Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-10-21
The Transyaai

l1Cd vi II jfldy DC OOLCtDIG AtObi a 1OEAt-
parison with portion Of their own terri
tory with which they are familiar The
State Of West Virginia rnav be taken to
represent a large part Of the British COLON
Of Natal, which it strongly resembles in
form. Western Pennsylvania. Ohio, north
OF the end of the Panhandle Of West Vir-
ginia. Western Maryland and the extreme
northern part Of Virginia may represent
the Transvaal Southern Ohio and East
ern Kentucky may stand for the Orange
Free State, Indiana, Illinois and Western
Kentucky for British Beuchuanaland and
the northern part Of Cape Colony. while
the chief part oi Cape Colony may be re-
presented by the States south Of Kentucky
and we OF Mississippi. AS Natal ex-
tends to the ocean it viii be proper 70 add
Central and Southeastern Virginia and
West Virginia to properly represent il,
while Eastern Maryland and Delaware
NAV stand for British Zululand and Ton
qaland, and Pennsylvania, east Of the
Suiquehanna. and New Jersey can repre-
sen. the Portuguese territory for which
Great Britain is said TO be negotiating.
The province OF Ontario, Canda. and New
York can also stand for the British terri
tory OF Rhodesia, which adjoins the Trans
vaa on the north No account Of relative
distances has been taken in these COM
parisons, but only OF relative geographic
cal location. 1t may be said as TO distance
and area that the Transvall is on an aver
age about 900 miles from north to south
and the same distance from east to west.
The Orange Free State is about 800
miles from northeast to southwest and
and about I5o miles across. From the
eastern boundary of the Orange Free
State across Natal TO the Indian ocean is
about so miles. From the most southern
point of the Free State on the Orange riv-
err to the ocean IN a direct line south
through Cape Colony the distance is $50
miles, but it is over double that distance
in a southwesterly line to Cape Town.
which latter is about ZOO miles from
Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal, and
two-thrds that distance from Bloemfon-
TEN, the Free State capital.
Natal's panhandle extends up between
the Orange Free State on the west and
the Transvaal on the east. AT the north
ern extremity OF this panhandle is the pass
known as Laing's Mex which is said to
have been seized by the Beers and which
is commanded on the Boer territory by
Majuba HILL Twenty five miles south of
this pass in the panhandle, there about IS
miles wide, is the town OF New Castle,
which the British have decided not to de-
fcEd. as it can be attacked from three di-
rec;ions by the Beers. Fifty miles south
of New Castle, and just below the base of
the triangle forming the panhandle, is
Ladysmith, where the British have con-
centrated in strong force. Some IS miles
northeast of Ladysmith is Dundee, where
they have another strong force protecting
Northeastern Natal from Boer advance
from the Transvaal Zululand territory.
Dundee and LadYsmith are connected by
a railroad which runs from the former
place southeast to Durham, on the Indian
ocean, The capital of Natal. From Lady
smith to Durham is about I25 miles. The
Boer forces coming from the ITansvaal
on the north and east will attack Lady
smith and Dundee, and will be assisted
by the Orange Free State forces coming
from the west. The latter will probably
try to strike the railroad to Durham south
of Iadysmith so as to isolate the British
at that place and Dundee from their base
on the Indian ocean.
If Clarksburg. w. Va, be considered
as representing Ladysmith, Morgantown
as Dundee, and Norfolk, Va, be taken
for Durham, and there was a railroad run
ming southeast from Clarksburg to Nor
folk, the situation in Natal, leaving out
the question of distance, might be ex-
planned by considering that the Orange
Free State troops were threatening Clarks-
burg and its communications from South
eastern Ohio, and the Transvaal forces
were moving on that place and Dundee
from rWellsville. o.. and Cumberland
Md. The Beers from the western part OF
the Transvaal and the same section of the
Orange Free State are also moving against
the British at Mafeking. Vryburg and
Kimberly, which are on the great line OF
railroad from Cape Colony to Rhodesia.
Mafeking is the farthest north OF the three
places and is Just over western frontier OF
the Trausvaal Nryburg IS south OF Mat
eking about Ico miles, and Kimberly IS
still $50 miles south of Nrysburg, and Just
over the Free State border. The Beers
have already destroyed train at Nryburg
and can without much difficulty cut the
railroad communication between the three
places and also between Kimberly and
Cape Town. Mafeking and Vryburg
may be represented as two towns just
over the eastern border Of Indiana threat
ened by Transvaal Beers from North
western Ohio, and Kimberly as town
near the junction of the Ohio, Indiana and
Kentucky State boundaries threatened by
Free State Beers from the western bcr-
der OF Eastern Kentucky and Southwest
ern Ohio, who also menace the town $
railroad communication with the Gulf OF
Mexico. which is just about as far from
the Ohio river as Kimberlyis from Cape
Town, or about 600 miles.