Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-20
BOER POWDER AND SHOT.
Enough Ammunition in the Trans.
vanl for 81 Ten Years War.
From Innion

From the london Mail.
Most of the ammunition used by the
Beers is of German or French manufac-
ture A comparatively very small quantity
was made in England, and an equally small
proportion was manufactured at the Trans
vaal government works, near Pretoria.
A vast amount of mystery and secrecy
surrounded the government powder fac
tory, as it was called, and no one was al
lowed to visit it, or even to approach within
half a mile of the inclosed buildings, with
out very extra special permit.
The factory was entirely run by Germans
and. curiously enough, the head thereof
was Mr. Kruger, who was always careful
to assert that he was no relation whatso-
ever to the president. This seems quite
likely as he was very decent sort of fell
low.
The works were near Daspoort. about
four miles outside Pretoria. and in the i'm
mediate neighbOrhood of the cement works,
where so-ca'led Transvaal Portland cement
was very badly made. The powder factor
is most jealousy guarded from intruders,
and even the Italians from the dynamite
factory not many miles away know moth
ing of its internal economy. 1t is thought
questionable by many whether any actual
manufacture takes place here, or whether,
as in the case of the dynamite works
c'Maatschapj voor Ontploffbaren Stoffen'
in the "Taar) the imported ingredients
are just put up in cartridges on the spot,
so as to appear to carry out the require
ments of the exclusive concession.
The ammunition is taken away at dead
of night on mule wagons to one or other of
the forts around Pretoria, and portion is
often sent over to the Johannesburg fort.
but not by rail- as the jolting might be
dangerous in the case of the very careleSSly
put together explosive. An escort of artil-
lf.Nr W
due delivery of the ammunition.
In the case of foreisn-imported ammuni-
tiOn-Lee-M etfofd, Mauscr and heavy gun
shells-it comes by German, French or
Dutch steamer to Delagoa bay. and is there
unshipped. stored for a longer or shorter
period in the wretched tin shanties on the
wharf. which do duty for bonded ware
houses. and then, when all the eNtraOrdi-
nary Portuguese formalities are complete,
it is forwarded by train, via KOmat Poort.
to Pretoria. where it is taken, again at the
dead OF night. from the railway station to
one of the forts or to the government mag
azine out on the veldt, beyond the race
course. Now and again. as indeed hap
pened just before the present war broke
out, the Portuguese officials at Lorenzo
Marques Delagoa bay), for some reasons
best known to themselves. refuse to pass
the ammunition. and then there is an angry
and heated exchange Of letters in a queer
mixture of Portuguese, Dutch and English,
and after a long delay the goods may ar
rive at their destination, or they may not
In at least one instance an amusing con-
tretemps occurred. A large lot of ammuni-
ton, some 1900 boxes, went astray at the
port and could not be found. The port au-
thorities were sure that they had been
landed. but the railway officials could not
account for them in any way. AT last. after
the lapse of many months. it turned out
that by some unacCountable error the
whole lot had been reshipped to Beira, and
had got through to Buluwayo. and was
comfortably repOsing in the magazines of
the Chartered Company of British South
their ammunition. Mr.. Rhodes officials
said: Very well, come and fetch it; but,
as We happen to want some of this partic-
ular brand ourselves, you had better let us
pay You To- il and say no more on the sub
ject.' This actually happened. but it was
never found out whether the mistake oc-
CURED on purpose or by accident.
On the whole it has been found that the
French ammunition is more reliable than
that made in Germany, and there has also
been less palm oil, less bribery and corrup-
ton in its purchase. shipment and delivery.
In the case of one particular lot of Ger
man cartridges it was reckoned that the
original cost was quadrupled by the time
they reached Pretoria owing to the number
of hands through which they passed and
the number of officials who had to be lin
suited before they Were passed. Not only
that. but when these cartridges We're I'M
packed and distributed among the farmers
it was found that they We're faulty and
dangerous, so that the whole transaction
was eminently unsatisfactory from every
point of view. These We're Mauser car
tridges.
The quantity of ammunition stored in the
Transvaal is absolutely colossal and would
suffice for ten years war, even at the
present rate of usage.