Applied Science 845 



organisation of the route. From London as far as India all 

 went comparatively well, for an efficient organisation extends 

 from England through France, Italy, and Greece to Egypt, and 

 thence through Palestine and Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf 

 to India. After India little had been done, and though excellent 

 work was carried out by local authorities to help to make the 

 flight a success it was the third part of the journey which was 

 the most difficult. 



The next flight was that from England to South Africa 

 carried out by VanRyneveld and Brand. From England to 

 Egypt the journey was comparatively simple; after Egypt the 

 difficult part of the route was encountered. The writer had a 

 great deal to do with the organisation of the routes from Eng- 

 land to Egypt, and Egypt to India, and later with the Cairo- 

 Capetown route. It was the middle section of this line which 

 gave most trouble. Vegetation was so thick that it was only by 

 employing huge gangs of negroes that the trees and under- 

 growth could be cleared away, in order to make landing-places. 

 So luxuriant was the growth, that by the time the labourers had 

 cleared the ground and reached the far end of the aerodrome 

 the vegetation was already several feet high on the part on which 

 they had commenced. It was only by continual work that the 

 growth was kept under. A further difficulty was the presence 

 of white ants, which built mounds from 3 to 10 feet high with 

 great rapidity. In many cases these mounds were so hard that 

 they had to be removed by means of dynamite and gunpowder. 

 Tools and machinery were non-existent, and rough places had 

 to be rolled smooth with trunks of trees hewn down and pushed 

 backwards and forwards by gangs of natives. Between the aero- 

 dromes the tropical forest made safe landing impossible in case 

 of engine failure. Further difficulties were experienced owing 

 to the heat of the Central African plateau. In order to econo- 

 mise labour, the aerodromes had been made on the small side. 

 The heat and rarefied air made it difficult for the machines to 



