The First Trans-African Highway

From Great North Road

From Roger Daniel.

Paul Graetz was a lieutenant in the colonial army of German East Africa (now Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi). He had been assigned to a remote outpost in the Dodoma area where he built roads. He was successful, but his senior officers in Dar-es-Salaam were not quite happy. Presently he bombarded them with potty ideas about transport improvements. His boma was 30 days march away from the coast. He suggested replacing the slow porter caravans by trucks. Headquarters did not even bother to answer that crap. But Graetz was not easily deterred. He went to Dar-es-Salaam, riding a Zebra which he had tamed. There he lectured his superiors on the immense potential of automobiles. That was too much! In those days even in Europe a car was considered a toy for the rich sportsman rather than a commercial vehicle. There was no automobile in the whole colony, no petrol was available, no roads, no bridges. His superiors suspected Graetz to be suffering from a serious case of tropical frenzy. To prevent that nutcase from wreaking havoc in the tribal war-torn colony they quickly transferred him back to Germany.

In Berlin they put him on routine duty. Graetz planned to buy a car, but there he had a problem: How was he going to salute the emperor when driving a car? Nobody could tell him, so he wrote directly to the Kaiser. Some prankster of secretary must have placed that whimsical request on desk of the big boss. His Majesty, himself a dedicated motorist, scribbled on that letter "For heaven's sake, remain seated and keep your hands on the wheel!" and returned it to the sender. This problem solved, Graetz planned to cross the African continent by car. The manufacturer Gaggenau (later incorporated into Mercedes Benz) modified a car according to his specifications. As he asked the army command for permission to cross Africa, they flatly refused. So he requested to be suspended from duty which was gladly granted. Graetz had become an embarrassment. He had gained the reputation of an eccentric snob, indulging in follies like car races or drinking Whiskey like an Englishman. And now the papers ridiculed the plans of that imperial officer who wants to cross Africa by car. Unperturbed Graetz organised – from Berlin – 24 depots of petrol, oil, tyres and spares. These supplies had to be carried to defined spots along the planned route from Dar-es-Salaam to Swakopmund, buried in the ground and marked with a wooden cross.

Together with his friend Theodor von Roeder and a driver / mechanic he went to Dar es Salaam. There they disembarked, hired an African helper, and on 3rd August 1907 they started. I will not go into the details of their journey through German East Africa. Giving the Maji-Maji War wide berth they drove via Morogoro and Tabora to Ujiji at Lake Tanganyika. From there they went by steamer. On 30th January 1908 they disembarked at the Northern Rhodesian Port of Kituta, now Mpulungu. The first station on the road was Abercorn. It was rainy season and the terrain was in poor condition. The party did not bother too much, they went off to Abercorn, only to find out that the mountain pass leading there was too narrow for a car. They dismantled the car, hired porters and carried bits and pieces plus all their katundu uphill to open terrain. The car was reassembled and they proceeded to Abercorn where they stayed with Mr. Leyer, the magistrate. Graetz had planned to continue along the Stevenson Road to Karonga at Lake Nyasa. From there they were to go by boat to Nkhota-Kota, and then via Fort Jameson and Lusaka to Livingstone. Mr. Leyer strongly advised against travelling the Stevenson Road. That road followed more or less along the line which is now the border between Zambia and Tanzania but, Mr. Leyer explained, unfortunately it does not exist. As James B. Wolf would write later: "That red line indicating the Stevenson Road drawn on the maps of Central Africa in London and Berlin was more of a reality than the road itself." However, the alternative route via Kasama, Mpika and Kapiri Mposhi was not much of a road either, but at least they did not have to negotiate the escarpment.

Graetz and his party had crossed the Great Rift Valley in Tanganyika where they virtually had to blast their way through. Now they were running short of dynamite, so they preferred the Mpika route. The stores of parts and petrol they had deposited along the Nyasa route were redirected by telegraph to the new route. But this route which later became known as the Old Great North Road was a mere foot path in those days. The distance between Abercorn and Kasama is 50 km as the crow flies. As it turned out they had to travel more than 200 km and cross 28 rivers or streams. Some were shallow enough to be crossed self-powered, others with the help of Bemba tribesmen who pushed and pulled. The river banks of some streams were so steep that makeshift bridges had to be built. The heavy rain had turned large parts of the terrain into swamp. Trees had to be felled and log causeways were constructed. The track was covered by grass higher than the vehicle itself so holes, rocks, ant-hills and stumps were difficult to detect, and one of the Germans always ran ahead piloting the driver around obstacles. Tread profiles for pneumatic tyres were unknown in those days, and it was next to impossible to control the vehicle in muddy terrain. To reduce skidding they tightly wound strips of sable antelope skin around the tyres and fastened them to the spokes. The bridge over Musombesi River was another challenge. Surprisingly there existed a bridge, with a length of 200 yards, "shaped like a huge fish bone", as Graetz described it. But this ramshackle structure was meant for walking on. The track had to be made wider and the supporting columns and trusses had to be reinforced. The Bemba villagers came with their axes and chopped down trees needed for that work. Graetz notes the extraordinary skill and cooperativeness of the Bemba. They had never seen a car before and were intrigued about the technology of that wondrous machine. They fired questions at Graetz in Chibemba, he answered in Swahili, as good as he could. Somehow the communication worked. As the job was accomplished, they carefully inched forward. The bridge was just as wide as the track of the car; the tree logs provided a rather slippery and bumpy surface. One must remember that servo-steering had not yet been invented; the driver had to steer with sheer physical strength. And underneath rushed the yellow floods of the Musombesi – it was the peak of the rainy season. They had reached about the middle of the bridge as one of the rafters gave in. The rear of the car sank in, the front wheels dangled in midair. Heavy rain was pouring down as they repaired the bridge. Very carefully the car was levered up and slowly drawn forward. When reaching safe ground, Graetz wrote, he felt like giving a thank offering to the gods. The Bembas bade farewell with long-drawn shouts by the men, accompanied by piercing trills of the women.

