Chapter XLIV: Section 5: Posts and Telegraphs

[Sidenote: Posts.]

In March, 1897, a Sudan postal service was commenced. The first office opened was at Halfa camp, and following in the wake of the Army, offices were opened in the same year at Kerma, Dongola, Korti, and Merowe, and a regular bi-weekly mail was established.

In 1898 offices were opened at various places between Berber and Khartoum, and the postal service was rapidly further extended over a great part of the Sudan. In February, 1901, the postal and telegraph services were combined, and the head office was transferred from Cairo to Khartoum North, and subsequently in 1902 to Khartoum.

There are now 26 post offices in the Sudan open to the money order service, and a travelling postmaster issues and pays money orders at stations on the Halfa-Kerma Railway.

There are various other offices open dealing with correspondence, sale of stamps, and ordinary parcel service (_vide_ below).

An increasing amount of money passes through the post in the shape of money orders. In 1902, a total of £E.355,000 was paid in at Sudan offices by the public for transmission, and a total of £E.145,000 was paid out. The figures in 1901 were £E.267,500 and £E.107,700 respectively.

Mails in the Sudan are carried by railway, steamers, camels, donkeys, or runners, according to the locality.

Mail services now extend to Gallabat, Roseires, Gondokoro, Meshra El Rek, and Nahud.

Mails are exchanged weekly with Eritrea at Sabderat.

(For details of post offices, _vide_ Egyptian Postal Guide, 1904, p. 175.)

[Sidenote: Telegraphs.]

The telegraph now, besides connecting with Suakin and Kassala, reaches to Gallabat, Taufikia (W. Nile), Roseires, and El Obeid. A line from Khartoum through Geteina and Kawa to Goz Abu Guma is now in course of construction, and when the Nile-Red Sea Railway is commenced, a telegraph line will be built along it.

At the beginning of 1905 a telegraph line will be laid from Meshra El Rek to Wau, and thence probably _viâ_ Rumbek to the Bahr El Jebel. Communication between Meshra and Taufikia is to be maintained by oil launches.

Till 1902 white ants were a great source of annoyance, but since steel bases have been used for telegraph poles this has, to a great extent, ceased. Creosoted poles also do not appear to be attacked by them.

Elephant and giraffe in the more southern districts are, however, likely to continue a somewhat frequent course of interruption of communication.

A reconnaissance was made in April, 1904, south of Taufikia and another from El Obeid to Nahud and Foga with a view to further extensions of the wire. In the winter of 1904-05 the line will be laid from Meshra Rek to Wau, but there is a great difficulty in connecting with Taufikia.

There are now 3,074 miles of telegraph line (3,469 miles of wire), and 35 telegraph offices, in the Sudan (_vide_ below).

Wireless telegraphy has not been lost sight of, but will not be adopted, at any rate, for the present.

79,500 private telegrams were forwarded from Sudan offices in 1903, as against 57,700 in 1901 and 66,000 in 1902.

[Sidenote: Telephones.]

A telephone system was established between Khartoum, Omdurman, and Khartoum North, with an exchange in the Government buildings, Khartoum, in February, 1903. There are at present 45 offices connected to the exchange.

Instruments and stores have been ordered to extend the system to enable private subscribers in the towns to be connected. A sub-exchange at Khartoum North was installed in January, 1904, and another has been ordered for Omdurman.

LIST OF SUDAN POST AND TELEGRAPH OFFICES.

Abidia — t. | Kawa 6 —
|
Abu Hamed 2 t. | Kerma 2 t.
|
Bara aaa 6 — | Khartoum 1 t.
|
Berber 1 t. | Kodok 2 t.
|
Debba 2 t. | Korti 6 —
|
Dalgo 5 — | Kosha 2 t.
|
Dongola 2 t. | Melut 6 t.
|
Dueim 2 t. | Merowe 2 t.
|
El Damer 2 t. | Nahud aaa 6 —
|
El Obeid aaa 2 t. | No. 6 Station — t.
|
Erkowit 6 t. | Omdurman 1 t.
|
Gallabat aaa 2 t. | Renk 4 t.
|
Gedaref aaa 2 t. | Roseires 4 t.
|
Geteina 6 — | Sarras 5 —
|
Goz Abu Guma 4 t. | Sennar 4 t.
|
Goz Regeb aaa 6 — | Shendi 1 t.
|
Halfa 1 t. | Senga[141] 2 t.
|
Halfa (Camp) 1 t. | Suakin 1 t.
|
Khartoum North 1 t. | Taufikia (W. Nile) 2 t.
|
Kamlin 2 t. | Tokar aaa 2 t.
|
Kassala aaa 2 t. | Wad Medani 2 t.

EXPLANATION OF THE ABOVE NUMBERS.

1 Office admitted to ordinary and registered correspondence,
ordinary and insured parcels, inland ordinary and telegraphic
money orders, and foreign ordinary money orders.

2 Office admitted to ordinary and registered correspondence,
ordinary parcels, inland ordinary and telegraphic money orders,
and foreign ordinary money orders.

3 Office admitted to ordinary and registered correspondence, and
ordinary parcels.

4 Office admitted to ordinary and registered correspondence, and
ordinary parcels in arrival.

5 Office served by travelling post for ordinary and registered
correspondence, ordinary parcels, and inland and foreign
ordinary money orders.

6 Rural service for delivery of ordinary and registered
correspondence, and ordinary parcels.

aaa Office admitted to the exchange of parcels not exceeding
3 kilogrammes.

t. Telegraph office.

[Sidenote: Mails]

MAILS.

Weekly between Halfa, Dongola, and Merowe.

Twice a week between Halfa, Berber, and Khartoum.

Weekly between Berber and Suakin.

Weekly between Berber, Kassala, and Gedaref.

Weekly between Suakin and Tokar.

Weekly between Gedaref and Gallabat.

Weekly between Khartoum, Dueim, Goz Abu Guma, and El Obeid.

Fortnightly between Khartoum, Kodok, Taufikia, Kanisa and Meshra El Rek.

Letters, etc., are taken at their owner’s or addressee’s risk by an occasional steamer to Gondokoro (Uganda).

Weekly between Khartoum and Wad Medani.

Weekly between Wad Medani and Gedaref, Sennar, Senga, and Roseires.

Weekly between El Obeid and Nahud.

Fortnightly in Suakin and Kassala.

All the above mails call at the intermediate postal stations and post offices.

Fortnightly between Suez and Suakin.

Fortnightly between Suakin and Aden.

Weekly between Kassala and Keren for Massaua.

Closed mails are now exchanged between London and the Sudan.

Mails for the Sudan are sorted on the mail steamers between Shellal and Halfa.

N.B.—No mails can be delivered at any other stations than those mentioned as postal stations or post offices above.

[Footnote 135: Brought yearly up to date.]

[Footnote 136: Telegraph office in town.]

[Footnote 137: „ „ station.]

[Footnote 138: This line is to be abolished altogether in December, 1904.]

[Footnote 139: Telegraph office.]

[Footnote 140: Liable to alteration.]

[Footnote 141: For Karkoj.]

=PART II.=

=HISTORICAL.=[142]

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