128 THROUGH ANGOLA 



maize flour (40,000 tons), sugar (50,000 tons), 

 potatoes and onions (2600 tons), and wax (1800 

 tons) were carried over it from Chinguar to Ben- 

 guella or Lobito. During the same period 50,000 

 first- and second-class and 150,000 third-class 

 passengers were conveyed by train. 



The construction of the line beyond Chinguar 

 should present few difficulties, as from this point 

 to the Belgian frontier, and beyond it to Katanga, 

 it will follow the great Congo-Zambezi divide, a 

 plateau gradually falling in elevation. Two or 

 three rivers, the Coanza among them, will require 

 to be bridged ; but I understand that none of the 

 engineering difficulties ahead are comparable with 

 those already overcome, and construction should 

 be rapid. As the country towards Katanga is 

 increasingly populated and fertile, the line should 

 pay its way, even before the great mine belt of 

 Katanga is reached, where the present annual 

 output of 40,000 tons of copper should yield in 

 normal years 500,000 in freight fees alone. 



