Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-07-16
JOHN THORBURN'S DEED.

| South Africa. MIR. IhOrDurn look
steamer across country, for l 800 miles,
to Delagoa Bay, and he did this entirely
by his own energy and courage. His
plain narrative has been published In a
pamphlet, struggles in Africa at the
office of the Swaziland Concessionaire,
and the London Daily News is of the
opinion that no Englishman can study
the story without pride and pleasure
and encouragement. Mr.. Thor
burn left the diamond fields in
1880, and kept a store on the Naal
River. Here he was ruined by a flood,
but he reflected that the river might be
navigated, and the Upper Vaal thus be
! brought into communication with Kim
berley by the waterway. He sent home
for steel steam launch of thirty-seven
feet and of six-horse power. The Free
State and Transvaal governments gave
| him leave to remove islands and OBJ
structions, and ''for three long years"
he was making waterway out of a riv-
er. The river beat him; he could not
! clear it, and he determined to carry his
vessel to Delagoa Bay, over 1000 miles
of veldt, mountains and roads resem-
bling those of the highlands ''before
they were made" GAS long as the
wheels 90 round [ will continue to CO."
he said, and he went. The journey oc-
cupied fourteen months, and is one of
the miracles of that miracle-producing
country, Africa.
In May, 1884, Mr.. ThorbGrn started.
His company of three white men-his
own son Jack, Bill Davies, and George
| Gray. The last deserted the enter
prise. There were also three natives,
one of whom deserted; there were
eighteen oxen for the large wagon
which held the boat, and fourteen for
the small wagon The early part of the
journey was a mere holiday to Mr..
| Thorburn, with plenty of sport, both
large game and small. Mr.. Thorburn
used to walk in advance, removing
stones till his fingers bled and blistered,
away from the palm of his hand. Then
he met his first adventure. The veldt
was on fire The oxen ran away, the
men with them, ''and the fire roaring
and keeping pace with the wagons"
But the fire passed them after run of
mile and half, and left them nearly
choked with the smoke. At last they
cooled down and advanced, always trek
king straight for the rising sun. At
Bronkhurst Spruit they saw the graves
of the Ninety fourth. Here they had
to lay a bridge, and it is to be under
stood that Mr.. Thorburn was making
his own roads for the best part of the
way. Now the badness Of the road
drove them on to the veldt, now the
softness of the veldt drove them again
| to the boulder-incumbered track
Sometimes they only travelled
mile in three or four days. The native
drivers were mutinous, and one of them
Mr.. Thorburn beat; finally he deserted.
Then George took to driving into all the
! holes, and he also was allowed to de-
part. On Sunday they always rested,
shot and fished. At one place the
wagon sank to the axles, and the
| steamer seemed ahoat on dry ground
Stone had to be brought from distance
of 700 yards, and kind of sledge had
to be made out of tree for transports
The distance whence the tree itself had
to be fetched was immense. The whe ell
had to be lifted with screw Jacks, and
the stones inserted under them. Six
days were spent in overcoming the diff
ficulties of this one "stick-fast." The
ported to be very bad. Il argued, as long
as there is road, that is all [ require
| That [ always repair and make good
| They now entered Switzerland. The
| king, though savage, Is a very truth
full, upright and just man.
CAT one point the wagon upset. One
half of the boats side was knocked out
of shape, six feet of the steel plates
were rent open, the woodwork was fire
wood the iron bulkhead was doubled
up. 1T was now [ felt quite BEATEN
says Mr.. Thorburn, but that was pass
| ing sensation. He managed with great
difficulty to remove the iron aXles, and
| the wheels from the aXles, and then re-
place the axles without the wheels.
Finally, with the aid of the Kafirs, the
wagon was righted, but then the steamer
had to be mended. Mr.. Thorburn Dor
rowed an auger from d Boer, made iron
bolts out of a piece of the hand railing,
and was ready for a start, but now the
oxen were lost, and, when recovered,
were beginning to sicken. AS mere
detail, some days had to be spent in dig
ging a trench on the high side of the So
called road, that the wheels might move
on level. They now reached Buffel's
5000 feet below them dotted by Kafir
kraals. So they made the road, and
then the floods come and washed away
the road they had made. Mr.. Thorburn
made it again, cut a large tree as drag
for the wagon, and somehow shot the
descent. He saw his sons blood on a
pick handle, and turned away in case
he should see the tears on my face
The hands of the party were a mass of
! blood busters, but they worked on.
Then the wagon ran awap, Jack ran
| beside it, between deep donga and the
roadway-he had but nine inches of
space between him and death Bills
finger was split by an accident. Sandh-
lana, chief adviser of the Swat King,
visited the plucky party, and was
courteous and kindly. Two white set
tiers were also hospitable. But now
the oxen were much distressed, and
finally most of them died. Fortunate
! ly, others were procured from two
squatters, Scot and an Irishman At
asst they reached tidal river forded
the dangerous swamps, reached Lorenzo
Marques, and had a most welcome
drink of beer. They had drank no
spirits on the route, though they carried
some in case of accident. But in
their absence spirits were sold to Jacob,
the native driver, with the result that
he hanged himself with the lash Of his
whip The steamer had now to be re-
paired again, and Mr. Thorburn manu-