When the work of seeing these pages through the press was nearing completion, a letter arrived at the London offices of the Tin Fields of Northern Nigeria, Ltd., from their engineer, Mr. Jerome J. Collins, describing the means of transport from the coast to the seat of operations in the Bauchi Province. The particulars, which are given from personal experience of the journey, are both interesting and instructive, as they are also the last word to hand on the subject, and the excerpts which follow are published by the courtesy of the directors of the company, by whom the letter was received.
Writing from Kogin Jarawa, under date September 13, Mr. Collins says:—
Niger River Transport.—Forcados to Baro.
The distance is 407 miles. The Niger Company, Ltd., and the Government run shallow draught steamers carrying passengers and cargo. The Government steamers run a weekly service in connection with the mail steamers from Liverpool. The Niger Company run steamers as inducement offers.
The time occupied is about ten days by both services, but a great deal of this time is taken up with stoppages at the various towns along the river.
The Government steamers are in a very bad state of repair, and much time is lost owing to breakdowns. In the rainy season branch steamers travel between the coast and Baro, at present carrying railway material. They have facilities for handling heavy cargo.
The season extends from July to September.
The Government and Niger Company’s boats have no facilities for handling heavy cargo, being limited to packages capable of being handled by native labour, which is tedious and expensive.
The cost of transport by Government steamers for ordinary cargo from Forcados to Baro is from 40s. to 60s., and down from Baro to Forcados is from 21s. to 33s.