indeed Broken Hill... Messrs Pauling and Co’s survey party have moved their camp from Chiwala’s village, where they have been for the last two weeks, to a spot some five miles [8 km] to the North. The country through which the line passes here is said to be giving the party some trouble." (Bulawayo Chronicle, June 1909)

By October the advance gangs preparing the way for the railway had crossed the border into the Congo, whilst the foundations for the bridge crossing the Itawa River were causing some issues for the engineers.

"Sections of formation have now been allotted in the Congo, and four or five sub-contractors have moved over the border. Only a limited number of subcontractors are receiving sections in the Congo. That a good proportion of these are Britishers is a matter for congratulation.

"The foundations of the bridge over the Itabwa River at Chiwala’s village are giving trouble. Firm ground has not been reached though excavations have reached fourteen feet before the river bed. A hard layer of sand has been passed through, but proved deceptive, as instead of firm ground beneath marsh mud was again met with. This fact reveals a curious ground formation here, as on both sides of the river at this crossing are large masses of rock, which necessitates a lot of blasting during the building of the two embankments which the bridge is to connect. The embankments running through Chiwala’s are high and must have cost a lot of money to make. It is possible that the authorities will, after all, cross the river at another point - unless firm ground is soon met with." (Bulawayo Chronicle, October 1909)

The Banquet on the Border

On Tuesday, 7th December 1909 a special train departed Bulawayo for the north carrying guests for the opening ceremony on the border with the Belgian Congo. Among those on board were Sir Lewis Michell, representative of the Chartered Company, Mr Charles Corner, Acting Manager of the Railway Company, together with Mrs Corner, and a long list of other invitees (Bulawayo Chronicle, December 1909a).

The following day, at Livingstone, the party was joined by Mr Wallace, the Administrator for North-Western Rhodesia (1909-1911, and later Northern Rhodesia 1911-1921), among many others.

"A huge special train, consisting of over a score of coaches drawn by two powerful engines, left Bulawayo on December 7th and was joined at Livingstone next day by His Honour the Administrator and several heads of departments. Many notabilities in the railway world, together with Sir Lewis Michell, representing the Chartered Company, several Portuguese officials and a number of prominent South Africans and Rhodesians, the guests of Messrs Pauling & Co, the railway contractors, and the Rhodesia Katanga Railway Company, were already on board, and a start was made for the newest link forged by civilisation in the centre of the Dark Continent." (Livingstone Mail, December 1909)

The correspondent for the Bulawayo Chronicle recorded the scenes of activity at the scattered outpost.

"The party which is journeying to the Katanga border left Broken Hill early this morning, having spent several hours there. The Broken Hill settlement is a place of magnificent distances, the post office and tennis court being distant a mile from the station, and the hotel a mile the other way. The police quarters also are a mile the other side of the township, and in between lions and leopards occasionally promenade, a lion having killed a sheep there recently, and a leopard having been trapped. Still the place wears a smile, in spite of the stoppage of mining operations pending the experiment which is now proceeding in England with two hundred tons of the ore in order to discover the best method of separating the lead and the zinc."

For the last section of the journey the train was split into two smaller trains, leading to much interest among at least half of the travellers as to the location of the dining saloon.

"The train was last night broken into two sections, as the railway men fear to run seven hundred tons of rolling stock over the new line at present. Absorbing interest is being evinced in the whereabouts of the dining saloon...

"The Congo Border, December 11th - The Congo special train arrived at the border at noon. It had reached Bwana Mkubwa last night, when a number of local natives held a dance, to the accompaniment of a thunderstorm, under the kopje which is of sandstone some 200 feet [61 m] high and 2,000 feet [609 m] long, and impregnated with copper. The whole length on the surface is traversed by two parallel ancient cuttings from 5 to 20 feet [1.5-6.1 m] wide and up to 100 feet [30.5 m] in depth, which must have yielded an enormous mass of high-grade ore, leaving, however, enormous bodies still to be developed."

Opening of the line crossing the border into the Congo

A small border post had already been established, with signs reading ‘Frontier-Border’ and a special ceremonial archway constructed over the line. Soon after arrival at the border a brief ceremony was performed, the final rail lengths on the border were connected with specially made copper fishplates by Mr Wallace and Col. Émile Antoine Marie Wangermée, Belgian Representative of the Comité Spécial du Katanga and soon-after Governor of Katanga (1910-1917), before the train symbolically passed on over the line of the border.

