286 THE DEVELOPMENT OF EHODESIA. 



is the highest point on the Salisbmy-Beira line. From Marandelhis 

 there is a gradual descent into Salisbury, which is 4,800 feet above 

 sea level. The chosen starting point of this line was Frontesvilla, 35 

 miles up the Pungwe River, from which place the line, 2-foot gauge, 

 was laid in a Avesterly direction for a distance of 75 miles. This sec- 

 tion was opened in October, 1893. Considerable delay was occa- 

 sioned in the construction of this first section, which runs through 

 the PungAve Flats, by the frequent '" washaways " which occurred 

 during the wet season. There Avere other difficulties also on ac- 

 count of the swampy nature of the country ; yet the Avork Avent on 

 feurely, and in NoA^ember, 1894, the rail Avas carried on as far as Chi- 

 moio, a distance of 118 miles from Fontesvilla. This point remained 

 a terminus for some years. It was not until October, 189(), that a 

 line was constructed between Beira and FontesAdlla. Thus there was, 

 a 2-foot gauge line for a distance of 153 miles. Great difficulties 

 Avere, hoAvcA'er, experienced in continuing the line from Chimoio to 

 Umtali, on the Portuguese border, and it AA-as not until February, 

 1898, that the 2-foot gauge line to the border Avas completed. In 

 1897 the INIashonaland RaihA^ay Company Avas formed to carry out 

 the construction of a 3-foot-6 gauge line from Umtali to Salisbury. 

 The Avork AA'as begun on January 11, 1898, and the line Avas completed 

 in May, 1899, on AA'hich date Salisbury Avas in direct raihvay commu- 

 nication Avith Beira. As the line from Beira to Umtali Avas only of a 

 2-foot gauge, considerable expense and delay were incurred in trans- 

 ferring goods from the narrow-gauge to the broad-guage line, and as 

 it was also found that the 2-foot gauge line could not cope with the 

 necessary amount of traffic, it Avas decided to Aviden it to the standard 

 gauge of 3 feet 6 inches. Before this Avork Avas entered upon the line 

 betAveen Beira and Umtali Avas j^artly resurveyed, some of the AA^orst 

 gradients AA^ere thus aA'oided, and a saving of 18 miles Avas effected. 

 The broad-gauge line from Beira to Umtali Avas completed in August, 

 1900. Since 1900 vast improvements have been effected on this line, 

 ''n former years " AvashaAAUiys " Avere fre(|uent and dangerous, but the 

 addition of numerous culverts has done nnich to lessen the constantly 

 i-ecurring damage caused by the rains to the permanent AA^ay." The 

 great need of Mashonaland had been from the outset a rapid and 

 cheap system of connnunication with the coast. Mr. Rhodes hoped 

 by a i-ailAA-ay from Beira to Salisbury to reduce the cost of importing 

 food stuffs into the country from £70 to £10 a ton. The completion 

 of this railAA-ay system AA'as therefore a great boon to all concerned 

 in the economic deA^elopment of the eastern districts of Rhodesia. 



The next phase in the development of the Rhodesian Railway sys- 

 tem Avas the linking up of Bulawayo with Salisbury. In 1898 Mr. 



a Vide Foreign Office Report on the Trade of Beira for 1902 (Annual Series, 

 No. 3024), p. 7. 



