Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-23
DEFENSES OF PRETORIA.
A Formidable Circle of Forts. Mines
and 1ntrenchments With RedoubtS.

FROM the New York Sun.
The dispatch of a siege train from Eng
land to South Africa is an indication that
the British government anticipates the in
vestment of the Boer capital before the war
is brought to a conclusion. Considerab BILE
interest. therefore. attaches to descrip
| ton of the defenses of Pretoria, which. ac-
cording to report, are of the most modern
description and formidable in their com
pleteness.
They consist of five powerful forts and
five lines of mines and enormous intrench-
ments with redoubts, the mines being
laid as to cover all the approaches to the
principal points of the defense. The center
of the system of forts lies about 1,2o0 yards
to the westward of the northern end of
Pretoria, and has a radius of something
| more than 1909 yards The center of the
city itself is only about 3 500 yards, nearly
due south, from the fort on Signal Hill.
which is about 400 feet above the plain
the west side of the railway to johannes
burg. and about 1900 yards from the fort
on the hill to the east of the railway, and
the Aupies river running to the north. Be
tween this fort and the river are the foun-
tains that furnish the water supply of Pre-
| toria The distance between. the forts on
either side Of the railway is 2, 100 yards.
The railway station where the lines from
Johannesburg on the south, Delagoa bay on
the east and Petersburg on the north form
their junction, is Immediately outside the
city on the south side. The railway to Pie
tersburg, after winding some distance to
the westward passes out of the plain on
which Pretoria is situated, through the
Daspoort or defile in the range of hills be
hind the city, through which also the Au-
pies river runs, the railway and river run
ming together across the plain through the
Winderboom Poort. under the guns of
large fort 100 yards, and little to the
eastward of north from the center of Pre-
toria.
The westernmost fort is on the range of
hills behind Pretoria. and lies at distance
of 1890 yards northwest of the center of
the city. The powerful redoubt to the
southwest of Pretoria, $500 yards from the
center of the city, on the range of hills
through which the transport road to 10
hanneSburg passes, completes the circle of
the larger works defending the Boer capt.
tai. Behind this redout are the principal
magazines, one excavated out of the solid
rock with q bomb-proof roof, and the other
built into the kloop, also bomb-proof. Com
munication between the redoubt and the
last mentioned magazine is by means of a
covered way. Roads connect all these forts
with the capital. and they have pipes laid
for water. as well as electric cables for the
search lights.
The number of guns mounted on the forts
and redoubts is said to be 100 of large cali
Der and Guick-firing of different kinds. 1t
is stated that some of the guns are Of
twenty-three centimeters caliber, but this
is doubtful; ii is known, however that
there are quite number of ffteen-centi-
meter guns of French make from the
Creusot works and of long range, as has
been shown by their performances at Lady
smith. Among the others there are Krupps
MaXims and other machine and uuick-frinp
guns.
The forts are open to the rear toward
Pretoria, and are of masonry heavily faced
with earth toward the open country. On
the east side of the circle of defense there
was no regular fort in existence when hos
tilties began, but it is probable that since
then the ridge to the eastward of the city
by which the railway to Delagoa bay runs
has been fortified.
The siege train just shipped from Eng
land for South Africa. presumably for Pre-
toFia. is the second sent out during the last
forty-six years. The last occasion was
when siXty-tive heavy guns and mortars
were sent from Woolwich for the siege of
Sebastopol, where, with fifty ship guns
they took part in the bombardment of that
city in conjunction with the French siege
train. The Russian defense however de-
reloped SO rapidly under the inspiratio of
Todleben that before the final assault which
placed ii in the hands of the allies the
number of guns in position in the besieging
batteries had been raised to sos The train
now on its way out from England comprises
thirty howitzers. fourteen of eieht-inch
caliber, eight of hve-inch and eight of four-
inch. The number is not formidable i'm
Itself under the old conditions in regard to
explosives, but If they are as may be in
ferred, intended to throw lyddite shells. 1t
is an exceedingly formidable armament
and. unless the Beers are in possession of
pro5ectiles charged with melinite or some
similar high explosive with which to re
spond to the British fire. the siege of Pre-
toria should not be of very long duration
1t is calculated that the investment will re-
dure fully 1000 British troops leaving
the remainder of the army to guard the
communications, occupy certain strategic
points and operate against that part of the
Boer army not required for the defense of
Pretoria. This part of the Boer army is ex-
pected to fall back into the north in the
Ioutpansoerg mountains, which the Beers
are reported to intend to make their strong
hold. and where they expect to carry on
the war against England Indefinitely