In Kasama they enjoyed the hospitality of the agent of the African Lakes Corporation Ltd., Mr. MacLellan. The petrol drums they had rerouted from the Fort Jameson route had not yet arrived. To let no grass grow under their feet they prepared the road to Mpika. Von Roeder explored the hunting grounds of the route along the Chambeshi. He used to hunt antelope which was rather difficult due to the high grass during rainy season. On 11th March 5 petrol drums arrived, each one carried by two porters. The party set out the same day.

They had to cross seven swamps, some of them covered by 4 to 6 feet of water. Causeways with up to 10 layers of logs had to be constructed. As they reached Chambesi River they pitched camp in the village of Chief Kitondo. The river had a width of 100 m. They built a pontoon with seven dugouts but this contraption proved to be far too weak for carrying the car, so they decided to build a 9-layer raft with 5m length and 4m width. Each layer consisted of a floor of logs to which thick bunches of matete reed were tied with ropes of miombe bark. Then two strong miombe bark ropes were braided, each 150 m long. One of them was fastened to the back of the raft and slung around a tree near the bank. That was easy. The other rope had to be taken across the river by several dugouts. Graetz admired the incredible skill of the boatmen, but the rope was very heavy and the current of the Chambesi was frightening. After several attempts they managed to get the rope to the other side. The carrying capacity of the raft and the strength of the ropes were tested by 26 persons standing on the raft which floated about 6" above the water level. Approaching midstream the current became increasingly stronger, but the team on the other side stood their ground and pulled evenly inch by inch. Suddenly the rope tore; the raft went downstream towards the river bank. Slowly the raft was pulled back, assisted by the canoes which had rushed down to clear the raft off any obstacles from the riverine vegetation. Darkness had fallen as the raft was back to where it had left hours before. The 26 men were still standing on it, unhurt; they had not panicked at all. Next day the ropes were reinforced threefold. A makeshift ramp was lowered from the edge to the raft and Graetz drove the car inch by inch on the unsteady raft. Swimmers accompanied the raft, diving for branches or roots which might get entangled in the lower layers of the raft. The teams on both sides of the river slowly moved the raft, pulling on the one side, slackening the other rope. It was one of those perfectly concerted actions, accompanied by rhythmic work songs so typical for that part of Africa. The sun was setting as they reached the shore and got the car on safe ground. In the moonlit night the whole village celebrated with drinks, drums and dance.

The swamps along the Chambesi were extremely difficult to cross; even porters took long detours to avoid them. The expedition was again chopping down trees and laying log tracks until they were on firm ground and entered dense miombe bush. Following a narrow, uneven path which had to be cleared yard by yard; Graetz reports that every day at least one, sometimes two or three streams had to be crossed. Building bridge-like structures became a standard exercise. There were no villages in that area. Provisions were running alarmingly low; von Roeder was out hunting all day long with little success.

Frank H. Melland, the magistrate of Mpika, had heard of the approaching party. He sent out an Askari and 50 people with axes that helped with clearing the road. Things went well until the party reached the Mansha River, about 60 metres wide and 2 deep. A bridge was built, but it was washed away by the torrential floods even before they could test it. After days of hard work they finished another bridge and crossed it only to discover that they were on an island. They cut their way through lush vegetation, built one more bridge and continued their journey, battling on with axes and hoes. The next day the path became wide and smooth. The whole distance from Chambeshi River to here had been driving in the first gear, now they carried on in third gear, interrupted by the occasional swamp or stream. The rains were still heavy, but the road improved. They reached Mpika on 4th April; magistrate Frank H. Melland gave them a friendly reception. After weeks of exertion and privations they were sitting on a table clothed with damask, decorated with fragrant roses. Champagne was served and Mr. Melland toasted: "Meine Herren: The Kaiser!" Later Melland told them that just a few weeks earlier the Kaiser (who had never learned to keep his tongue in check) had again affronted the British, thus sparking off a crisis between the two nations. Graetz was shocked. Swamps and river crossings were one thing, but being obstructed by squabbles between Berlin and London was something he never had thought of. "What would you have done with us if a war had broken out?" he stammered. "Oh," Melland answered with a smile, "nothing. I just wouldn't have told you, but there wouldn't have been a dinner, either." Graetz noted that Melland had the most comprehensive library he had ever seen in the interiors of Africa.