"At noon, the copper fish-plates, made from Kansanshi copper, linked up the lines at the border by the Vice-Governor and the Administrator, each of whom used a copper spanner. Detonators were fixed at the junction to provide a salute... Permission was then asked for our train to enter Congo territory. This having been granted it passed over the Congo border, amid cheers, and reports from the detonators."

The ceremony, however, was not the main attraction for the large number of guests, who then proceeded to sit down to a formal banquet on the border, Mr Mallet, manager of the Victoria Falls Hotel overseeing the catering for the special train and the ceremony.

"After the actual crossing, the company met in a large grass hit 120 feet long which had been built specially for the occasion. Mr Charles Grey, representing the Katanga Concessions and the Rhodesia-Katanga Railways, acted as chairman, and there were 140 guests including Belgian and Portuguese officials, ...Sir Lewis Michell, Mr T S McEwan (General Manager of the C.G.R.), Mr Charles Corner (Acting-Manager of the Beira & Mashonaland & Rhodesia Railways), Mr F O Stephens (General manager of Messrs Pauling & Co, the contractors), etc.

"After an excellent banquet, Sir Lewis Michell, responding to the toast of ‘South Africa,’ said that the occasion represented the closing of an era of divergence, and the opening up of a new field, where, with widening responsibilities, they came in contact with the Belgians, with whom in future they hoped to work in great accord." (Bulawayo Chronicle, December 1909b)

Mr Corner, representing the Railway Company, and who had been involved in the work of railway construction from Beira in 1899, made a speech acknowledging the contribution of all those involved in the grand scheme.

"Mr Corner, in his speech, paid a tribute to the great work carried out by Messrs Pauling & Co in Rhodesia, under the inspiration of Mr Rhodes, and through the efforts of the directors of the Chartered Company, and the railway companies... He deeply regretted the absence of Sir Charles Metcalfe and Mr George Pauling, Dr Pauling of Bulawayo, and Mr A L Lawley, all of whom had had so much to do with the progress of the railway; he also referred to the death of Mr Harold Pauling, which had prevented that gentleman seeing the completion of the schemes which he had done so much to foster. He also specially regretted the absence of Mr S F Townsend, the engineer of the line, through illness. He concluded by pointing out that such a great work could not be accomplished without sacrifice, and he asked the company to drink a silent toast to the men who had lost their lives in the construction of that great system of Rhodesian railways, for the sacrifice had been made for the Empire as much as if those men had died on a field of battle." (Bulawayo Chronicle, December 1909c)

Leopold Moore was among those present for the event, recording in the Livingstone Mail.

"Speeches were made and then, amidst frantic cheering and with whistle blowing, the first engine rushed at full speed across the border from Rhodesia into Belgian Congo, smashing a bottle of champagne suspended under the evergreen arch marking the frontier. A banquet followed, at which there was much toasting and many speeches, all breathing optimism and neighbourly good-will. In the evening a less formal dinner was given and early next morning the return journey was commenced and completed without mishap. The entertainment provided throughout was on a most generous scale, and even at the concluding dinner at the Victoria Falls Hotel not a single guest was permitted to purchase even a box of cigarettes. Suitable recognition of this lavish hospitality was expressed by telegram, to which all the guests subscribed." (Livingstone Mail, December 1909)

The Final Section

It is recorded that Pauling’s men once again took full advantage of the day of celebrations and refreshments on offer at the border celebrations. The next day, however, they were back at work on the continuation of the line over the last 165 miles (265.5 km) of virgin country to Elizabethville, over 2,300 miles (3,680 km) from Cape Town, which was reached on 27th September 1910.

"The following day they were back at work. It was still 150 miles [241 km]to the Étoie du Congo mine, where a clutch of administrative buildings had been thrown up and christened, in honour of Belgium’s reigning Queen, Elizabethville. Here, in front of a makeshift railway station, the first locomotive pulled up on September 27th, 1910. This time, no ceremonies had been planned. Instead there was a small mountain of 6,000 tons of copper ore which had piled up waiting for the arrival of the rails - the first instalment of a supply which, more than sixty years later, shows no sign of impoverishment." (Strage, 1974)

After Elizabethville had been reached further development of the railway was taken over by Belgian companies, marking an end to this great phase of railway building led under the direction of Sir Charles Metcalfe and realised by the dedication of George Pauling and his railway construction gangs.

