The Uganda Railway line was a key infrastructural development in East Africa. It was a major tuff of power during the First World War within East Africa. This lunatic line was constructed from 1895 to 1901. Its cost was exorbitant. It literally claimed lives of 2,500 Indian workers, unknown number of Africans. A staggering 5.5 million sterling pounds were used. By then annual British government expenditure was around 113 million pounds.
Thousands of Indian labourers, derogatorily then referred to as coolies, were shipped to Africa to lay the lunatic line across some of the most hostile territory in the world. The railway climbs from sea level at Mombasa through Taru desert, grass plains, mountain and forest to cross the equator at an altitude of 2,785 metres before descending to 1,520 metres on the humid shores of Lake Victoria. The collies laid 1.2 millions sleepers and more than 2000,000 rails. The complete line boasted of 43 stations, 35 viaducts and 1,280 bridges.
In 1898, as the line approached Tsavo, a horrifying story unfolded. Two man eating lions systematically devoured at least 28 collies and unknown number of locals. The maleness brutes were real daredevils.
They caused panic and fear among the railway workers. Imagine retiring to bed pretty sure that one of your colleague will be missing in the morning roll-call courtesy of these brutes? At one time the coolies vowed to return to India stating categolically they had come from India on an agreement to work for the government, not to supply food for the lions.
For weeks the two lions tactfully avoided elaborate traps laid by Lt. Col. J.H. Patterson. For several nights, Patterson sat on top of trees, with his rifle cocked with a goat or donkey bait tethered nearby, only to hear agonizing scream from distant camp as one on the worker was dragged and mauled by the lions. With time, the lions grew bolder, forcing their ways through the thorn fences (bomas). The workers became so terrified to extent that they believe the lions were devils. Many collies slept in holes dug in the floor of their tents. The lions changed tactics and started attacking in pair. Initially, only one lion attacked, while the other waited in the nearby bush.
The brutes would get into the camps (bomas) without making a noise, grab one of the man from the tent and devour him quite close to the camp. Patterson narrates how on one particular night, the brutes seized a man from the railway station and brought him close to Patterson’s camp to devour. Patterson could plainly hear the lions crunching the bones and the sound of the lions dreadful purring filled the air.
On December 9, Patterson was successful in killing one of the man-eaters. The second lion killed three weeks later, on December 28th.
The skulls of the two maneater lions of Tsavo are 'preserved' at Chicagos field museum (FMNH 23970 and FMNH 23969).
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