CONGO BRIDGING THE PAST PRINCIPAL ARTERY OF COMMERCE IN THE CONGO WAS 
TRADITIONALLY THE CONGOLESE NATIONAL ROUTE, A 1,725-MILE RAIL-RIVERRAIL CONNECTION FROM ELISABETHVILLE 
IN KATANGA TO THE ATLANTIC GATEWAY AT MATADI . BUT THE 
ROUTE BECAME UNUSABLE WITH THE OUTBREAK OF CIVIL WAR . WHENEVER 
KATANGA'S SECESSIONIST MOISE TSHOMBE FELT EVENTS GOING AGAINST HIM, HE QUICKLY 
ORDERED ANOTHER RAILROAD BRIDGE BLOWN UP . THUS, SINCE 1960 MOST 
TRAFFIC HAS MOVED ON ALTERNATE RAIL LINES THROUGH PORTUGUESE ANGOLA AND 
MOZAMBIQUE . BUT THE ROUTES ACROSS FOREIGN TERRITORY SOAK UP REVENUE 
BADLY NEEDED WITHIN THE CONGO, AND LAST WEEK PREMIER CYRILLE ADOULA 
HOPEFULLY DEDICATED A NEW RAILROAD BRIDGE AT BUKAMA, THE FINAL REBUILT 
LINK IN THE KATANGA-MATADI RUN . " THIS IS NOT ONLY 
A BRIDGE OVER THE LUALABA RIVER, " SAID ADOULA . " 
IT IS A BRIDGE OVER THE UNHAPPY PAST . " THOUGH 
A MILESTONE OF SORTS, THE BUKAMA BRIDGE ALSO MARKS THE PETTY 
PACE OF CONGOLESE UNITY, FOR THE STEAMY 25-DAY TRIP BY BARGE 
AND BOXCAR REMAINS AN AWESOME OBSTACLE COURSE . SOME OF THE 
23 CONGOLESE PROVINCES CREATED SINCE 1962 CLAIM AUTHORITY TO LEVY IMPORT-EXPORT 
DUTIES AS THE MOOD STRIKES THEM . ALSO, TRIBAL TENSIONS NECESSITATE 
FREQUENT CHANGES OF ENGINEERS AS TRAINS PASS FROM ONE REGION TO 
THE NEXT . IF THE LOCAL FOLK SPOT AN ENEMY AT 
THE CONTROLS, THEY MIGHT SWARM ABOARD AND KILL HIM ON THE 
SPOT . 