"Construction thence to the Congo Border, another hundred and thirty-five miles [217 km], was not completed until 1909 when, without interruption, the railway was continued into Belgian territory as far as Elizabethville, a hundred and sixty-five miles [265.5 km] beyond, which was reached in 1910. This section was under the supervision of Mr H C Carter, who for many years has been one of my chief agents." (Pauling, 1926)

Belgian Extensions

A series of further extensions brought the rails 285 miles (458.6 km) from Elizabethville to Bukama, 2,598 miles (4,140 km) from the southern Cape, and which was reached in May 1918.

"When the contract to Elizabethville was finished, Belgian interests decided to continue the construction under the aegis of a Belgian firm, and for that purpose there was formed the Société Coloniale de Construction. Recognising, however, the experience of my firm in railway construction and the value of our personnel we were offered and accepted a material interest in the new company, and a number of our former employees are still in its service. The first work of that company was to extend the line to Kambove, which was reached in 1913. Kambove is the head-quarters of the Union Minière Company and the centre of a great copper-bearing area. Three years later the line was extended to T’schilonga, and a connection has since been established with Bukama on the Upper Congo. This has rendered possible a combined rail and river journey from Boma, at the mouth of the River Congo, to Cape Town, a distance of between four thousand five hundred and five thousand miles [7,242-8,047 km]. The Belgian Congo is a country full of promise, and within its confines great railway development is inevitable." (Pauling, 1926)

From Bukama a combined rail and river route opened up transport from Bukama to Dar es Salaam via Lake Tanganyika, although the all rail route to Beira, via Bulawayo, was preferred.

"Freight for export can also be shipped by water from Bukama to Kabalo, by rail to Albertville [now Kalemie], by ferry across Lake Tanganyika, and thence by rail to Dar es Salaam. In 1926, the Kantaga Railway routed 64,500,000 kilograms of copper via Beira and 16,300,000 kilograms by Dar es Salaam. Thus, although its markets are in western Europe this region is forced to a costly export via the east coast of Africa." (Warthin, 1928)

A final extension, covering 698 miles (1,123 km) from Bukama to Port Francqui (now Ilebo) was commenced in 1923 and completed in July 1928, linking to the highest navigable point of the Kasaï River and connected by river transport to the capital Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) on the Congo River. A railway, built between 1890 and 1898, connected the capital to the port of Matadi, thus completing a rail and river transport route to the west coast and Atlantic Ocean.

Next page: Percy M Clark

References

Bulawayo Chronicle (July 1908a) The Railway North. 3rd July 1908.

Bulawayo Chronicle (March 1909) Editorial Note. 5th March 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (April 1909a) Congo-Zambesi Notes. 2nd April 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (April 1909b) Railway Extension. 2nd April 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (April 1909c) N-W R Notes - Heavy Rains. 9th April 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (April 1909d) Railway Extension. 9th April 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (April 1909e) Congo-Zambesi Notes. 16th April 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (April 1909f) Congo-Zambesi Notes. 23rd April 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (June 1909) The Railway North. 25h June 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (October 1909) The Railway Route. 29th October 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (December 1909a) The Railway North - Guests Depart for the Opening Ceremony. 10th December 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (December 1909b) The Railway Extension - Crossing to the Congo. 17th December 1909.

Bulawayo Chronicle (December 1909c) Railway Extension to Congo Border, Return of the Party. 17th December 1909.

Croxton, A. (1982) Railways of Zimbabwe.

Livingstone Mail (December 1909) Our Annual Retrospect. Christmas Edition.

Pauling, G. (1926) Chronicles of a Contractor.

Strage, M. (1973) Cape to Cairo.

Varian, H F (1953) Some African Milestones Wheatley : George Ronald. (Reprinted 1973 Books of Rhodesia).

Warthin, M.(1928) Transportation Developments in Central Africa. Geographical Review. Vol.18, No.2 (April 1928), p.307-309.

Further Reading

Roberts, P. (2021) To The Banks of the Zambezi and Beyond Railway Construction from the Cape to the Congo (1893-1910). Zambezi Book Company.

To The Banks of the Zambezi and Beyond Railway Construction from the Cape to the Congo (1893-1910)


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