The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-01-15 00:00:00


- EMBARKATION OF TROOPS FOR

SOUTH AFRICA.
The troops, horses, and victualling stores, and forage for
Natal were embarked at the Victoria and Albert Docks,
North Woolwich, on Monday. A large crowd assembled,
but a strong body of police was in attendanoe and kept them
back. The total number of troops embarked is 989, of whom
fifty are officers, with 620 horses. The 6th Dragoons number
547; the 97th Regiment 225; Army Hospital Corps, 50;
mounted infantry, 128; Army Service Corm 19; and Royal
Artillery, 130. Admiral Sir Wm. Mends, Director of Trans-
ports, superintended.the arrangements. A portion of the
horses were embarked on Saturday, and the Daily News
gives the following description of the emburcation ;

The troops rode in the same trains as the horses,
which were conveyed partly in horse-boxes, but
mostly in cattle waggons, and the systematic plan
arranged for transferring them from the trains to
terra firma, and from terra firma to shipboard,
answered admirably. They walked easily from the
cvriages on to a platform strewed with gravel and
straw, and down an incline to the temporary
stables, where they were either made comfortable
for the night, .or sent on to be embarked at once,
The latter proceeding was adopted only in regard
to the horses intended for the steamship the Queen,
which, as a measure of precaution, had parted
company with the other two transports, and taken up
a new berth in the deep water of the outer basin in
company with the famous Orient and Cotopaxi. A
special shed had therefore been prepared for the
Queea's horses, 272 in number, while the 2-22 for the
Hankow and the 120 for the Ararat, were located in
original building 1,000 yards further up the dock.
As soon as the order was give to embark the horses
the final preparations were remarkably brief. Two
of the cranes worked from the hydraulic main
had been correctly planted over the main and after
holds, the hatchway gratings and ladders were removed,
plenty of straw was scattered about, the cranes appro-
priated a couple of horse-boxes each, and the horses
were led up in file. The behaviour of the animals
under the trying ordeal of being lifted on board was
strangely various. Some would walk quietly into
the horse-box and remain there, though with both
doors open it looked a mere passage; some bolted
clean through, or refused to enter at all, either back-
wards or forwards, and had to be dragged in by the
sheer force of a dozen dragoons with a breeching strap.
Once in and the doors fastened upon them they
were powerless. Two ropes attached to the head
collar were quickly made fast, a wisp of hay was put
into the creature's mouth, and he was hoisted forty
feet high in a twinkling. A man astride the box with
pats and soothing words alleviated somewhat the
terrors of the transit, but there is no doubt that for
the few minutes it lasted the mental suffering must
have been acute. The ascent was not so bad as the
descent, or even as the lateral swing over the
side of the ship, at the commencement of which
nearly every one of the horses began to plunge.
A few of them were blindfolded, a distinction
conferred on the notoriously bad tempered ones,
but it seemed to make no difference in their con-
duct, which was about as discreditable as it could be.
On reaching the horse decks a few were restive, but
the majority seemed thoroughly dazed and cowed by
their adventure, and walked quietly to the stalls
allotted to them. To make this easy the division bars
between the stal 3swere all removed, and each horse
was led through the whole of them to the farthest
vacant place, where he was at once strapped up in his
hammock, and the rail being replaced, his next-door
neighbour was brought along and treated in the same
manner. The shipment of a horse occupied on an
average about two and a half minutes—a rate, with two
cranes going, of nearly fifty an hour. The stabling
arrangements were found to be superior in many
respects to those of former expeditions, the pads for
protecting the chests of the horses and the zinc
mangers, which have superseded the wooden ones,
being especially noted by experienced troopers. The
work of getting the horses on board was continued for
some time after nightfall by the aid of numerous
electric lights, and the troops who had arrived with
the horses were all berthed on board their several
ships. They found their hammocks and blankets ready
and their tables laid out with their tin plates, pots,
and pannikins, and other necessaries for the voyage.