Next day 6 drums of petrol arrived from Fort Jameson, but due to improper handling only 50 litres of the 120 were left. They went to Chilonga, a mission of the White Fathers, to wait there for more petrol to arrive from Serenje. The petrol arrived, but of the original 250 litres only 75 arrived, not enough for the 300 miles to Broken Hill. It was thick bush country. A road had to be cleared, therefore they made slow progress and they hoped for more petrol to arrive from Broken Hill. Two more drums were delivered, but as this was also finished they had to camp. There were no villages in the vicinity. Roeder went on with the workers, preparing the road. It was the end of the rainy season, hunting was difficult, and their provisions were running low. Kapenta from a nearby pool became the staple diet. A carrier brought a letter from Broken Hill, informing them that they were searching for porters, but the petrol should arrive very soon. Exactly 4 weeks they were stuck, playing chequers with nuts and washers, dozing and starving. On May 25th the petrol arrived and they soon reached Serenje. The Moffat family at the mission gave them a friendly welcome.

After Serenje the steep mountains of the Muchinga range had to be negotiated. Slowly, more sliding than driving, they came to the flats, with rivers to be crossed, bridges to be built, log causeways to be constructed and all that. They crossed Lukashashi River by one of those makeshift bridges, a pretty shaky affair; they had dismantled the car to its chassis and carried it piece by piece. When assembling it again they discovered that the petrol tank was leaking and there was very little petrol left. Well, one has to bear in mind, that none of them was a real mechanic. Anyhow, the driver started to solder the leak. As the tank exploded, Graetz reports, "it sounded like a cannon beat". Along with pieces of tank the driver was flung in the bush, fortunately he was not seriously hurt. They sent to Broken Hill for petrol, pitched camp and waited, days and weeks. They had all the time to collect the sad remains of the tank, straighten them and weld them together again. In those days there were always some porters on the way carrying goods to the Northern Province, but their information on petrol from Broken Hill was rather contradictory. Some reported about a huge steel barrel which was rolled through the bush, others had seen and endless caravan loaded with cans. None of these stories was correct. The plain fact was that there was no petrol in Broken Hill and they had sent to Bulawayo for supplies. Graetz only learned this over a month later as 50 gallons of petrol arrived, and the safari continued. When arriving at Mkushi River they were pleasantly surprised to find there a bridge. The front wheels had reached the other side as all of a sudden the land joint gave way and the car slid down the steep river bank, coming to a stand still with the rear axle in the water and the front wheels sticking out. Fortunately the gearbox had got stuck in the mud; otherwise the current would have washed the car away. Little by little the car was lifted and solid rock placed under the rear axle. Then a ramp was hacked and the car pulled on save ground. When crossing Lusenfa River, two supports broke away as they were mid-river, and the car plunged into the river which fortunately was not so deep. Help came from a nearby Lamba village. "With a wide grin," Graetz writes, "they showed us their filed teeth and pulled the car out". In the evening of July 6th they reached Broken Hill, the second-biggest town in Northern Rhodesia.

They were overwhelmed by the welcome of the settlers. The mine permitted them to overhaul their battered vehicle in the mine's workshop and provided the material. It was the first automobile seen in Broken Hill. Farmers came from far away, they were fascinated. Unlike the German officers in Dar es Salaam they immediately grasped the enormous potential of that vehicle which had transported 30 porter loads plus four passengers.

Just a few months before Broken Hill had been linked to the rail road line. Graetz continued down south. Sometimes he drove on the rail road, but sharp gravel cut the tyres which had to be mended over and over again. The bumpy ride took its toll; they spent more time on repair then on driving. Alternatively they could travel on the well defined oxcart trail, but that required great skill and some luck. The cart tracks had to be avoided; they were deeper than the car's ground clearance. When the sandy soil gave in, the car had to be dug out. And so they went on, digging and repairing, until they finally reached Livingstone, the then capital of Northern Rhodesia.

On 21st September 1908 the expedition left Northern Rhodesia via the newly built Zambezi Bridge. The BEIRA AND MASHONALAND AND RHODESIA RAILWAYS issued a receipt on 20 shilling toll and noted on the bottom: "First motor car to cross Zambezi Bridge". It had taken seven months and three weeks to cross the country, following roughly a route which later became the Great North Road.

Graetz had planned to reach Swakopmund in one year, but it took him 630 days. As they approached their destination, the Swakopmunders heard the car rattling long before they could see it - that car had just covered 11000 km. The Kaiser must have remembered that nutty officer who was so concerned about etiquettes behind the steering wheel. He sent a telegram: "Well done, Graetz!"

This is a summary by Roger Daniel based on Paul Graetz’ book "Im Auto quer durch Afrika" (Crossing Africa by Car). It describes that part the trip through Northern Rhodesia of his Dar-es-Salaam to Swakopmund odyssey. I hope that other members of the GNR will find it as interesting as I have done. Many thanks to Roger for this excellent contribution to the history of our country! Doug Grewar.