Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-09-30


phere, Shelby is destined to he one OF
the most important towns in Western
Carolina.
TRANSvAAL'S WAR FOOTING.
We'll Armed and Prepared For a Long
| Siege.
A book of timely interest is "Oom
Paul's People" (Appleton's), which is
narrative of the British Boer trou-
bles in South Africa, with history of
the people, the country and its institu-
tions, by Howard G. Hillegas, an
American traveller who has made an
intelligent study of existing conditions
in the Transvaal, and whose views,
despite his tendency to assume the Of
fee of the advocate rather than that
of the impartial observer, are espe-
cially worthy of consideration at the
present moment.
l.Probably," says Mr.. Hillegas, "no
inland country in the world IS halt SO
we'll prepared for war at any time as
that little government which can boast
of having less than 10000 voters"
German experts have for the past
years been employed to formulate
plans for the defence of this country,
and European artillerists have been
teaching the arts of modern warfare
to the men at the head of the Boer
army; while millions have been spent
in the purchase of the armament re-
quired by the experts, and the whole
country placed on war footing. Pre-
toria, the capital, and naturally the
chief point of attack, has been prepar-
ed to resist the onslaught of any num-
Der of men, and is, Mr.. Hillegas be-
leves, in a condition to withstand
seige of three years.
1.-THE city," he says, "lies in the cen.
tire of a square, at each corner OF
which is lofty bill surmounted by a
strong fort, which commands the val
leys and the surrounding country.
Each of the four forts. has four heavy
cannon, four French guns Of Is miles
range, and 80 heavy Gatling guns. Be-
sides this extraordinary protection, the
city has SO light Gatling guns, which
can be drawn by mules to any point
on the hills where an attack may be
made. Three large warehouses are
filled with ammunition, and the large
armory is packed TO the caves with
Mauser, Martini-Henry and Wesley
Richards rifles. The extensive refrlg-
orators, with a capacity of 1000 oxen
each, are ample provision against
seige of many months"
In the event of war being declared
the position of the Uitlanders in Jo-
hannesburg would not be an enviable
one. About half mile north of the
business part of the city is fort
whose guns can rake not only every
street of the city, but number OF the
principal mine works as we'll, while
another fort, almost as strong, is sit.
uated a mile east of the city and over
shadows the railway and the principal
highway to johannesburg. In addi-
tion to these terrors the johannesburg
ers have reason to believe that the
city has been undermined by tunnel
running from the northern fort.
GAS soon as war is declared and the
women and children have been re-
moved from the city, johannesburg
will be rent with shot and shell. The
Beers have announced their intention
of doing this, and the Uitlanders, an
ticipating it, seek safety in flight when
ever there are rumors Of war as thou
sands did Immediately before and after
the Jameson affair"
In addition to the fact that the ap-
proaches to the mountain passes on
the border have been fortified with
vast quantities of German and French
ordnance, and equipped with garrisons
of men born or trained in Europe, q
further element of difficulty in the
way of an attacking force lies in the
uncertainty as to the attitude of the
native races. On this point Mr.. Hille-
gas says:
"Neither England nor the Beers has
the positive assurance of support from
any of the tribes, which outnumber
the whites 10 to l but it will not be
an unwarranted opinion to place the
majority of the native tribes on the
side of the Beers. The native races
are always eager to be the friends of
the paramount power, and England's
many defeats in South Africa during
recent years have not assisted in gain
ing for it that prestige. II The
Zulus, still stinging with the defeat
which they received from the British
less than 20 years ago, might gather
their war parties and, with the thou
sands of guns they have been allowed
to buy, attempt to secure revenge.
The Busutos, east of the Orange Free
State, now the most powerful and only
undefeated nation in the country,