The Daily News on Tuesday gave a further account
of the proceedings in connection with the embarka-
tion, from which we make the following extract :

"The Duke of Cambridge, General Sir Garnet Wolseley,
General Sir D. Lysons, and other officers of distinction,
arrived at the Royal Albert Docks by special train from
London at half-past eleven o'clock on Monday morning, and,
alighting at the remotest station within the docks, proceeded
to inspect the steam transports engaged in shipping men
and horses for the Transvaal At the moment of
arrival the Dragoons were engaged in shipping a
particularly vicious horse, which after bolting several
times through the horse box before the door could be
closed, once leaped like a cat through the small opening at
the top. The Duke suggested in pleasantry that this per-
formance must have been reserved for the official visit, and
after the rebel had been securely boxed his Royal Highness
went on board the Ararat to witness the sequel. It
happened that the box in which the brute was lifted had
been borrowed from the Hankotv, and it was inscribed
"11.R.11. the Prince of Wales, from 11.11. Maharajah of
Johore, Shanghai Horse Bazaar, China," a record of its
original purpose which the Duke was not slow to observe and
point out to his companions. The horse under notice, how-
ever, was no exception to the general rule, and, when his
aerial carriagerested upon the main deck, walked out utterly
subdued and crestfallen. The Ararat, notwithstanding the
few days allowed for her fitment, is as perfectly finished as
any of the ships; and the embarkation of the horses, super-
intended by Captain Wall and his chief officer, Mr. Sandrey,
was managed with great celerity. The official record of the
time taken averages three minutes per horse, the rate of
embarkation being of course doubled by using two cranes;
but under favourable circumstances, the time occupied. as
taken by a Benson chronometer, was only 23 2-5 seconds, half
of which time the horse was in the box, which for the other half
was returning empty. Fractious animals are account-
able for most of the time consumed in the operation
A bout noon the dragoons and artillerymen from W oolwich, and
the Army Hospital Corps from Aldershot, took up the berths
'allotted to them. The latter wore upon their arms the
Red Cr% ss of Genova, a sign of benevolent neutrality re-
spected by all civilised communities. A little later came
four officers and 210 men of the 97th Foot from Col-
chester, and small parties of other regiments going
out as volunteers were to be seen on all the ships.
The men were all paraded, and the usual cautions with
respect to fires, lights, and smoking at irregular
times and places read out to them. Taken altogether,
they are a fine body of men, young, but of good physique,
and ‘ they seemed elated at the prospect al active
service. After the Duke of Cambridge had departed and
the embarkations were complete, the combined Board of
Officers, representing the War Office and the Admiralty,
made a final tour of the ships. The time was happily
chosen, for it was the dinner hour, and men and horses were
seen under, not the neatest, but the most natural aspect.
The men, seated at their mess tables were enjoying a sub-
stantial meal of beef and potatoes, and the horses were
having a feed of hay—men and horses having apparently
settled down comfortably in their places." . .

On Tuesday morning, the three steam transports
chartered to convey cavalry and other troops to the
Cape of Good Hope from England left the Albert Docks,
Woolwich, and they are now fairly on their voyage.
An interested crowd had assembled to witness the uudock-
ing and departure of the vessels. The Ararat was the first
to leave, getting out into the stream soon after eight o'clock
followed half an hour later by the Hanby, and in half an
hour after that by the Queen, which vessel, being the
largest and having on board the headquarters of the Dra-
goons, as well as the Government officials, was selected to
bring up the rear. Hearty cheers were exchanged with
the people on shore, among whom were Colonel Blundell,
Assistant-Adjutant-General, Horse Guards, and other
officials, who had visited the ships previous to casting Qff.
The ships got away without hindrance, and were soon lost
to view in the haze which hung heavily over the river at
the time. While passing down the river the troops were
occupied in getting out their sea kits, which consisted of
serge garments and fishermen's cans, including a
sailor's clasp knife and lanyard and a well-stocked
" housewife " for repairs of clothing, and in putting
away their uniforms and helmets in the places assigned.
Mingling with the troops were the missionaries from the
Thames Church, special permission having been granted to
them, and the little books, small editions of the Gospels
and others, were gladly received by the troops. Each ship
carries eight lifeboats, each one slung from the davits by
the ingenious hooks which release the boat as soon as
it reaches the water, and by that means considerably
diminishing the peril of swamping. To the lifebuoys also
are attached the patent signals, which beam with an unex-
tinguishable flame on the water, and thereby serve as a
guide to a man who may fall overboard, as well as to the boat
which goes to his rescue.